Friday, 31 December 2021

The Twelve Days of Christmas: Day Seven: The Feast of St Sylvester

 The seventh day of Christmas, 31st December is the feast of Pope St. Sylvester. This was a Sunday in 1065.

Saint Sylvester's Day, also known as Silvester or the Feast of Saint Sylvester, is the day of the feast of Pope Sylvester I, a saint who served as pope (bishop of Rome) from 314 to 335. Medieval legend made him responsible for the conversion of emperor Constantine. Among the Western churches, the feast day is held on the anniversary of Saint Sylvester's death, 31 December, a date that, since the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, has coincided with New Year's Eve.
…Sylvester is said to have healed, in the name of Christ, the emperor Constantine the Great of leprosy.After dying, Saint Sylvester was buried on 31 December in the Catacomb of Priscilla
.[wiki]

King Edward was still in ill health and in decline.  Most sources fill in this lull of activity with descriptions of his miracles.

Thursday, 30 December 2021

The Twelve Days of Christmas: Day Six: the Feast of the Holy Family

The sixth day of Christmas, 30th December, is the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
This was a Saturday in 1065. This feast day did not exist on 1065.


"The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on, but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the first bishop of New France, who founded a confraternity.
The Feast of the Holy Family is a liturgical celebration in the Catholic Church, as well as in many Lutheran and Anglican churches, in honour of Jesus, His mother, and His step-father, Saint Joseph, as a family; it has been observed since 1921 when it was inserted by Pope Benedict XV. The primary purpose of this feast is to present the Holy Family as a model for Christian families.
"  [wiki]

One of the problems in researching the religious practices of the Christmastide period known as the twlve days of Christmas is that they vary significantly depending on the period and the church.  We can assume that the religious services of Christmastide continued throughout Edward’s illness.

Wednesday, 29 December 2021

The Twelve Days of Christmas: Day Five: Memorial of St. Thomas Becket

 The fifth day of Christmas, 29th December, is the Memorial of St. Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr.  However, as Becket was not born until c1120, this celebration of his matryrdom was not relevent in 1065.

 

"Thomas Becket also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London[ and later Thomas à Becket, (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. He engaged in conflict with Henry II, King of England, over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral. Soon after his death, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III." [wiki]

Following the dedication of Westminster Abbey on Childermass day, the records go silent of King Edward’s progress. He was severely ill, but he did not lapse into unconsciousness until the ninth day of Christmas. This leaves several days where Edward was out of commission and the country must have been ruled by Queen Edith, Earl Harold and Archbishop Stigand according to their realm of influence. What took place during these four days can only be speculated upon.  Harold Godwinson must have been negotiating his succession with the nobles and clergy present at court.

The Twelve Days of Christmas: Day Four: The Feast of the Holy Innocents

 The fourth day of Christmas, 28th December, is the the Feast of the Holy Innocents. In 1065, this day fell on a Thursday.

 

The Holy Innocents are the children murdered by Herod after the birth of Jesus (Matt. 2:16). These were not martyrs like Stephen, who died heroically in a vision of the glorified Christ. They were not inspired like John to speak the Word of life and understand the mysteries of God.

Matthew 2

12     And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they [the wise men] departed into their own country another way.
13     And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
14     When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15     And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
16     Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.



Too ill to attend the ceremony  himself, King Edward sent Queen Edith to officiate at the dedication of the new Westminster Abbey. All the leading men of England including Harold Godwinson were present. William of Normandy was not.

From Barlow’s The Life of Edward

When that celebrated day, which the blessed passion of the Holy Innocents adorns, had come, the excellent prince ordered them to hasten on wth the dedication of the church and no more to put it off to another time. Edward gave himself up to complaints and lamentation that he, being consumed by the fire of his illness, could not attend with the rest. But his consort [Queen Edith], whom he had possesed only in appearence and whose secrets this man of God had not known in the flesh, exerted herself on the orders of the noble king so that the sacrement of the holy consecration should be completed. The pontiffs and nobles of the kingdom were present, the clergy and people worshipped in praise and glory of God, and with new dowry gifts they joined the chaste bride to the Lamb.

