Research Paper on Medieval European History
Introduction:
The chapter on Feudal monarchy in RHC Davis’s book helps in
highlighting the problems and the workings of the times that
today are not only incomprehensible but also are not present and
therefore difficult to imagine. The chapter delineates the
history of monarchy in the early period of the last millennium.
It highlights the importance of the moving of the crown for one
monarch to the next and the battles and the manipulations that
helped in the taking shape of events the way they did. This
paper helps in highlighting the lineage of the monarchs at that
time and the important events at the turn of the last
millennium. It is hoped that the reader feels satisfied after
reading a detailed account that is given below.
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Prelude to the Battle of Hastings:
The account for the sake of relevance is highlighted with King
Edward of England also called "The Confessor" because of his
construction of Westminster Abbey death on January 5. The event
of his death started a
three-way rivalry for the crown that culminated in the Battle of
Hastings and the destruction of the Anglo-Saxon rule of England.
The first and foremost in the line for the crown was Harold
Godwinson, also the brothers-in-law of the king married Harold's
sister. His claim had certain validity as the dying Edward
supposedly uttered "Into Harold's hands I commit my Kingdom." It
is a fact that Harold’s coronation took place the same day as
Edward's burial. However unfortunately, with the placing of the
crown on his head, Harold's troubles began. The second contender
to the throne was the Duke of Normandy, William, who also laid
claim to the English throne. The claim of William was justified
through his blood relationship with Edward as they were distant
cousins. William also claimed that Edward had designated him as
his successor. William further went on to claim that Harold had
sworn on the relics of a martyred saint that he would support
William's right to the throne.
Therefore William justified this aggression as when Harold
donned the Crown he not only defied the wishes of Edward but had
violated a sacred oath. Therefore William immediately prepared
to invade England and destroy the upstart Harold. However what
was more disturbing was that Harold's violation of his sacred
oath enabled William to secure the support of the Pope.
Therefore after this Harold was excommunicated. The third rival
for the throne was Harald Hardrada, who was the King of Norway.
His justification was even stronger than William's. It is of
interest to note that Hardrada ruled Norway jointly with his
nephew Mangus until 1047. This can be regarded as the most
complicated of all claims. It should be noted that the history
goes such that Mangus had made a deal with Harthacut the Danish
ruler of England, of promising their kingdom to each other in
the event of their deaths. Harthacut had died but Mangus was
unable to follow up on his claim to the English throne as he was
too busy battling for the rule of Denmark. Therefore in his
absence, Edward became the Anglo-Saxon ruler of England. The
events therefore were such that Mangus and Edward were dead, and
therefore Hardrada asserted that he, as Mangus's heir, was the
rightful ruler of England. He too set of to invade England and
crush the upstart.
Battle of Hastings and William the Conqueror:
Hardrada of Norway struck first. The invasion sent King Harold
to the north at the head of his army picking up reinforcements
along the way. The speed of Harold's forced and a fierce battle
that followed helped in conquering the invading arm, and
therefore Harold won the battle.
Harold received word of William's landing near Hastings.
Harold rushed his army to hastings tand the famous battle with
the forces of Harold atop the hill and those ofd William in the
valley proceeded. Finally, as evening approached, the English
line gave way and the Normans rushed their enemy with a
vengeance. King Harold fell as did the majority of the Saxon
aristocracy. On Christmas day 1066, William was crowned King of
England in Westminster Abbey.
The Plates of the Bayuex Tapestry:
This is one of the, most prized works of history. It is widely
believed that the Tapestry was commissioned by Bishop Odo, who
was bishop of Bayeux and also the half-brother of William the
Conqueror. This Tapestry contains a visual history and therefore
is divided into scenes each one describing a particular event.
These scenes are joined into a linear sequence. This sequence
allows the viewer to "read" the entire story, which starts with
the first scene and progresses to the last. The Tapestry is
above all a Norman document. The tapestry has been written in a
time when the vast majority of the population was illiterate.
Therefore the Tapestry's images were designed to tell the story
of the conquest of England from the Norman perspective. It
focuses on the storyof William, and makes no mention of Hardrada
of Norway nor of Harold's victory at Stamford Bridge.
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