Review: The Battle of Hastings by Jim Bradbury

Synopsis: The effects of the Battle of Hastings were deeply felt at the time, causing a lasting shift in British cultural identity and national pride. Jim Bradbury explores the full military background of the battle and investigates both what actually happened on that fateful day in 1066 and the role that the battle plays in the British national myth.

The Battle of Hastings starts by looking at the Normans-who they were, where they came from-and the career of William the Conqueror before 1066. Next, the narrative turns to the Saxons in England, and to Harold Godwineson, successor to Edward the Confessor, and his attempts to create unity in the divided kingdom. This provides the background to an examination of the military development of the two sides up to 1066, detailing differences in tactics, arms, and armor.

The core of the book is a move-by-move reconstruction of the battle itself, including the advance planning, the site, the composition of the two armies, and the use of archers, feigned retreats, and the death of Harold Godwineson.

In looking at the consequences of the battle, Jim Bradbury deals with the conquest of England and the ongoing resistance to the Normans. The effects of the conquest are also seen in the creation of castles and developments in feudalism, and in links with Normandy that revealed themselves particularly in church appointments.

This is the first time a military historian has attempted to make accessible to the general reader all that is known about the Battle of Hastings and to present as detailed a reconstruction as is possible. 

I have a couple of Jim Bradbury's books already - The Capetians: Kings of France 987-1328 and Stephen and Matilda: The Civil War of 1139-53 - so it was not hard for me to pick up this soon to be released new edition of his book, originally published back in 1998.

The synopsis really does cover off the narrative quite well so I won't go over that again. Suffice to say that much of the social and political scene of both pre-Conquest Normandy and Anglo-Saxon England is covered off; the composition of both armies discussed; and the sources for the battle analysed before we reach a very detailed chapter on the battle itself. Bradbury follows up with a look at the aftermath and consequences of the Norman victory for the people and nation of England.

I personally find his writing style to be clear and clean, the narrative consistent, whilst providing readers with a balanced understanding of events through the use of contemporary evidence. I would suggest that this would be a very good starting point for those just beginning their own journey into the Norman Conquest period - those of us who have read extensively on this subject may feel like they are experiencing deja vu.  However, I believe a keen student will always read widely on their chosen field - you never know what little nuggets may be thrown up.

What the reader will appreciate is the inclusion of maps and diagrams, and the accompanying genealogical trees of the main familial lines under discussion.

A great starting point which covers things off succinctly, whilst leaving the reader with some great resources to follow up on for their own journey.

Review: 1066 - A Guide to the Battles and the Campaigns by Livingston & DeVries

Synopsis: The Battle of Hastings, fought on 14 October 1066, changed the course of English history. This most famous moment of the Norman Conquest was recorded in graphic detail in the threads of the Bayeux Tapestry, providing a priceless glimpse into a brutal conflict.

In this fresh look at the battle and its surrounding campaigns, leading medieval military historians Michael Livingston and Kelly DeVries combine the imagery of the tapestry with the latest modern investigative research to reveal the story of Hastings as it has never been told and guide visitors around the battlefield today.

This absorbing new account of the battle will be fascinating reading for anyone keen to find out what really happened in 1066: the journeys by which Harold Godwinson and William of Normandy came to the battlefield, and the latest reconstructions of the course of the fighting on that momentous day. It is also a practical, easy-to-use guide for visitors to the sites associated with the conquest as well as the Hastings battlefield itself.

This is a well researched and easy to read entry into the period immediately before, during and after the Norman Invasion of England in 1066.

Written so that even someone with no knowledge of events can follow, Livingston and DeVries provide ample information without overwhelming the reader with a vast amount of research. What they do provide is an analysis of the events, battles and key players, whilst using separate text boxes for other key subject matters (ie: weapons, armies, tactics, etc). Each chapter includes or is finished with what the authors term as a "tour" of places and structures pivotal to the events.

The narrative is written simply yet informatively, utilising known chroniclers, the sagas, archaeological evidence, photos and maps to gently guide the reader. An extensive reading list concludes.

Definitely a book to be considered as a primer or introductory text for the Norman Invasion of 1066.