ASC 1065
About midwinter King Edward came to Westminster, and had the minster there consecrated, which he had himself built to the honour of God, and St. Peter, and all God's saints. This church-hallowing was on Childermas-day. [28th December]

Paris’s Lives of Edward
On  the  fourth  day,  which  was  that  of  the  Innocents, 
The  prelates  come,  the  chiefs  come,
To  furnish  whatever  appertains
To  so  great  a  dedication. 
The  king  forces  himself  to  come  there, 
Since  for  it  he  had  a  great  longing ; 
But  so  weak  and  ill  is  he, 
So  much  doubt  has  his  head  and  feebleness  has  his  heart. 
He  cannot  be  according  to  his  wish 
Present,  which  much  afflicts  him. 
But  much  he  commands  and  admonishes 
That  the  feast  should  be  full. 
The  queen,  who  is  courageous, 
Well  conceals  her  grief,  which  is  great,
Much  she  struggles  to  furnish
What  may  please  her  lord ; 
She  is  queen,  he  is  king,  
Both  in  church  and  in  palace.

Monday, 27 December 2021

The Twelve Days of Christmas: Day Three: the Feast of St. John.

 The third day of Christmas, 27th December, is the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist. 

 St. John the Evangelist, is traditionally thought to be the only one of the twelve disciples who did not die a martyr.  Born in Bethsaida, he was called while mending his nets to follow Jesus. He became the beloved disciple of Jesus. He is traditionally accredited with writing the Gospel of John, the Johannine epistles, and the Book of Revelation. However, the authorship of the Johannine works: has been debated by biblical scholars since at least the 2nd century AD. The debate focuses mainly on the identity of the author(s), as well as the date and location of authorship of these writings.

If King Edward had been warned of his upcoming death by the Legend of the Ring of St John as related in the Life of Edward, then this day must have been of particular significance to him. King Edward was still conscious and capable of speech up to the dedication of the church on the 28th of December. This was the fourth day of his final illness. 

 William the Bastard claimed, post conquest, that King Edward had made him heir to the English throne. If Edward had been sickening since October and had received a prophecy of his upcoming death that had prompted the rush to complete the abbey and dedicate it at Christmas, why was William, as the intended heir, not in attendance?

Why was William surprised to receive the news of Edward's death and King Harold's coronation?  There was sufficient time during the twelve days of Christmas for messengers to travel to Normandy with news of Edward's decline and for William to rush to his bedside. Why did this not happen? The post-conquest accounts do not address this, they give no explanation for William's absence or for the failure of King Edward to call for his so-called heir.

 

The Twelve Days of Christmas: Day Two: St Stephen’s day

 The second day of Christmas, 26th December, is ‘St Stephen’s Day.’  It is also known as Boxing Day.

“St Stephen is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity, and was, according to the Acts of the Apostles, a deacon in the early Church at Jerusalem who angered members of various synagogues by his teachings. Accused of blasphemy at his trial, he made a speech denouncing the Jewish authorities who were sitting in judgment on him and was then stoned to death. His martyrdom was witnessed and participated by Saul of Tarsus, also known as Paul, a Pharisee and Roman citizen who would later become a Christian apostle.”  [from Wiki]

December 26 is the feast of St. Stephen—a traditional day for giving leftovers to the poor (as described in the carol “Good King Wenceslas”). As one of the first deacons, Stephen was the forerunner of all those who show the love of Christ through their generosity to the needy.  

Good King Wences'las looked out,
on the Feast of Stephen,
… "Bring me flesh, and bring me wine,
bring me pine logs hither:
Thou and I shall see him dine,
when we bear them thither."

 

Acts 7:  Stephen the Martyr
54     When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
55    But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
56    and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
57    Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;
58    and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59    And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
60    Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

It was on boxing day that King Edward retired from the festivities. See the Life of Edward.

“But on the morrow, when he could hide it no longer, he began to rest apart, and sent messengers to bid his court be of good cheer and to carry out the dedication of his monestery through fitting persons.”
“But after the banquet he sought the privacy of his inner bedchamber, and bore with patience a distress which grew severer day by day. The close ranks of his vassals surrounded him, and the queen herself was there, in her mourning foretelling future grief.”

 

The Twelve Days of Christmas: Day One: Christmas Day

 The first day celebrates the birth of Christ, in Bethlehem.

 


The great events leading up to the death of King Edward, the consecration of his church at Westminster, the subsequent coronation of King Harold at Epiphany and the coronation of King William a year later, all take place over the twelve days of Christmas. Exactly what the practices of the church over this period were in 1065/1066 is unclear. We can however, look at the twelve days and their significance as they are understood now.  We will follow the calendar for one year beginning with Edward’s death and ending with William’s coronation.

