The Political Background of 1066 A.D and the Battle of Hastings

In this lecture Dr. Thornton discussed the political events that lead up the the Norman Invasion and Conquest of Anglo Saxon England and one of the most famous and important battles of the Middle Ages, the Battle of Hastings in 1066 AD.
Attribution: Attribution: Bilkent Courses on the Web
HIST-416 Medieval British History
Asst. Prof. David E. Thornton
2009-2010- Fall
Formation of the medieval English state from its Anglo-Saxon beginnings to the 14th century, tracing the developments in central and local government, its politics, social structure and its interaction with the rest of the British Isles and the Continent.
video.bilkent.edu.tr/course_vi...

[@studyofantiquityandthemidd4449]

What are your thoughts on this episode and the political evens that lead up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D? Comment your thoughts!

[@malboyce3468]

Great explanation of events pre-Battle of Hastings. I hope you are going to upload the next in this series?

[@eavaharris3519]

I really appreciate the diagram...it puts the subject in a much easier way of thinking...we all know that these events are more than just history...

[@zoetropo1]

In brief: the setting is incomplete, especially as you missed out a whole branch of the family tree who had older claims to England than anyone else, and who had transformative roles in the course of events for centuries before, during and after 1066.

[@malboyce3468]

@@zoetropo1 Thats interesting. If they had older claims why do you think they did not press their rights? Were they Anglo-Saxon, Danish or another tribe?

[@zoetropo1]

Mal Boyce: Bretons. They weren’t in a position to stake their claim because they were currently divided by a long-running internal conflict between the party of Conan II and that of his uncle Eudon Penteur. In late 1066, Conan conquered northern Anjou (an unheard-of feat, so his army was powerful indeed) then headed north through Mayenne towards Normandy. Since he had a valid and vocal claim to Normandy, his intentions were clear. Surprise, surprise, he died of poisoning on 11 December during the campaign. Eudon, meanwhile, lent Duke William 5000 soldiers for the invasion of England. The Bayeux Tapestry has a long scene depicting the Breton cavalry overrunning Earls Leofwine and Gyrth. It shows Eudon’s son Alan Rufus on horseback challenging Earl Gyrth, while a mailed soldier on foot is about to stab Gyrth in the back. If I recall correctly, the “Song of the Battle of Hastings”, written by Guy of Amiens, states that when William was lost his horse, Earl Gyrth attacked him but was killed during the attempt. So this must have been just moments before the Breton cavalry charge. Indeed, the next two scenes show Norman horsemen fleeing, Bishop Odo urging them to turn back, then William on a fresh horse, revealing his face. Had William died, Alan Rufus was the next most senior officer on the field who was a blood relation to King Edward, so after the battle he would probably have claimed England for his father Eudon (Edward’s older maternal first cousin). The genealogical relationship is this: Eudon’s mother was Hawise of Normandy, Queen Emma’s sister. William’s father Duke Robert’s mother was Judith of Brittany, Eudon’s paternal aunt. So Eudon and Robert were double-cousins: they had the same four grandparents. During the Rebellion of 1088, Alan had a chance to be king of England, just by standing back to watch the rebel barons take down William II, then defeating them himself. Instead, he rallied the English to support the king. Alan’s epitaph describes him as “second to the king”, a statement of where he stood in the power hierarchy, but also a reference to his being in line for the throne: a “second” is a tanist, to use the Irish term, an ætheling in English terminology, or an adelin in Frankish. King William I called Alan his “nephew”, a statement that he was in line for the throne after William’s progeny. In the event, one of Alan’s heirs, Arthur I of Brittany, was a contender for the English throne but William Marshal, in the greatest error of his life, plumped for uncle John.

[@AQWguy]

Very cool! This is perfect timing for me (and I'm sure for many others) with the increasing popularity of shows during this period, including "Vikings", "The Last Kingdom", and "Vinland Saga". Can't wait for the next part of this lecture. Many thanks for all the work you're doing.

