Whether or not Edward’s promise of the throne to William was genuine, it was later certainly made irrelevant by Edward’s deathbed will.
How Do You Say ‘Bastard’ in Medieval Latin?
March 23, 2015 By
As I am finding, analysis of the language of illegitimate birth reveals a rich, complex vocabulary used to indicate something less than fully legitimate birth.
William the Conqueror and the Harrying of the North
March 21, 2015 By
This lecture examines the events leading up to the Harrying of the North and the impact of this event on the North of England.
Ten Things You Should Know about William the Conqueror
November 23, 2014 By
William the Conqueror – an introduction to his life and reign of the Duke of Normandy and King of England
Herleva of Falaise, Mother of William the Conqueror
July 31, 2014 By
Legends states the young Duke Robert I of Normandy was on the walkway of his castle at Falaise looking down at the river and discovered a beautiful young girl washing clothes. He asked to see her and she became his mistress. She would become the mother of William the Conqueror.
The Childhood of William the Conqueror
May 28, 2014 By
Duke Robert died when William was seven leaving him to rely on other men to rule his duchy until he came of age. These years were fraught with peril.
Great Medieval Fiction 2013!
November 28, 2013 By
For those of you who enjoy some fantasy or a historical novel – this list is for you!
Saint Anselm of Canterbury and Charismatic Authority
September 28, 2013 By
The early career of Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033-1109) provides an opportunity to explore the operation of charismatic authority in a monastic setting.
“A model of wisdom and exemplar of modesty without parallel in our time”: how Matilda of Flanders was represented in two twelfth-century histories
June 7, 2013 By
My thesis investigates the different ways in which two twelfth-century historians, William of Malmesbury and Orderic Vitalis, represented Matilda.
William the Conqueror and the Channel Crossing of 1066
May 16, 2013 By
William the Conqueror waited several weeks before making his maritime crossing of the English Channel in 1066 – was he hampered by weathered or did the Norman Duke intentionally remain in Normandy, hoping that events in Anglo-Saxon England would turn to his favour?
Stories of the Death of Kings: Retelling the Demise and Burial of William I, William II and Henry I
April 7, 2013 By
This paper examines the accounts that describe the death and burial of three successive kings: William the Conqueror, William Rufus, and Henry I.
Matilda of Flanders, Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy
March 19, 2013 By
One of the most influential and formidable medieval Queens of England was Matilda of Flanders, the wife of William the Conqueror.
Aspects of the English royal succession, 1066-1199: the death of the king
December 28, 2012 By
The death of any ruler in the twelfth century, even if it were expected, caused a considerable amount of shock and disquiet amongst those who were left behind.
Manhood, kingship and the public in late medieval England
December 26, 2012 By
Were medieval kings like other men? A century’s work on the sacrality of kingship has tended to stress how kings differed from their fellow adult males, even fellow nobles.
England: One Country, Two Courts
December 26, 2012 By
The tension created by the two-court system is an integral part of England’s administrative and constitutional history. Exactly how integral has generated a considerable amount of scholarly work, from explanations of the sources of the conflict, to how the disagreement over jurisdiction was addressed throughout the Middle Ages, to what impact the issue had in shaping England’s overall political development.
Conquest or Colonisation: The Scandinavians in Ryedale from the Ninth to Eleventh Centuries
November 25, 2012 By
The study of settlement history has developed within the fields of history, archaeology and geography. As a result much of the work carried out in settlement studies has borrowed the research and conclusions of scholars from other disciplines.
SESSION III: The Medieval Experience of Siege
November 6, 2012 By
These are two papers from SESSION III: The Medieval Experience of Siege given at Boston College’s Haskin’s Conference. The first paper examined knightly interaction during sieges and the second paper delved into the actions of the besieged and besiegers during times of war.
A Historiography of Chastity in the Marriage of Edith of Wessex and Edward the Confessor
October 4, 2012 By
While records of Edith’s life and her marriage to Edward are poor, the historiography of those who narrated her life after her death is rich. In some ways, the historiography of her life was directly related to that of her husband’s.
Anglo-Norman defence strategy in selected English border and maritime counties, 1066-1087
August 22, 2012 By
Ella Armitage’s analysisof early Norman castles in 1912 provides a clear espousalof this view, in particular her statement that in England the reasonsfor the erection of mottes seem to have been manorial rather than military; that is, the Norman landholder desired a safe residence for himself amidst a hostile peasantry, rather than a strong military position which could hold out against skilful and well-armed foes.
Cultural Changes in England resulting from the Battle of Hastings
June 28, 2012 By
This paper, in examining the reigns of the Ethelred, Canute, Harold Harefoot and Hardicanute, and Edward the Confessor, will show how they came to power, the legacy each left – if any — and how the events during each reign ultimately led to the Battle of Hastings, with William the Conqueror’s victory changing England forever.
The role of the Norman kings in the framing of the British Constitution
April 26, 2012 By
God and the Normans
November 22, 2011 By
David Crouch reconsiders William I and his sons as men of genuine piety – as well as soldiers.
The Myth of the “Invincibility” of the Norman Cavalry Charge in the Eleventh Century: a Comparative Analysis of the Battles of Hastings (1066) and Dyrrachium (1081)
November 21, 2011 By
Did the Normans simply implement the same battle tactics they successfully used in Northwest Europe when they went to Italy?
HASKINS CONFERENCE: The Monks of Fécamp and their Ducal Patrons: Transformations of the Eleventh Century
November 5, 2011 By
This paper investigates the relationship between the 11th century Norman Dukes and the monastery from the monastic point of view.
The Battle of London 1066
October 16, 2011 By
The Battle of London 1066 By Peter Mills London Archaeologist, Vol.8:3 (1996) Introduction: By the end of Saturday 14th October 1066 William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy and claimant to the English throne, was the victor of the Battle of Hastings. Some 5,000 Saxon and Norman troops lay dead and the English had fled the […]
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