Review: English Collusion & the Norman Conquest by Arthur C Wright

Synopsis: The reality of war, in any period, is its totality. Warfare affects everyone in a society. Here, for the first time, is a comprehensive analysis of eleventh century warfare as exposed in the record of the Norman Conquest of England. King William I experienced a lifetime of conflict on and off so many battlefields.

In English Collusion and the Norman Conquest, Arthur Wright's second book on the Norman Conquest, he argues that this monarch has received an undeserved reputation bestowed on him by clerics ignorant alike of warfare, politics, economics and of the secular world, men writing half a century after events reported to them by doubtful sources. How much of this popular legend was actually created by an avaricious Church?

Was he just a lucky, brutal soldier, or was he instead a gifted English King who could meld cultures and talents? This is a tale of blood, deceit, ambition and power politics which pieces together the self-interested distortion of events, brutalizing conflict and superb strategic acumen by using and analyzing contemporary evidence the like of which is not to be found elsewhere in Europe.

By 1072 King William should have been secure upon the English throne, so what went wrong? How did a Norman Duke and a few thousand mercenaries take and hold such a wealthy and populous Kingdom? Even in the 'Harrowing of the North', which probably saw the death of tens of thousands, who was really to blame and why did it happen? 

Definition of collusion: the secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy in order to deceive others.

I chose this book for two reasons: one being that I have a huge interest in this period and as such I am more than familiar with the events (before, during and after), the main players and the various pro and anti sentiments; and secondly, I had read the author's previous work - Decoding the Bayeux Tapestry.

To say that I was a little baffled would be an under-statement. What I thought I would be getting was an in-depth study on the type of aid William received from the English Anglo-Saxons or anyone else in his efforts to mount and maintain what is known today as the Norman Conquest. 

What I feel I actually got was something quite different. This is essentially a work on the feudalism and nationhood and its varying interpretations and applications; a commentary on the character of William (including his military acumen); and  detailed account of the invasion and the economy.  It was - for me - also accompanied by a headache! 

As someone who has read extensively on this subject, and considers herself to have a rather developed vocabulary, I found myself confused as to the points being made and constantly reaching for the dictionary or google word search to understand what was actually being said. In the past, based on sentence structure alone, I could usually work out what an unfamiliar word or phrase meant. In addition, I felt the tone to be rather condescending; the commentary often rambling, confusing and glib, peppered with conjecture and speculation; and a prevalent disdain for any previous research conducted by past historians. 

The chapter "Overview" pretty much summed up the tome - but I was at a loss as to why it was marked as chapter 10 (at page 140) - this should have been at the front and could easily have replaced all the previous chapters.

Let me save you all the time and provide you with a summary:

.... the Normans are not super-heroes; English resistance to William was a fantasy; all rebellion boils down to money; no-one at this time swore an oath of loyalty to a King but only to his immediate lord; the was no such thing as feudalism or nationhood; and unity came down to taxation ...

What was very disappointing was that there was no real discussion as to the exact nature of this "collusion" by the local populace to the invasion, nor were there any real examples given in support. I mean, this is why I requested the title in the first place - I have enough background to want to narrow down and explore specific and diverse subject matters that tie in with the main theme.  I wanted to know who did the colluding, how they did it, what was their motivation for doing so, and what were the results and consequences, not only for themselves but for the country as a whole. 

Wright states that much of his conclusions are based upon his own research which is set apart from the "speculated history in the accepted history books". In fact, from what I can ascertain in the notes section, a great deal of the sources quoted are the author's own. I am all for looking at different angles and proposing contradictory opinions on subject matters, but it does need to not only be well-argued but well-sourced. Convince me, present me with a plausable alternative, plant a seed that will lead me off to explore and research further!

I am not sure who the target audience is for this particular book, but it is certainly not for those just dipping their toes into this specific period and set of events, or even someone with a modicum of knowledge.  In fact, I would be very interested in the opinions of others with regards to this work.

Review: Decoding the Bayeux Tapestry by Arthur C Wright

I am really in two minds with this read. On the one hand, I liked the fact that it was a study of the Bayeux Tapestry via the marginalia (the images in the top and bottom borders); on the other hand, it left me quite baffled.

