The Bayeux Tapestry and beyond: different perspectives on the Norman Conquest of 1066

Aims

This course aims to:

• set the Bayeux Tapestry in the context of other forms of contemporary or near contemporary evidence
• examine the events of 1066 from evidence representing different cultural perspectives and drawing on a range of academic disciplines
• assess the impact of Norman influence in the period 1042-87

Course content

The Bayeux Tapestry provides an important and very visual narrative of the events leading up to the Norman Conquest, including the Battle of Hastings. However, it was created with the benefit of hindsight and, although current scholarship suggests that it was made in England, it represents a Norman narrative of those events, ignoring important events which conflict with the Norman perspective and those which are not directly relevant to it, including the fact that England had to face two invasions in 1066, not just one. It also ends (in its surviving form) with the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Hastings and therefore tells us nothing of the period between Hastings and William’s coronation, or about the impact of William’s rule.

This course aims to provide a more balanced view of the Conquest, including the things the Tapestry ‘forgot’ to mention, while still celebrating the value of the Bayeux Tapestry as a unique visual narrative. Rather than taking a particular national perspective, the course aims to take a more objective approach, acknowledging the existence of competing claims to the throne and the fact that the surviving sources present the events leading up to the Conquest in very different ways.

The course will also include discussion of some of the issues neglected by the Tapestry, including the wider picture of events leading up to 1066; the Norwegian invasion of 1066; the reign of Harold II; the interregnum between Hastings and William’s coronation; and the impact of William’s rule.

The course is based on a combination of historical sources and material culture. The Bayeux Tapestry itself will of course feature heavily and there will also be extensive use of numismatic evidence. Coins are inherently contemporary, unlike the Tapestry and the written sources, most of which were produced after the events and in some cases much later. A number of major hoards of the 1060s have been discovered recently and these provide important evidence for the interpretation of this period. The course will also make more limited use of broader archaeological evidence.

What to expect on this course

The course will be presented as a series of five lectures, with time for discussion in each lecture. Lectures will be illustrated with PowerPoint presentations, but also with replica artefacts. In addition to the Tapestry, the course will include a focus on recent coin hoards from the years around the Conquest, many of which have not yet been published in detail.

Course sessions

1. The Bayeux Tapestry and Beyond: Sources and Approaches: This session begins with the Tapestry itself: how and why it was made, its subsequent history, and its value and limitations as a historical source. It continues with a survey of the main written sources, and some of the problems associated with these, before looking at the significance of numismatic evidence, which is often overlooked, or at least under-used. The session will conclude with a discussion about how these different forms of evidence can be combined to complement each other.

    

2. The Background to 1066: The events of 1066 took place against a background of conflicting claims and shifting alliances stretching back to the earlier conquest of England by Cnut in 1016. This session explores that background, and the validity of the different claims to the English throne in 1066, as well as the tensions between king and earls under both Edward the Confessor and Harold II, and the limitations these placed on royal power.
   
    
3. The Year of Three Battles: The fact that England faced simultaneous invasions from both north and south in 1066 placed severe pressures on the resources of England and its king. This session examines how Harold attempted to deal with the twin threat, culminating in his final campaign, which included both victory at Stamford Bridge, and defeat at Hastings, as well as an earlier defeat for English forces commanded by the northern earls at Fulford near York.
   
    
4. The Forgotten Months: With the benefit of hindsight, we know that following the death of Harold II at Hastings, William the Conqueror succeeded him as king. This did not take place immediately, but the months in between are normally viewed either as an endnote to Anglo-Saxon history or an introduction to Norman history, with William’s succession seen as inevitable. In this session we will examine William’s own position and that of other potential claimants. There will be a particular focus on the status of Edith, widow of Edward the Confessor and sister of Harold II, and on new evidence which suggests that she may have been more influential as power broker in this period than was previously recognised.
   
    
5. Conquest, Continuity and Change: By the end of 1066, William was the ruler of both England and Normandy, but neither became part of the other, and the two were separated again on a number of occasions before the end of even nominal English rule of Normandy in 1204. The year of 1066 has traditionally been seen as a major turning point in English history, and in this session we will explore the question of continuity vs change not just in 1066 but the decades on either side. We will also briefly explore how the perception and representation of ‘Norman’ identity in England was shaped in part by later waves of incomers from France, including Angevins and Poitevins in the 12th and 13th centuries. As the final session, this will conclude with a general discussion with an opportunity to raise issues relating to any of the previous sessions as well as this one.

Learning outcomes

As a result of the course, you will gain a greater understanding of the subject and you should be able to:

• explain the limitations of the Bayeux Tapestry as a historical source
• discuss the political situation in England in 1066, and why events unfolded as they did
• appreciate the way that different forms of evidence contribute to our understanding of late Anglo-Saxon and early Norman England

Required reading

There is no required reading for this course. See Course materials for supplementary reading once registered.