According to The Life of Edward, the king called for the consecration of his new church to take place at Christmas. 


Meanwhile all the things necessary for the dedication of such a great building were prepared at the royal charge, as was right, and from the whole of Britain men assembled there, assembled, I say, as at Christmas for a royal court or for consecrating a famous church to Christ.”


But on Christmas Eve, Edward’s illness worsened and he was eventually forced to withdraw and leave the consecration of his church to his wife, Queen Edith.


“For on Christmas eve itself the most kindly king began to get worse. Concealing the fact, however, he spent Christmas day both in the church and in the palace rejoicing with his nobles.”
[On Christmas day] “The glorious King Edward was afflicted with an indisposition, and in the palace the day’s rejoicing was afflicted with fresh calamity. The holy man disguised his sickness more than his strength warranted, and for three days [24th-26th] he was able to produce a serene coutenance. He sat at table clad in a festal robe, but had no stomach for the delicacies which were served. He showed a cheerful face to the bystanders, althugh an unbearable weakness oppressed him.

 

Prophecy of King Edward’s death

At the end of 1065, King Edward was hunting with Tostig Godwinson, when news came that Tostig’s earldom in Northumbria had revolted against him. Tostig was eventually replaced by Earl Morcar and was forced to flee to Flanders. Following this, in the months that led up to Christmas 1065, King Edward fell ill with grief at the loss of his favourite.
Florence of Worcester tells us “ Thereupon he [Tostig] went, accompanied by his wife, to Baldwin, earl of Flanders, and passed the winter at St. Omer.  After this, king  Edward  fell into a lingering  sickness,  but  he held  his court at London during Christmas as well as he was  able.

According to the miracle story in Matthew Paris’s ‘The Lives of Edward the Confessor,’ King Edward’s death was prophecised by a visit from St John the Evangelist. Tostig’s expulsion is not mentioned.
see:  https://archive.org/details/livesofedwardcon00luar/page/278/mode/2up?view=theater
and the illustrations in the manuscript can be seen at the Cambridge Library website
http://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-EE-00003-00059/59

The  king  was  at  the  service,
where there was dedicated  the  church
Of  Saint  John,  who  to  God  was  dear,


Firstly King Edward wished to give charity to a poor man but as he had nothing else to hand, he gave him a ring from his own finger. But the poor man was really St John.

Looks  at  his  hand,  and  remembers  
That  on  his  finger  he  had  a  cherished  ring  
Which  was  large,  royal  and  beautiful  ;  
To  the  poor  man  he  gives  it  for  the  love  
Of  Saint  John,  his  dear  lord ;  


 
Later, two palmers of English birth were in Syria where they were assisted by a mysterious old man. He claimed to be John the Evangelist and gave them a ring and a message for King Edward, and then he vanished.

You  shall  go  to  King  Edward,  
Salute  him  from  me,  
And  that  you  attempt  not  a  falsehood  
To  say,  you  shall  carry  proofs —  
A  ring,  which  he  will  know,
Which  he  gave  to  me  John,  
When  he  was  at  the  service.  
Where  my  church  was  dedicated ;

And  let  King  Edward  know  well.  
To  me  he  shall  come  before  six  months  (are  over)  
And  since  he  resembles  me.  
In  Paradise  shall  we  be  together ;  
And  that  of  this  he  may  be  confidently  assured  

King Edward, knowing that his death was coming within six months, prepared by giving away his possessions and by seeking the completion and dedication of his own church and burial place.


When  King  Edward  knew  
That  he  should  die  within  six  months,  
He  gives  largely  of  his  treasure,  
He  retains  nothing  of  gold  nor  silver.   
In  tears  is  he  and  in  prayers.  
Almsgiving  and  devotion.  
In  disciplines  and  vigils.  
So  much  that  every  one  wonders.  
But  of  one  thing  he  is  very  thoughtful ;  
Much  longs  he  while  he  is  alive  
That  his  church  should  be  dedicated,  
To  which  he  had  given  so  much  thought,
And  where  espoused  by  oath
He  was  to  Almighty  God.