Whilst I have read a lot on the tapestry and the period in question, most of what I had read covered off the main, central component - the part that everyone is familiar with - and the various interpretations (ie: Norman POV, English / Anglo Saxon POV). I had not really considered the margins as telling another story - hence my curiosity when this tome was available.

However, the more I read of this book, the more confused I became. I am not a student of symbolism, allegories, fables, and their interpretations, so I really was at a loss to see what the author was seeing. Where I saw colourful critters, the author saw secret messages and conspiracy - and I do love a good conspiracy! I felt like I was in a Dan Brown novel and any moment now, Brown's protagonist, Robert Langdon, was going to be drawing lines to the Holy Grail. So for the theory to make sense, one needs to know what the symbolism means from the very get-go. And the multitude of underlying tones leaves all of this open to diverse speculation and interpretation, and in my case, confusion.

Having said that, one question the author posed regarding the tapestry really did intrigue me - what would it have meant at the time? And more to the point, to whom? Who was the intended audience at a time when the vast majority of the population was illiterate. This in itself leads to speculation as to who crafted this embroidery (ie: made it) , who commissioned the piece (ie: suggested it be made and quite possibly set the tone), where is the missing piece, why was it removed, and what image did it contain to warrant its removal. These questions in themselves demand further investigation - and some of the answers put forward by the author do pique one's imagination.  This would be something I would happily traverse a rabbit hole for.

If your interest is deeply focused on this subject, then this book will definitely be of interest.

The Formation of the English Kingdom in the Tenth Century by George Molyneaux

The central argument of The Formation of the English Kingdom in the Tenth Century is that the English kingdom which existed at the time of the Norman Conquest was defined by the geographical parameters of a set of administrative reforms implemented in the mid- to late tenth century, and not by a vision of English unity going back to Alfred the Great (871-899).

In the first half of the tenth century, successive members of the Cerdicing dynasty established a loose domination over the other great potentates in Britain. They were celebrated as kings of the whole island, but even in their Wessex heartlands they probably had few means to regulate routinely the conduct of the general populace. 

Detailed analysis of coins, shires, hundreds, and wapentakes suggests that it was only around the time of Edgar (957/9-975) that the Cerdicing kings developed the relatively standardised administrative apparatus of the so-called 'Anglo-Saxon state'. This substantially increased their ability to impinge upon the lives of ordinary people living between the Channel and the Tees, and served to mark that area off from the rest of the island. The resultant cleft undermined the idea of a pan-British realm, and demarcated the early English kingdom as a distinct and coherent political unit.

In this volume, George Molyneaux places the formation of the English kingdom in a European perspective, and challenges the notion that its development was exceptional: the Cerdicings were only one of several ruling dynasties around the fringes of the former Carolingian Empire for which the late ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries were a time of territorial expansion and consolidation.

Review: The Falcon Confession by John V. Norris

What he saw shocked him to the core. Harold Godwinson, the Earl of Wessex, the Subregulus of England, the commander of the royal army, and the man who rescued Aidan from certain death, shook like a Devil-possessed child. His chest raised and lowered in disjointed breathes and his blue eyes searched everywhere and nowhere at once.

If you are reading or have read this book it is due to the fact you have an interest in the history leading up to and including the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Events here are taking place in the years before - Harold is not yet King but a powerful earl, the Normans are still on the other side of the Channel, plotting and planning.

So simply, the story of the invasion is told in alternating narrative: Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, half-brother to Duke William, and who comes across as truly odious; Aidan, a novice at Bosham (co-incidently the principal residence of Harold); Edith Swanneck, Harold's hand-fast wife and mother of a number of his offspring; and lastly, that of Harold himself, a man tormented, whose narrative is in the form of recollection or confession, as is dictated to Aidan in the presence of Bishop Wulfstan of Worcester.

And it is this shocking confession that is at the heart of the story - the Falcon Confession - what secret is slowly being revealed by Harold and what ruin will it bring. It is for Aidan and Edith to protect and at costs, not allow it to fall into the clutches of Bishop Odo..

The various alternating narratives given an overall picture of what was happening in both Normandy and England at the times from both the Norman and Anglo-Saxon perspectives. One character that was notable due to his absence was King Edward the Confessor - a man surely at the heart of the succession crisis that lead to the Conquest.

It is a complex and fascinating period of history, and this fictional tome will add another dimension.