[@zoetropo1]

5:15 the big difference was that the ordinary Anglo-Saxon landowner had allodial title (same as in Brittany), but after 1066/86 all land was held by grant of the King/Crown. Even to marry (one means of acquiring/merging land), you had to pay him money.

[@zoetropo1]

The Breton presence and influence in Normandy is evident in placenames beginning ‘Bret’ such as Bretigny, Breteuil, Bretteville (and in Flanders, Villers-Bretonneux) and the many locales named St Aubin. When William the Conqueror was due to be buried, a Breton claimed that the burial plot had been stolen from him, causing delay while the matter was negotiated. In 1090, the Breton merchant Conan Pilates had more supporters in Rouen than did Duke Robert Curthose himself.

[@zoetropo1]

William’s Breton cousins will prove important, some as his most loyal supporters, others as his most formidable foes. Conan II, Duke of Brittany, had claims to Normandy, England and France, the latter two by virtue of his descent from Alfred the Great through Louis IV. Moreover, he was rapidly building an army capable of enforcing those claims. It was to delay Conan’s realistic ambition to conquer all his neighbours that the Breton-Norman War was fought circa 1064.

[@budscroggins2632]

lol...was that Plagerism bit a subtle warning to his students?..I love how he just matter of factly mentions it

[@JackPoynter]

As I understand it, 'rede' meant to be able to read, or 'educated'. 'Unrede' meant he wasn't educated, and didn't know how to read. Goodness only knows where I read that, I'm 74, and I've forgotten lots more than I remember. lol

[@bott3849]

Much better mic placement today

[@zoetropo1]

21:59 Queen Emma had a sister Hawise who was Duchess of Brittany: Hawise married Duke Geoffrey of Brittany, and Duke Richard II married Geoffrey’s sister Judith. Thus their children were double-cousins: they shared the same four grandparents. In addition, through Emma’s two royal marriages, they were first cousins to Edward the Confessor, Harthacnut and their siblings. Most of these relationships proved important to the Conquest.

[@fergusmallon1337]

Heavens! That's a rather startling introduction.

[@zoetropo1]

0:48 But what about the next lecture? I’m really looking forward to hearing that!

[@zoetropo1]

43:20 if relation by marriage is a basis for a claim, then may I please have a slice of the Deloitte accounting firm?

[@zoetropo1]

18:55 One cause of Carolingian decline was the high death toll among the armies they had sent to invade Brittany. Charles the Bald, in particular, repeatedly lost men and territory in those ventures.

[@RichMitch]

Battle of hastings was on my birthday... yes, I am over 900 years old, what of it?

[@mrmarmellow563]

@n Rich Ho-ho Sir ; smile 🎉🐶 what a hearty jest! .. lol😜👍

[@TheJett1904]

Same

[@eavaharris3519]

It would be nice if the camera...person would STOP following the Professor and focus on the diagram for a minute...

[@rockinbobokkin7831]

I'm hoping for the hidden Pagans to enter the server unexpectedly and take the map.

[@zoetropo1]

15:20 Rollo/Rollon/Rou/Roluo is reminiscent of the Breton names Rouello and Rouallo, which abbreviate Roennwallon (valorous lineage) and Roenhoiarn (iron lineage) respectively. See GD German’s . That Bretons (and Franks) joined in the practice of Viking is evident from the records of raiding across the Frankish-Breton border, from the fact that the last two leaders of the Loire Vikings had Breton names, and the presence of high-status Bretons in the armies of the Hautevilles. (Also, William Iron-arm’s mother was Breton.)

[@erichusayn]

Got a link to that plagiarism seminar he refered to at the begining? Sounds interesting...

[@RichMitch]

@Actionbastard what?

[@zoetropo1]

Actionbastard: in former times, plagiarism was the highest form of praise. Art history 101.

