Norman Conquest of England—(Sept. 28, 1066-1072): William, the Duke of Normandy, invaded England in the autumn of 1066, beginning a campaign of conquest leading to his crowning as the King of England and the establishment of Norman rule over England.
The events depicted on the tapestry cover three years: 1064—1066
(1) Harold’s visit to Normandy 1064-1065 (scenes 1-23)
(2) The death of Edward the Confessor 5th Jan 1066 + preparation for the Norman Invasion during spring and summer 1066 (scenes 24—38)
(3) The landing in England (28th September 1066) followed by The Battle of Hastings (14th October) (scenes 39-58)
The story of The Conquest, as it is known in England, began with the death of the old king of England, Edward the Confessor. King Edward had no sons to inherit his throne, a four-way conflict developed over who would become the next King of England.
The English Witanagemot, the traditional council of nobles, chose Harold Godwinson as the new king.
The other claimants included;
- King Harold's half-brother, Tostig Godwinson,
- Harald Hardrada, the King of Norway, and
- William, Duke of Normandy, a region in northwest France.
Harold marched toward Hastings after defeating and killing Harald Hardrada and Tostig at Stamford Bridge, a victory which left his army tired and weakened. On Oct. 14, 1066, the Anglo-Saxon army of England battled the invading Normans. The battle ended with Harold dead and William of Normandy as the sole living claimant to the throne. William then marched his forces northward toward London, defeating the English at Southwark. Journeying toward the capital city, William received the surrender and submission of several important Anglo-Saxon nobles, and was crowned as King William (the First) on December 25, 1066. This ended the first phase of the Norman Conquest of England.
No comments:
Post a Comment