Posted on 10/14/2005 4:35:26 AM PDT by mainepatsfan
This Day In History | General Interest
October 14
1066 The Battle of Hastings
King Harold II of England is defeated by the Norman forces of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings, fought on Senlac Hill, seven miles from Hastings, England. At the end of the bloody, all-day battle, Harold was killed--shot in the eye with an arrow, according to legend--and his forces were destroyed. He was the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.
Just over two weeks before, William, the duke of Normandy, had invaded England, claiming his right to the English throne. In 1051, William is believed to have visited England and met with his cousin Edward the Confessor, the childless English king. According to Norman historians, Edward promised to make William his heir. On his deathbed, however, Edward granted the kingdom to Harold Godwine, head of the leading noble family in England and more powerful than the king himself. In January 1066, King Edward died, and Harold Godwine was proclaimed King Harold II. William immediately disputed his claim.
On September 28, 1066, William landed in England at Pevensey, on Britain's southeast coast, with approximately 7,000 troops and cavalry. Seizing Pevensey, he then marched to Hastings, where he paused to organize his forces. On October 13, Harold arrived near Hastings with his army, and the next day William led his forces out to give battle.
After his victory at the Battle of Hastings, William marched on London and received the city's submission. On Christmas Day, 1066, he was crowned the first Norman king of England, in Westminster Abbey, and the Anglo-Saxon phase of English history came to an end. French became the language of the king's court and gradually blended with the Anglo-Saxon tongue to give birth to modern English. William I proved an effective king of England, and the "Domesday Book," a great census of the lands and people of England, was among his notable achievements. Upon the death of William I in 1087, his son, William Rufus, became William II, the second Norman king of England.
!! October 14...also my birthday...Yipeee!
Let's hope Hollywood does this one now in a movie. I hate to forget these things, history really is important.
I wonder who'd they portray as the bad guys?
"The Lord of the Rings" was written by JRR Tolkien in part to restore an Anglo Saxon mythology to England, something that he felt had been removed by the Normans after their conquest.
OTOH, IMO the Anglo Saxon tradition of individual freedom managed to dominate British culture until the 20th century and American until the last 30 years or so.
Willam the Bastard won. Just goes to show that the good guys don't always win.
Actually, the battle that Harold won in the north a couple of weeks before was even more spectacular. One wonders why he was in such a hurry to get south that he left half of his army stringing out behind him. History would have certainly been different if he had not been as impulsive as he was.
The United States as a country is an outgrowth of England, not Italy, Germany or Ireland. We speak English and share much in common culturally with the English. Particularly we share a tradition of individual freedom and personal liberty, a tradition that began there, not here, though IMO Americans elevated that tradition to a new form. In fact the practical application of that tradition is almost exclusive to English speaking countries.
Because of these things, English history is essentially our history and therefore more directly of interest than the general history of Western Civilization, although of course that is obviously our history too.
I think you answered your question by choosing to reply in English, rather than Italian, German or Gaelic
I for one welcome our Norman overlords.
Happy Birthday!
Good point and a true one!
As one of Norman descent, I say GO NORMANS!
"Anglo Saxon mythology"
But how important is mythology compared to real history? Jesus came to bring us life when "we" were far gone in superstition and false religion. Very early on Christianity was brought to Briton, probably first by Roman soldiers.
Why go back into darkness?
Mythology is darkness, and so is "Lord of The Rings" and "Harry Potter".
Very interesting point there, and one with which I tend to agree. I think the predominant trends in modern education predispose most of us to think of history ( if it is thought of at all) as being shaped by sweeping and impersonal forces. Nationalism, Socialism, Modernism, Isalmo-Fascism, etc. Too often we overlook the role of the individual and individual choice.
Last year my son chose Hastings for a history research paper. He went to source materials as much as he could, then secondary materials, of course. He did a pretty good job synthesizing the traditional accounts with some modern analysis.
He concluded that Harold would have been better served by waiting before joining pithced battle and that, even so, had it not been for the (un)lucky arrow strike, the battle, and thus the fate of England and thus the West, could have been much different.
From what I can remember from school, the arrow was just the final nail in the coffin. There’s dispute over whether he was shot by an arrow but that’s beside the point.
The battle was lost when William feigned retreat and the Saxons elite infantry broke formation to pursue. The Normans then turned and charged with their cavalry. Fair play if you ask me, seems like good quick thinking on William’s (or his military advisor’s) part.
I won't address Harry Potter, but The Lord of the Rings is a great Christian allegory written by a serious scholar of Christian faith and intended to discuss Christian issues like courage, honor, purity, self-sacrifice, humility, fearless opposition to evil, and love for one's fellow man.
I have a feeling that you havn't actually read LOTR yet - I hope you will try it, its a delightful read!
SEE #19
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