October 15th 1066 - Death of King Harold


What English means.


anglo-saxon

\An"glo-Sax"on\, n. [L. Angli-Saxones English Saxons.] 1. A Saxon of
Britain, that is, an English Saxon, or one the Saxons who settled in
England, as distinguished from a continental (or ``Old'') Saxon.

The Teutonic people (Angles, Saxons, Jutes) of England, or the
English people, collectively, BEFORE the Norman Conquest.
NOTE 'BEFORE THE NORMAN CONQUEST'.

The language of the English people before the Conquest (sometimes
called Old English). See Saxon.

One of the race or people who claim descent from the Saxons, Angles,
Jutes or other Teutonic tribes who settled in England; a person of
English descent in its broadest sense.


BEDE'S ACCOUNT

According to the Venerable Bede, the first significant body of
Germanic settlers in England had been hired as mercenaries by the
British Prince Vortigern during fifth-century struggles for power
among British Celts that broke out when Roman colonial troops were
withdrawn. After a falling-out with their employer, these Germanic
warriors seized British territory in the south of England for
themselves and brought their families over the English Channel to
settle it. Archaeological evidence also reveals a gradual
infiltration of Germanic peoples into England along the rivers of
east central England, then a low-lying bayou country that would have
been impossible to police.

Bede tells us that the Germanic settlers came from Anglian and Saxon
regions of continental Europe, within the modern territories of
Holland, Southern Denmark, and Western Germany. The settlers brought
with them, in their heads, an extensive body of lore encoded in
alliterative verse, including versified laws as well as historical
and legendary narratives. Some of the settlers could use a runic
alphabet to carve brief messages, mostly on wooden sticks, but
writing was not used for Old English historical or literary material
until the conversion to Christianity, when manuscript technology
entered from Rome and Ireland.

Old English literature includes a number of works based on native
Germanic legend, including the remarkable Beowulf, a complete epic
peopled by half-Christian Germanic warriors. The interweaving of
Christian elements with native Germanic materials in this work is so
thoughtful and intricate that the two cultural strands are very
difficult to unravel. Other epic poems in native style use imported
Christian narratives. Two of the best, by a poet named Cynewulf,
have heroic female protagonists. As in Celtic saga, representation
of gender roles in Old English narrative may seem quite strange to a
modern reader. In Beowulf, for example, Queen Wealhtheow uses her
own treasure to pursue a political agenda independent of her
husbands and to some extent in conflict with it. It is clear from
Germanic law and legend that wives retained possession of their own
property and could count on their blood kin, especially their
brothers, for protection against abuse. Their roles were strikingly
different from that of wives in the Greco-Roman patriarchal system,
which gave the husband absolute power over the wife and forbade her
relatives to interfere in any way (read The Ancient City by Fustel
de Coulanges if you are interested in the origins of European
patriarchy) . Modern readers of Beowulf may also be surprised to
find that the feelings of monsters are represented in some detail
and that use of deadly force against them is supported by
painstaking legal argument.

After learning came in with Christianity, the Anglo-Saxons produced
academic and scientific works of remarkable quality for this period
of European history, but the small intellectual establishment was
quite fragile and often had to restart practically from scratch
after Viking invasions that devastated monastic libraries. The most
successful Viking invasions established a Scandinavian territory in
northern England, and we find Norwegian kings like Eric Bloodaxe
ruling in English cities like York. The Scandinavians eventually
blended in, making important contributions to the English language
(for example, nouns like skirt and pronouns like they, them).

The power of the Anglo-Saxons was finally broken in 1066 AD by the
Normans, who might almost be regarded as Vikings, since they came
originally from Denmark, though after settling on the French coast
they had adopted French customs and a dialect of the French
language. The Norman invasion of King William I (a.k.a. the
Conqueror) established a strong beachhead in Southern England.
Sporadic resistance elsewhere was eventually crushed through
advanced military technology involving moats and stone castles
(Anglo-Saxon castles or halls were made of wood).

After this period, Anglo-Saxon elements of English culture survive
primarily in the working class, while French and Latin elements
predominate in aristocratic circles. The animals tended by working-
class herders, for example, tended to have Germanic names (cow,
lamb, pig), while the finished products served up on the
aristocratic table had names derived from French (beef, mutton,
pork). Important elements of Anglo-Saxon law were incorporated into
English law, however.

ANYWAY ANYONE WHO TELLS YOU THAT THE NORMANS 'CONQUERED' THE ENGLISH
IS LYING!

The story of the Battle of Hastings that was fought on the 14th
October 1066. An event so significant, it completely changed the
course of English history.
To speak of this battle without recourse to the events that came
before, would be an injustice to the people of this island who have
fought and died for her. What makes this event so important to the
English is the immutable fact that it was the last time any foreign
power was to conquer her.