[@MrGuyJacks]

@@zoetropo1 That's right, still the case in Chinese culture in fact

[@RichMitch]

@Chas Maravel my head has fallen off

[@janegarner9169]

@Actionbastard . Yes, I'd also be interested in such a study, but if your point is to allow only professors who love the west to teach western history, I think you should think again. Ideally, there would be a wide range of opinions among professors in any field, allowing for a more thorough education of students & future professionals in the field. Isn't that the ideal of what's known as a liberal education? ('Liberal' here having no connection with modern political positions but rather with the idea of 'liberal' as wide-ranging.) Though it has been decades since I was a university student, better schools at that time did have professors whose views widely differed, which allowed a student to learn a wide range of viewpoints on the subject. But perhaps I am misunderstanding your statements. I hope so, as otherwise what you seem to wish is that all professors in this field of history adhere to essentially one view.

[@zoetropo1]

11:00 A neat theory, ideologically important to the propagandists of ‘Normannitas’ such as Dudo of St Quentin and William of Poitiers. In reality, most of the soldiers of Normandy were by descent either Gauls or Bretons. Even the ducal house’s ancestry was majority Gallic and Breton: Rollo and Poppa of Bayeux produced William Longsword who with Sprota of Brittany produced Richard I who with Gunnora produced Richard II who with Judith of Brittany produced Robert the Magnificent who with Herleva produced William the Conqueror. Herleva looks a Brythonic or Gallic name to me. Her husband Herluin had the same name as a Count of Ponthieu whose father was Count Haelchod (as names go, that’s pretty Celtic). Moreover, Herluin of Conteville and his sons had close political and ecclesiastic links with Brittany, as did Ponthieu.

[@harryfineberg5075]

Mostly descended from Danish Vikings

[@zoetropo1]

Harry Fìneberg: Ah, that or Norwegians is the claim, but no. Even the name Rollo has a Breton sound to it.

[@clement7652]

@@harryfineberg5075 No, the normans do not have much scandinavian blood and do not differ from other populations in the north and east of France. i2.wp.com/www.gnxp.com/WordPress/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/france-1.jpg?w=300&ssl=1

[@zoetropo1]

2:50 for America 1776, for Turkey 1071.

[@budscroggins2632]

Footnotes can help you safely navigate the troubled waters of plagarism...lol

[@mrmarmellow563]

Tis Knight is Not sö Hardæ With the Picticular Truth Of the Introduction of La Bastárde of Rouren!;} Also; Blimming Saxons Alwayz Been Steellin YORVIK WOmanñ! LADZ!

[@eavaharris3519]

I don't know what the hell you are saying, but I do like it...

[@quintonbroster2994]

I've read that the normans weren't French and that they didn't speak French yet it says here they were French and spoke French which is true

[@JackPoynter]

So 'Ethelred' is 'aethel' or 'aetheling', a prince, and 'Ethelred' would have meant an uneducated prince.

[@zoetropo1]

23:00 Prior to Edward’s reign, Bretons were already involved in England’s government. An example was Ralph the Staller, who was Lord of Gaël and Montfort in Brittany but also served in England from the reign of Cnut until the early years of William I. Robert fitz Wymarc, one of Edward’s inner council, had a Breton mother.

[@jamesheywood9255]

I love our History in England We have been conquered by so many countries & we are multicultural Thank you for you’re Video

[@zoetropo1]

3:10 Duck of Normandy?

[@zoetropo1]

3:50 speaking Gallo-Roman doesn’t make one a Frank.

[@larkinwalton4360]

@6:50 papalism begins it's long march to wipe out aspects of Orthodoxy in England. King Harold was the last, what we would call today, Orthodox king of England and is venerated as a holy martyr in the Holy Orthodox Church. His grandson, Yuri Golduruki founded the city of Moscow.

[@henryviii6341]

this is childlike in simplicity. and not accurate at all. Suggest you look elsewhere for a balanced view. For a START the concept of ENGLAND didn’t exist. No passport no flag no unified single administration nor law making or education etc. People didn’t ‘feel English ‘ at all. All told with 21st C. pre-conceptions.