The Building of Westminster Abbey

 

  

From Barlow’s: The Life of Edward p44-45

“Outside the walls of London, upon the river Thames, stood a monastery dedicated to St Peter, but insignificant in buildings and numbers, for under the abbot only a small community of monks served Christ. … The king, therefore, being devoted to God, gave his attention to that place, for it both lay hard by the famous and rich town and also was a delightful spot, surrounded by fertile lands and green fields and near the main channel of the river, which bore abundant merchandise of wares of every kind for sale from the whole world to the town on its banks. And, especially because of his love of the Prince of the Apostles, whom he worshipped with uncommon and special love, he decided to have his burial place there. Accordingly he ordered that out of the tithes of all his revenues should be started the building of a noble ediface, worthy of the Prince of rhe Apostles; so that, after the transient jounrey of this life, God would look kindly upon him, both for the sake of his goodness and beause of the gift of lands and ornaments with which he intended to enoble the place. And so the building, nobly begun at the king’s command was successfully made ready; and there was no weighing of the costs…”

In Matthew Paris’s ‘Life of Edward the Confessor’, the building of the abbey was brought about by the vision of a hermit of St Peter, who gave him a message for King Edward.
Edward, he said, would be pardoned for all his sins if he built a monastery dedicated to St Peter at Thorney on the Thames [Westminster]. St Peter himself promised to consecrate the spot.

 

 

The hermit wrote a letter and sent it to King Edward. Following miraculous confirmations of the hermit’s vision, and happy to be pardoned for his sins, King Edward gave orders for the restoration of the monastery.


see https://archive.org/details/livesofedwardcon00luar/page/242/mode/2up?view=theater
Lives of Edward the Confessor : Images by Matthew Paris
http://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-EE-00003-00059/70

Saturday, 18 December 2021

The Varangians of Byzantium

The Varangians of Byzantium
by Sigfus Blondal, translated, revised and rewritten by Benedikt Benedikz
Published in 1978.
https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Varangians_of_Byzantium.html?id=vFRug14ui7gC

"An aura of romance has clung about the Varangians for over six centuries. This book examines how the Norsemen came to be drawn into the Imperial service until the greatest of all the Emperors of the East, Basil II, formed them into the regiment of guards which was to give unique service to the Empire. It surveys the history of the regiment down to the collapse of High Byzantium in 1204 and traces the remnant of the Varangians to the very last day of the Empire in May 1453."

About Blondal from Wiki
Dr. Sigfús Blöndal (November 2, 1874 – March 19, 1950) [1] was an Icelandic language author, and a librarian at the Royal Library in Copenhagen, best known for Íslensk-dönsk orðabók (Icelandic-Danish dictionary), which he wrote with his wife, Björg Þorláksdóttir Blöndal, and a small team of scholars, whose names appear on the title page.  … He did research on the Varangians of the Eastern Roman Empire for 25 years and completed shortly before his death an Icelandic text on the Varangians.

About the varangian Guard from wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varangian_Guard

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=vFRug14ui7gC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Google preview gives much of  chapter 4 on Haraldr Hardrada and his time in Constantinople.

King Edward's prophecy about Tostig and Harold


 Matthew Paris illustrated the Life of St. Edward the confessor, contained in the Luard translation.
See https://saga1066.blogspot.com/2021/11/lives-of-edward-confessor.html

This image from the manuscript is placed immediately before the report of Godwin’s death in 1053, suggesting that it takes place between 1042 and 1053. But as we note below there are problems with this. The manuscript was written c 1245, almost 200 years after the deaths of Harold and Tostig.

The fight of Tostig and Harold and Edward’s prophecy

page 267,  commencing line 3133

At  dinner  sat  the  king  one  day.    
Enough  there  he  had  of  royal  array  ;   
The  father  of  the  queen  was  there,    
Godwin  the  rich  and  famous  earl ;  
By  the  side  of  the  king  he  sat,  in  the  land  
As  one  who  was  of  the  highest  condition ;  
And  he  had  two  very  beautiful  sons,
Valiant  and  brave  youths.  
Lo  his  two  sons  
Play  in  game  before  him,  
One  was  Tostin,  the  other  Harold,  
Who  was  than  Tostin  bolder
And  stronger  ;  so  hotly  do  they  play  
That  both  are  made  very  angry  ;  
One  to  the  other  gives  such  a  blow  
That  it  strikes  him  down  there  and  quite  stuns  him.     
Harold  enraged  directly  
Seizes  Tostin  by  the  hair,   
So  that  he  drags  him  down  by  the  locks,
Tries  to  force  out  both  his  eyes,  
Covers  him  with  blood  and  strikes  him  with  his  fist,
So  that  he  keeps  him  all  supine  on  the  ground.
He  would  have  strangled  him,  had  he  not  been  rescued,  
So  wrathful,  raging,  and  vicious  was  he.
 