The origin of the three named groups was modern day Denmark, Fresia
and northern Germany!
Although Generically known as Saxons - they were culturally slightly
different.

The area of northern Germany known as Schleswig Holstein today or
Old Saxony was where the Saxons were thought to have originated from
here. It is also thought that they were mainly settled on the
eastern side.

The word 'Saxon' is used as a generic term for people from Germany.
In fact, the Saxons are made up of three peoples from different
parts of Germany. Saxons are people from north west Germany or Old
Saxony as it is sometimes known. Angles are people from the
Germany/Denmark border. Jutes are believed to originate from areas
of Jutland and Frisian coast. The Saxons settled in the south and
west of England. The Jutes in Kent populated the area that now
encompasses Sussex and Hampshire including London. The Angles
predominantly occupied the midlands and the north.

The Jutes - as their name might suggest - originated from Jutland
and the Frisian coast and islands.


Most of what has been written concerning the Saxons relates more to
their aggressive and conquering tendencies. There is another side of
them that has made England the country it is today. When Hengist and
Horsa took over Kent prior to expanding outwards, their families and
children followed. It was necessary therefore to farm the land, as
pillaging is only a short term measure if you intend to stay. The
Saxons were excellent farmers. they used four and eight ox ploughs
to farm the land. this allowed the heavy soils that were not used by
the British or the Romans to grow crops into production. They worked
together as a team to produce food, in fact, very similar to the way
they fought. The Saxons lived in thatched tent like huts called tuns
which were usually built in forest clearings or next to rivers. Many
of the place names that are still in existence today, such as
Hastings and Barking are areas colonized by the Saxons. When the
settlements became overpopulated, more forest was felled and the
name Bottom, East, West, North, South, Ley and Hurst appended to the
name. English maps are littered with such places today. If you fly
over England, you will see the whole country segmented into small
fields. These are of Saxon origin. As stated earlier, Saxon is a
generic term for a number of northern European people. As such, they
still tended to act tribally and populate different areas of
England. In the earlier days of Saxon colonization, the Jutes
favoured Kent and the Hampshire and the Isle of Wight area. The
Angles were in abundance in East Anglia and the South Saxons lived
in Sussex. As the population increased, they expanded outwards. The
Angles tended to move north through Lincolnshire and over the Humber
into Yorkshire and as far north as southern Scotland, intermarrying
on the way.

ike today, money speaks louder than words. When it came to Saxon
law, it was no different. Every man had a price which was directly
proportional to his status in the community. The name for this
system was the wergild. The wergild was a prescribed price in
shillings. In those times a shilling would buy a cow or sheep. A
serf or laet who were the lowest of the low was worth between 50 to
80 shillings, depending on how really low he was. A churl or yeoman
farmer could command 100 shillings. A nobleman was valued at 300
shillings. A aetheling or prince 1500 shillings. There was also
various other tariffs depending on status. The laws and tariffs
applied to all. So the ability to pay was not always taken into
consideration. As a couple of examples. If a prince killed a serf he
would be liable to pay about 50 shillings. Quite reasonable for a
prince. If it were the other way round, there would be no way a serf
could pay 1500 shillings, so his fate would be sealed. On the other
hand if the prince committed slander, he would have to pay wergild
of 1500 shillings or have his tongue cut out, whereas a serf would
only have to pay 50 shillings. This system worked reasonably well
for many years. In the words of Alfred the Great many years
later, "It was better than a blood feud".




Our impression of a king today is of an aloof person living in a
luxurious castle or palace. Nothing could have been further from the
truth in those days. It is strange that kings were ever appointed in
England as none existed in the Germanic areas that the Saxon tribes
originated from. In England, they were elected more out of
necessity. Kings were made from leaders who considered they were the
descendants of their gods or had built a reputation on the
battlefield or were the largest landowners. There must have been
many kings controlling settlements all over the country. Being a
king, however, was a precarious position. He was subject to the same
Saxon law as everybody else and as such was more vulnerable to
wergild and usurpers. To protect his interests, he employed his most
loyal warriors or those he had fought with. The only thing that he
could give was land. The land usually came with a title of some
description As most Saxon settlements were separated from each other
by impenetrable forest, The call on the available land became great.
The need to protect what you had became paramount. From the seventh
century onwards, a landed aristocracy began to develop, with
everybody owing all that they had, directly or indirectly to their
king. It would take two hundred and fifty years and many generations
with many battles fought and much land cultivated before England was
ruled by one king.

