September- The Month of The Normans

September, The Month of the Normans

Hail friends and Norman enthusiasts.

Approximately 10 days from now (depending on which time zone you reside) marks the anniversary of the beginning of the Norman Conquest of England. William, duke of Normandy, had been preparing for a massive onslaught against the English at Pevensey on Britain’s southeast coast. It was his belief he had the more legitimate claim to the throne.

William was the illegitimate son of Robert I, duke of Normandy, by his concubine Arlette, a tanner’s daughter from the town of Falaise. The duke, who had no other sons, designated William his heir, and with his death in 1035 William became duke of Normandy at age seven.

Picture this in a modern day setting, the leader of your nation is now a child who would be attending Primary School!

Rebellions were epidemic during the early years of his reign, and that was to be expected, especially with such a vulnerable and inexperienced leader sitting on the Throne. On several occasions the young duke narrowly escaped death. Many of his advisers did not, meaning any successful assassination attempt on the young Duke could have massively changed the course of history. This would also mean that I personally would be publishing articles on sites with completely different names to the ones in which I currently submit to.

By the time he was 20, William had become an able ruler and was backed by King Henry I of France. Henry later turned against him, but William survived the opposition and in 1063 expanded the borders of his duchy into the region of Maine.(I shall tell this story another time)

There are so many different stories I am going to submit, but I am now going to turn the point of focus back to the Norman Conquest.

Keeping in mind this event took place 3 days after my previous submission on the battle of Stamford Bridge, with approximately 7,000 troops and cavalry, William seized Pevensey and marched to Hastings, where he paused to organize his forces.

On October 13, Harold arrived near Hastings with his army, and the next day William led his forces out to give battle. At the end of a bloody, all-day battle, King Harold II was killed–shot in the eye with an arrow, according to legend–and his forces were defeated.

William then marched on London and received the city’s submission. On Christmas Day, 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned the first Norman king of England, in Westminster Abbey, and the Anglo-Saxon phase of English history came to an end. French became the language of the king’s court and gradually blended with the Anglo-Saxon tongue to give birth to modern English, once again showing the effective way the Norman people absorbed every culture they met.

And since we already know our Norman ancestors were some of the earliest known hipsters, who's to say they were also not among a peoples who were actually more accepting of cultural diversity than we are today?

William I proved an effective king of England, and the “Domesday Book,” a great census of the lands and people of England, was among his notable achievements. Upon the death of William I in 1087, his son, William Rufus, became William II, the second Norman king of England.(All stories for another time)

Till the next installment. Happy September, as this month celebrates many achievements of our great Norman Ancestors. Skol!

Author: Justin Ferry