Project Paper

Nithish Kurian

Humanities 1102

April 28, 2016

 In the year 1064, there was an enormous palace called the Royal Palace of Westminster.

There also was a king, and his name was Edward the Confessor. He has been the King of

England since 1042. One day, he was speaking to his brother-in-law Harold. Harold is the known

as the Earl of Wessex. After they had spoken, Harold decided to make a trip to his family estate,

Bosham, in the south coast in Sussex. He took along his followers, hunting dogs, and a hawk.

When they arrived there, Harold and a fellow companion entered the church at Bosham.

They wanted to pray for a safe voyage as they made their journey. The night before they left, a

huge feast was held in one of Harolds countless houses, which was the manor house at Bosham.

All sorts of food and booze were there, and Harold and his followers had a joyous time for hours

and hours. When the rooster crowed at sunshine, Harold and his crew boarded his ship and set

sail, still holding his pet hawk.

It was a day since they left Harolds family estate, and Harold and his crew were still

sailing. It started to rain, and Harolds ship is driven across the channel. They made their way

approaching Ponthieu, a territory north of Normandy that was owned by a man named the fierce

Count Guy. Harold decides to land, and as he climbs down, he was suddenly surrounded and

seized by soldiers. Everyone from Harolds ship were taken in, stripped from their weapons and

armory, and as Harold looked up, he saw Count Guy directing orders to his men.

Harold became a prisoner of Count Guys, and instead of treating him badly, he was

treated with respect. He rode with his hawk in the front. They arrived at Beaurain, the capital

town where Guy was situated in. Guy sat on his throne and spoke with Harold.

As they were speaking to each other, two messengers came running to Count Guy on

behalf of Duke William, who was Guys overlord from Normandy. He demanded Harolds
release immediately. News was brought to William that Harold was seized by Count Guy and

was outraged. So, with no choice, Guy obeyed Williams wish and took Harold to meet Duke

William. Both appear before him, holding their hawks.

William took along Harold with his soldiers to his palace at Rouen, which at this point

William is in possession of the hawk. As William sits, Harold talks to him about his background

and his life. William grew to liken this Harold man, and Harold did the same. In doing so, Harold

decided to take part in battle against Duke Conan of Brittany, an enemy of Williams. As they

pass the border between Normandy and Brittany, they had to cross a treacherous river. William

and his men were having a tough time crossing. Some fell into a quicksand and did not make it.

A few Harold could save some with his honorable strength.

With the men that had survived, William and Harold arrived at Brittany. The Norman soldiers

attack Duke Conan, and Conan attempts to escape down a rope from the side of his castle. The

soldiers chase after him throughout the capital.

Eventually the Normans caught up with Conan. The battle had really begun! Soldiers

were on horsebacks, throwing lances. Others trying to set their enemy on fire! After a few hours

of a gruesome battle, Conan surrenders. He gives the keys to his kingdom to William. As a

reward for his alliance, William honors Harold with the gifts of arms. This would seem to be

making William Harolds overlord, which was an important event from the point of view of the

Normans.

William and Harold returned to Normandy and reached to the town called Bayeux. There,

Harold makes a solemn oath on holy relics, believed to be creating a relationship between him

and William. Nevertheless, Harold was now a free man, and decides to sail back to England.
Harold reaches England and pays a visit to King Edward. At the time, he was very healthy and

charismatic. But soon, his time as King was near to the end. On January 5th, 1066, King Edward

died, due to reasons that were not known.

A funeral was held on his behalf at the Westminster Abbey, a great new church. At the

time of the churchs consecration on December 28th, 1065, it turned out that King Edward was

too ill to attend. At the end of the funeral, two noblemen approached Harold and was given the

crown and axe, and Harold accepted the offer to become the next king.

Harold became King of England on January 6, 1066, which was the same morning as the

funeral of the former king Edward. Harold, the new king, sat on his throne with nobles to his left,

and Archbishop Stigand to his right. In front of him, crowds of people, cheering his name. Then

suddenly, a comet appeared before everyone. The news of this came to Harold, and some

believed it was an evil omen, that meant an invasion was yet to come - The Normans.

Back at Normandy, the news of Edwards death and Harold ceremony was received by

William. He was enraged. William believed that the throne at England should have been his and

saw Harold as a tyrant. He believed Harold becoming King was not a justifiable action, so

because of this unjustifiable deed, William ruled for an attack on England to take control of the

throne. He organized a fleet of warships, gathered all sorts of men, including his half-brother

Bishop Odo of Bayeux.

Woodmen took down trees and created planks, which were used for building boats to

cross the sea. Williams men gathered food and supplies onto the ship, as well as weapons such

as coats of chain mail, helmets, swords, and lances. After they got prepared, William led his

gigantic army to their boats and embarked on their journey towards England. The sea was filled
with ships, full of soldiers and horses. With William leading the way, he was ready at the battle at

hand.

After a full days trip, they reach the coast of England on the 28th of September and land

at Pevensey. Williams soldiers get off, unload, and look to gather food for the night. That night,

a feast was prepared in the clear area - chicken on skewers, a stew cooked over an open fire, and

food from an outdoor oven. William takes a seat with his fellow companions and Bishop Odo,

who says grace before starting the feast. Later during the feast, a messenger came to William,

and was told that Harolds army preparing themselves. William was pleased. After the feast, they

all took a good nights rest, because the next morning would be the biggest battle of their entire

lives.

The day of the battle has arrived, and on the morning of October 14, 1066, William was

in his full armor, on his horse, ready for battle. William, leading his cavalry, gallops off to face

Harold and his soldiers of England. On the other side, a look-out warns Harold that William and

his army was drawing nearer to them. Harold gathers his men and gets them ready. As the

Normans arrived at Hastings, William says one final speech to motivate his soldiers, and then in

a matter of minutes, the Normans charged - The Battle of Hastings had begun.

As the battle went on, arrows and lances going back and forth, men lay on the ground put

to death. The English soldiers were on foot, but were protected by their wall of shields.

Unfortunately, the Normans attacked from both sides. The rampage continued longer, as more

men killed each other with spears and swords. Horses crash to the ground, along with the men

that rode on them. One of those men that had fallen was Duke William. Many believed he was

dead, but eventually he rose, took off his helmet to reveal his face. This put everyone in such
disbelief, but more of a confidence boost to the Normans; that their leader was still in the fight

and not ready to give up. William inspired his men to keep fighting to the bitter end.

The battle nearing to its end, the Normans seemed to have the upper hand. Most of the

soldiers dead, some with their heads chopped off. The battle came to an end when a few Norman

soldiers slid passed Harolds army and killed Harold himself. Harold being resilient at first, had

plucked an arrow out of his eye, wanting to keep fighting, but the Normans had finally put him

down.

With Harold dead, the great battle was over. The Normans were victorious, and still

chased down the last remaining England soldiers. After all was taken care of, William still

needed to take control of England. He went city to city, conquering every single one, and made

everyone surrender. Williams ceremony becoming King was held on Christmas Day in 1066, at

the Westminster Abbey, the same one that was built by Edward the Confessor. Soon life in

England went back to normal, and King William would eventually die in 1087, and his children

would take over. This is the story of how England was invaded by the Normans, and how King

William the Conqueror came to be.

 Works Cited
Barrow, Mandy. "Bayeux Tapestry and The Battle of Hastings 1066." Bayeux
Tapestry and The Battle of Hastings 1066. N.p., 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

"Bayeux Tapestry." Bayeux Tapestry. N.p., 1998. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

"Britain's Bayeux Tapestry." Britain's Bayeux Tapestry. Reading Borough Council,

2000. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.