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In hommage to Will ! Champion of Europe 1066


Missy
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Even the tapestry doesn't claim that Haraold took the oath freely - and several Norman commentators mention it as well (pushed to remember who at the moment, though).

It wasn't just that he was under duress, he was tricked as he thought the oath was relatively minor and then found out that he had taken it over the bones of saints - sneakiness by William which was approved of! That is why the Pope became involved and gave his blessing to William's invasion. The actual terms of the oath are, however, pretty vague, and may mean that Harold would rule England as under-king for William as he had done for Edward. It was the Anglo-Danish party in the Witan which seem to have persuaded him to take the crown himsel in January 1066.

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The tapestry does show Harold making the oath under duress - in fact

the whole thing is a bit of a rum tale. Doesn't it also say that Ed

promised Will would be his successor, some years before his death? 

The old arrow in the eye myth was something to do with this being a punishment for perjury, I vaguely recall.

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The story as told by the English was that Edward, on his deathbed, commended his wife (Harold's sister) and England into his care. The Danish party in the Witanagemot took this as meaning that he passed the crown on to Harold. This, however, is a red herring, as the crown of England wa not then hereditary but elective, so the Witan elected Harold. The English point of view would therefore be that if Harold had promised the throne to William - even on behalf of Edward - he would have been exceeding his authority.

I am always amazed that Shakespeare never wrote a tragedy around this story - but perhaps he thought he had covered the period with Macbeth.

As for the arrow in the eye - no source written before the tapestry was displayed mentions it. Harold's brother (Leofwine, I think) was killed by an arrow in the eye, which complicates things.

At the time of Harold's death the English shield-wall was effectively broken by an arrow-storm, and the figure with the arrow in his eye is probably meant to depict a wounded housecarl. To believe it is Harold the tapestry designer would have had to have drawn a character standing next to himself (which happens nowhere else in the work) and would have had to have been dumb enough to have the same man standing next to himself wearing different clothing. Not likely.

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[quote user="Dick Smith"]

As for the arrow in the eye - no

source written before the tapestry was displayed mentions it. Harold's

brother (Leofwine, I think) was killed by an arrow in the eye, which

complicates things.

[/quote]

Sooooo....how was he killed then? Was it in any way in an interesting

manner, or was he just hacked into hamburger, as seems to have been the

case with so many participants in such family get togethers?

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Nastily!

The Carmen de Hastingae Proelia (possibly written 1068) says:

"[William] called Eustace to him; leaving the conflict in that place to the French, he brought strong aid to those hard pressed. Like a second son of Hector, Hugh, the noble heir of Ponthieu, escorted these two, prompt in service; fourth was Giffard, known by his father's surname: these four bore arms for the destruction of the king. Yet there were many others? These were better than the rest! If anyone doubts this, the true course of the action proves it, for by measureless slaughter Harold was forcing the masters of the field to go the way of (all) flesh. The first, cleaving his breast through the shield with his point, drenched the earth with a gushing torrent of blood; the second smote off his head below the protection of the helmet and the third pierced the inwards of his belly with his lance; the fourth hewed off his thigh and bore away the severed limb: the ground held the body thus destroyed."

After the battle Harold's body was identified by Edith the Swan-Necked, his common-law wife, by 'secret marks' on his body - in fact her name tattooed on his chest. It may have been that his head was not cut off, but his face was sliced off by the sword blow.

Interestingly, a body of about the right period has been found in Bosham (a manor of Harold's) of a middle-aged man with a leg missing.

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Isn't there a legend that Harold was buried on the cliffs to guard England  forever?

Wasn't he in fact buried at Waltham Abbey?

I thought the Church authorities had refused to allow investigation of the body buried in Bosham Church and therefore there is no proof it is Harold.  However, susposedly, there is a daughter of Canute buried there.

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Classy kind of guy then, what with his girlfriend's name tattooed on

his chest. Mind you, I've just waded through a history of the Hundred

Years War, and it seems that most nobility then were basically football

hologans with titles, so I can't imagine that the 11th century was much

better. Henry V seems to have been amongst the worst of them, for

example allowing the elderly, infirm, women and children evicted from

Rouen during the seige to starve and freeze to death in the city's moat

rather than let them past. Charming - and Shakspeare made him out to be

such a decent chap....

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>>>Classy kind of guy then, what with his girlfriend's name tattooed on his chest<<<

Since then, in his honour! possibly 90% of the British military new recruits have their girlfriends names tatooed!

Only that in case of the same fate as Harold (but with more modern weapons) there can be confusion at the morgue for identification....

I imagine the pathologist : Oh Dear who should we phone?... Sharon?... Tracy?... Chardonnay?... Chantelle?....

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Think Mafiosi and you don't go far wrong. Apparently Harold had 'England' tattooed on his chest as well, but I find that a bit hard to swallow. Once upon a time it was postulated that the 'secret signs' were tattoos which showed that he was a follower of the Cult of Odin, but that is also pretty unlikely given the amount of time and money he gave to the Church.

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[quote user="missyesbut"]>>>Classy kind of guy then, what with his girlfriend's name tattooed on his chest<<<

Since then, in his honour! possibly 90% of the British military new recruits have their girlfriends names tatooed!

Only that in case of the same fate as Harold (but with more modern weapons) there can be confusion at the morgue for identification....

I imagine the pathologist : Oh Dear who should we phone?... Sharon?... Tracy?... Chardonnay?... Chantelle?....[/quote]

Possibly amusing but a bit short on sensitivity at this time with numbers of British Military casualties around the globe.

Soldiers are identified by their comrades in the field, the Unit Officers tell the the next of kin.

Maybe I'm touchy on the subject but with family in the Army its a sore point.[:(]

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