The  king  observes  the  combatants  ;
He  is  pensive  about  it,  hesitates  to  speak
For  he  sees  in  them  the  event  such  
As  after  long  time  was  disclosed.   
They  were  brothers  of  the  queen.  
Extract  from  an  evil  root ;  
The  lady  who  was  of  that  origin.  
Was  born  as  the  rose  from  the  thorn.

Said  the  king,  Seest  thou  not   
Of  thy  sons,  earl,  the  struggle?  
Yes,  sire,  this  is  their  amusement ;
But  it  is  a  quarrel,  cruel  and  violent.
Sire."    ''Nor  ill,  nor  danger  
Expect  you  from  it?"    "Sire,  nothing."   
The  king  deeply  sighs,  
"  Earl  Godwin,  I  will  tell  you,  
If  it  please  you  that  it  should  be  revealed  to  you :
The  meaning  of  this  circumstance  
Is  not  infantine  simplicity;   
Much  significance  has  it ;   
It  is  not  simple  infantine  play,  
My  heart  is  all  pensive  concerning  it ;  
Of  what  is  to  come  certain  
I  will  make  you ;  from  Heaven  it  is  made  known   
to  me.  

"When  they  shall  be  of  full  age,
And  shall  have  greater  courage.    
The  one  who  is  stronger,  through  envy
Shall  the  other  rob  of  life ;
But  the  vanquished  shall  soon  be  avenged.
Discomfited  soon  shall  be  the  elder;
Their  life  shall  not  be  lasting,
Nor  their  power  stable."

After  a  few  years  the  prophecy   
 Was  verified  and  accomplished.     
For  after  the  death  of  their  father,   
And  the  death  of  the  king,  a  bitter   
Change  arose  in  the  kingdom,  
Whence  hate  grew  between  them.
Nor  can  I  relate  the  whole  story,  
But  the  result  to  which  it  reaches,  
So  as  to  make  clear  the  speech  of  Edward,  
Which  was  proved  true,  though  late,

Harold  hated  Tostin  much.   
And  drove  him  out  and  banished  him,   
For  Harold  was  king  of  England,
To  whom  Tostin  was  unequal  in  war ;
He  drove  him  away  and  discomfited  him,
And  had  him  exiled  as  a  waif;
If  he  had  caught  him,  he  would  have  put  him  to  death  
With  great  misery  and  sin  and  wrong.

Edward became king of England in 1042.  Harold Godwinson is thought to have been born in 1022, and Tostig in 1026.  This means that at the time of Edward’s coronation Harold was 20 and Tostig was 16.  For this event to have happened after Edward’s coronation the two sons of Godwin would be much older than the little boys depicted in the poem and in the illustrations. Alternatively the event took place in Normandy before Edward was crowned king, and would necessitate a visit of Godwin and his sons to Edward before 1042. 

This problem with dates lends us to question this alleged miracle of Edward’s. Either it is a fabrication, or it suggests that Godwin was visiting Edward on the continent some years before his coronation. Godwin was accused of complicity in the death of Alfred in 1036. At this time, Harold was 16 and Tostig 12, and Edward was not yet married to Queen Edith. Did this event take place prior to Edward’s visit to England that year? There are so may errors of fact in this account we have to ask did it take place at all?

PASE: Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England

PASE:  Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England  

https://pase.ac.uk/
 
The Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England (PASE) is a database which aims to provide structured information relating to all the recorded inhabitants of England from the late sixth to the late eleventh century. It is based on a systematic examination of the available written sources for the period, including chronicles, saints’ Lives, charters, libri vitae, inscriptions, Domesday Book and coins; and is intended to serve as a research tool suitable for a wide range of users with an interest in this period.

