Tuesday Tally

The Bastard's Conquest Research Edition

We've published half a dozen magazine articles about the Normans, the Norman Conquest of Britain, and William the Bastard.

So when it comes to researching The Bastard's Conquest we are prepared.

To that end, here's a list of our best sources on the Norman Conquest.

The Bayeux Tapestry, the Monks of Bayeux: This was commissioned in Normandy in the 1080s and is a visual retelling of the evens of 1066. It is a highly accurate visual depiction showing arms, mail, the tactics of the Battle of Hastings and so on.  The Tapestry is a wonderful primary source. Alert reader(s) will notice we have a reproduction of the Tapestry in the background of our guitar videos.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: the chronicle is an illuminated manuscript, a record kept by monks for the marking of time and holidays. It reads thusly,'In this year the great Heathen Army raided Lindesfarne' or 'In this year a great star was spotted in the sky'. Gradually the entries became more detailed until the monks were writing actual history amounting to multiple paragraphs. Several dozen such passages chronicle the events of 1066 and William's reign over England.

Harold, the Last Anglo Saxon King, Ian W. Walker: A pithy and fun biography of Harold and his times which can be read over a weekend.

William the Conqueror, David C. Douglas: A long and in-depth biography of William the Bastard. It's all here from William's life, to his times, to his wars for Normandy, the conquest, his administration of England and his dealings with the Church.

The Battle of Hastings, Jim Bradbury: Another pithy history by a classic medieval historian. Interestingly Bradbury argues that they may not have the location of the battle right. He makes a compelling case.

The Bastard's Conquest

The proposed book title should tell the reader what we think of England's King William I. As far as we're concerned Harold Godwinson is the last legitimate King of England.

We wrote rather extensively about William and the Normans back in the 2000's. First we did the lead article for Decision Games 1066 game:

That's a great cap from the Bayeux Tapestry. It even has my name on it.

[Ego-maniacal Yank-Ed]

This is an excellent source not just for the Battle of Hastings but the events of 1066. This particular piece shows King Harold (a usurper to the Normans) and Haley's Comet. Neat, huh?

Anyhoo, later, as our first daughter napped in the day we wrote about the Bastard's follow up conquest after the battle of Hastings. Later still we did a nice piece for Medieval Warfare Magazine called How to Fight and Win like a Norman. Pro-tip, lots of heavy cavalry and feigned flight. Bring Archers if you got em, just as King Harold.

That's another clip from the Bayeux Tapestry.  Here we see Harold pierced through the eye by an arrow. Identifying that figure is a matter of some controversy among historians, but it seems obvious to us. The name Harold is above the figure after all, just like the first pick of Harold on the throne.

The English infantry stood up to William's cavalry all day, they only broke at the death of the king. 

Here's an interesting alt history question. What if Harold had lived?

Well, at the end of the day he's most likely standing atop that hill with the rest of his army and preparing to receive reinforcements from the north while William is scurrying back to his coastal base at Pevesney before skulking back to Normandy.