King Harold of England


Harold was born in about 1022. His father, Godwin of Wessex, was the
most powerful nobleman in England. Harold became Earl of East Anglia
in 1046. He also got a share of his brother Swegen's lands when
Swegen was sent into exile in 1046. When Godwin was exiled in 1051,
Harold went to Ireland where he stayed with the Dermont, King of
Leinster. In 1052, when his father returned to England, Harold did
the same. Godwin regained all that he has lost when he had been sent
into exile. In 1053, Godwin died and Harold succeeded his father as
Earl of Wessex. From this time on Harold was a loyal supporter of
Edward the Confessor.

In 1063, Harold led an English army into Wales - an area that had
never been overly respectful of English power. Reports from the time
indicate that his army killed every adult Welsh male they came
across. His campaign of terror left parts of Wales depopulated.

When he was not away campaigning, Harold found time to get married.
He married Eadgyth Swanneck and they had five children. He also
wanted to create a place of learning which is why he funded the
creation of a large church in Waltham which had a chancellor, a dean
and twelve canons. The chancellor, Adelard of Liege, was famed for
his lectures.

In 1064, Harold was shipwrecked on the coast of Ponthieu. William of
Normandy ordered the Duke of Ponthieu, Guy, to hand over Harold.
Harold went to Rouen with William and accompanied William into
battle. It was after one such battle against Conan of Brittany, that
Harold is said to have promised William that he would support
William's claim to the throne of England on the death of Edward.
With this 'promise', William allowed Harold to return to England.
When Harold returned to England, he claimed that the 'promise' had
been forced out of him. if he had not made it, he would have spent
the rest of his life as a captive in Normandy. Therefore, Harold
concluded, any such 'promise' had no legal backing.

Edward died on January 5th 1066. On January 6th, the Witan met to
decide who should succeed Edward as he left no heir to the throne of
England. The Witan consisted of 60 of England's most powerful nobles
and they decided that Harold should be the new king of England.
There is a popular belief that Harold somehow seized the English
throne. In fact, it was offered to him by the Witan. The Witan had
discussed the merits of other candidates: William of Normandy,
Harold Hadrada of Norway and Edgar Etheling. Out of the four, Harold
was chosen.




Harold crowned as king of England


After his coronation, Harold did expect some form of reaction from
William. Harold placed a large number of troops along the south
coast to the Isle of Wight. By September, Harold decided that the
threat had been reduced and he allowed his part-time troops (the
fyrds) to disperse. Many were needed for harvesting.

However, Harold then had to cope with an attack by his brother
Tostig and the king of Norway, Harold Hadrada. Tostig had invaded in
the north of England and Harold had to move his army north with due
speed. They fought at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on September
24th 1066. Harold won; Tostig and Hadrada were killed.

William and his forces landed at Pevensey Bay. Harold was still in
the north of England. Marching south, Harold rejected the thoughts
of his brother Gyrth, who wanted to lead the English in battle as
Gyrth felt that Harold, as king of England, was putting himself at
risk.

Harold was killed at the Battle of Hastings on October 15th. The
Bayeaux Tapestry shows him getting an arrow in the eye. In truth, we
will never know how Harold died but it is highly unlikely that a
king of England would have been on foot armed with a spear - as the
tapestry shows.

After the battle finished, Harold's mother, Gytha, asked William to
return Harold's body to her for a proper burial. She offered William
Harold's weight in gold. William refused. He was convinced that
Harold had broken a scared oath and that, even in death, he should
pay for that. Harold's body, so it is said, was buried on the beach
at Pevensey Bay, on the shores he had tried to defend. By doing
this, William ensured that Harold was not buried in a Christian
manner. Some believe that his body was finally buried at the church
he had established at Waltham.

Before the Normans

An·glo-Sax·on (nggl-sksn)
n.
A member of one of the Germanic peoples, the Angles, the Saxons, and
the Jutes, who settled in Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries.
Any of the descendants of the Anglo-Saxons, who were dominant in
England until the Norman Conquest of 1066.
See Old English.
A person of English ancestry.

adj.
Of, relating to, or characteristic of Anglo-Saxons, their
descendants, or their language or culture; English.


anglo-saxon

\An"glo-Sax"on\, a. Of or pertaining to the Anglo-Saxons or their
language.

Anglo-American, the descendants of Englishmen in America. -- n. A
descendant from English ancestors born in America, or the United
States.

Anglo-Danish, the Danes who settled in England.

Anglo-Indian, pertaining to the English in India n. One of the
Anglo race born or resident in the East Indies.

LINKS:

HTTP://www.wearetheenglish.com

http://www.georgetown.edu/labyrinth/

http://www.regia.org/

http://www.angelcynn.org.uk/

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2471/

http://www.netserf.org/Art/Civilizations/

http://www.netserf.org/

http://bubl.ac.uk/docs/bibliog/biggam/

http://www.airflow.net/maldon/

http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~priestdo/lyre.html

http://www.york.ac.uk/depts/arch/staff/sites/york_environs/menu.htm