For Example: King Ethelred the Unready
https://pase.ac.uk/jsp/persons/CreatePersonFrames.jsp?personKey=7748
Æthelred 32 (Male) the Unready; king of the English, 978-1016

Friday, 17 December 2021

Encomium Emmae Reginae

 


Encomium Emmae Reginae

‘Praise of Queen Emma’
This manuscript contains an account praising Emma (d. 1052), the second consort of both Æthelred II (d. 1016), king of England, and Cnut (d. 1035), king of England, Denmark and Norway. The work was composed by a Flemish monk at Emma's behest. This manuscript also contains an image of the author presenting his work to Emma while her sons Harthacnut (d. 1042) and Edward the Confessor (d. 1066) look on.
This copy of the Encomium was probably produced soon after 1041, during a period of joint rule between Harthacnut (r. 1040–1042) – Emma’s son with Cnut – and Edward the Confessor, Emma’s son with Æthelred (r. 1041–1066). In this copy of the text, King Æthelred was written out of the story and other details were manipulated.
However, after the death of King Harthacnut, on 8 June 1042, the author of the Encomium produced a new version of his work, with a significantly different ending. He now represented Edward as the rightful king and celebrated Edward’s status as the son of King Æthelred. It was a blatant attempt to re-write a story which had itself already re-written history. The only medieval copy of this revised version only came to light in 2008. That 15th-century manuscript is now in Copenhagen.

The original manuscript at the British Library
https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/encomium-emmae-reginae
https://manuscrits-france-angleterre.org/view3if/pl/ark:/81055/vdc_100055997590.0x000001

The  Alistair Campbell translation, Publication date 1949, at Internet Archive
https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.185337/page/n1/mode/2up

More about the second manuscript
This manuscript was previously thought to be the only surviving copy of the Encomium Emmae Reginae (Praise of Queen Emma) until another copy, containing the unique Edwardian recension of the text, was identified in Copenhagen, Royal Library, Acc. 2011/5 in 2008. The two copies are largely the same, except for their endings (see Bolton, 'A Newly Emergent Mediaeval Manuscript' (2009))

Timothy Bolton, ‘A Newly Emergent Mediaeval Manuscript Containing Encomium Emmae Reginae with the Only Known Complete Text of the Recension Prepared for King Edward the Confessor’, Mediaeval Studies, 19 (2009), 205-21
https://www.academia.edu/29475908

Barlow: The Life of King Edward

 


The Life of King Edward
who rests at Westminster
attributed to a monk of St Bertin

Vita AEwardi Regis
edited and translated by Frank Barlow


download pdf here  [no introduction]
http://x0b.de/The_Life_of_King_Edward.pdf

“And who will write that Humber, vast and swollen
With raging seas, where namesake kings had fought,
Has dyed the ocean waves for miles around
With Viking gore, while Heaven mourns the crime?
What madman write of this, at which the mind
Grows faint and ears are shocked?    …
If you will not describe King Gruffydd’s wars
Or River Ouse with corpses choked, you’ll paint
King Edward fair in form and worth, what he
Did in his life and what when dying said.”

Barlow: The Godwins

 
The Godwins: The Rise and Fall of a Noble Dynasty

Frank Barlow charts the family through to Harold – the last Anglo-Saxon king – and finally the crowning of William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest. Set against the backdrop of Viking raids and ultimately the Norman Conquest of 1066, Frank Barlow unravels the gripping history of a feuding family that nevertheless determined the course and fortunes of all the English.

The first few chapters are available online in preview.
https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Godwins.html?id=rRJ4AAAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y

Bad Histories of the Norman Conquest

 


 In this video, Marc Morris reviews the lack of scholarship in three publications on 1066.  Whilst he covers a great deal of evidence revealing the shortcomings of these books, he by no means goes far enough. All three are exemplars of the poor standard of writing on the Norman Conquest and their authors' refusal to investigate or analyse the sources that they are using.  Almost exclusively, every book on 1066 tells the same story, one which can be traced back to Freeman and his bias. Freeman's racism observed by Morris, leads him to discount the saga sources for the period and the wealth of information that they bring to the table.  Morris's overview provides a good introduction into the problems of current publications on the subject.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ7upWC1_aI

 

Wednesday, 15 December 2021

Hastings: The location of Battle Abbey

 According to the Chronicle of Battle Abbey, there were two building sites for the Abbey. The first site is on the top of the hill at Battle where the Abbey currently stands. The second site is on ‘a lower place on the western side of the hill.” The Abbey was to be located on the battle field where King Harold fell, but the monks required a site more suitable for a monastery and its ancillary buildings and fields and which had access to a good water supply. Accordingly, when the builders arrived from Normandy they selected an alternate site. But this was not acceptable to King William who had made an oath and the Abbey was eventually completed at Battle, on the hill where Harold fell, according to his demands.   

The Chronicle texts.
https://archive.org/details/chronicleofbatte00batt

pp3-4
“while they were helping one another on with their armour, there was brought forth a coat of mail for the duke to put on, and by accident it was handed to him the wrong side foremost. Those who stood by and saw this, cursed it as an unfortunate omen, but the duke's sewer again bade them be of good cheer, and declared that this also was a token of good fortune, namely, that those things which had before kept their ground were about fully to submit them-selves to him. The duke, perfectly unmoved, put on the mail with a placid countenance, and uttered these memorable words
" I know, my dearest friends, that if I had any confidence in omens, I ought on no account to go to battle to-day ; but, committing myself trustfully to my Creator in every matter, I have given no heed to omens ; neither have I ever loved sorcerers. Wherefore, now, secure of His aid, and in order to strengthen the hands and courage of you, who for my sake are about to engage in this conflict, I make a Vow, that upon this place of battle I will found a suitable free Monastery, for the salvation of you all, and especially of those who fall ; and this I will do in honour of God and his saints, to the end that the servants of God may be succoured ; that even as I shall be enabled to acquire for myself a propitious asylum, so it may be freely offered to all my followers.””

p6
Upon the hill where the Abbey now stands, the English supported their king in a compact body.”

p9
… At length the demands of his conscience from within, and the constant suggestions of the monk William Faber from without, prevailed, and the king acceded to his wish; and inasmuch as he was considered  a proper person, the king committed the erection of the work to him, and ordered him to fetch over certain brethren of his abbey, in order to found, on the field of battle, without further delay, an appropriate monastery. This he cheerfully undertook to do, and going at once to Marmoutier brought over to England four monks of great reputation and piety, namely, Theobald, surnamed Vetulus, William Coche, Robert of Bolonia, and Robert Blancard. These personages having viewed the scene of the battle, judged it an unsuitable site for so noble a building, but thought a lower place on the western side of the hill more eligible ; and there, not to seem remiss in their undertaking, they built some little dwellings. The place is to this day called Herst, and a certain thorn-tree growing there is a memorial of this circumstance.
 

The king on making careful enquiries as to the progress of the work, was told by the monks that the place where he had determined to build the abbey was situated upon a hill with a parched soil, dry, and destitute of water; and they entreated him that a more convenient spot in the immediate vicinity might be chosen for so important a work. Upon this the king grew angry, and commanded them with all haste to lay the foundations of the temple on the very place where he had achieved the victory over his enemy.
… Thus at length were laid the foundations of this most excellent work, as it was then considered ; and in accordance with the king's decree, they wisely erected the high altar upon the precise spot where the ensign of King Harold, which they call the Standard, was observed to fall.


The location of the second site has been identified as Crowhurst, and the thorn tree as the Crowhurst Yew which is believed to be in excess of 1500 years old.
see the video here:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6D55o0df58

However, Crowhurst is not on the western side of the hill at Battle and is nearly four miles away to the south on flat land. The Crowhurst Yew tree is adjacent to St George’s Church. Also close by are the ruins of the Crowhurst Manor House believed to have been built by Walter de Scotney in the 12th century.
In the video, there is a claim that the manor ruins are actually the second abbey site as mentioned in the Abbey Chronicle. Note that the Abbey Chronicle says that they built some ‘little dwellings’ at the alternate site, not that they commenced the abbey itself or constructed walls similar to those of the manor. Disregarding the fact that the Crowhurst site is four miles from Senlac Hill and that it is on flat land, not on a hill as described in all the other battle descriptions, there is also a claim that Crowhurst is the true site of the Battle of Hastings.

Ragnar and Lagerda


 Lagerda as depicted in the TV series Vikings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUkHWfr-lvI

"In my dreams we were always together"

Henry of Huntingdon

The chronicle of Henry of Huntingdon. 

Comprising the history of England, from the invasion of Julius Cæsar to the accession of Henry II. Also, The acts of Stephen, king of England and duke of Normandy
by Henry of Huntingdon, 1084?-1155; 

Forester, Thomas. ed. and tr
Publication date 1853
https://archive.org/details/chroniclehenryh00foregoog/page/n247/mode/2up

page 209

Fulford

Then they [Tostig and Haraldr] joined their forces and came up the Humber, as far as York, near which they were encountered by the Earls Edwin and Morcar ; the place where the battle was fought is still shown on the south side of the city. Here Harold, king of Norway, and Tosti, his ally, gained the day. 

 Stamford Bridge

When this intelligence reached Harold, king of England, he advanced with a powerful army, and came up with the invaders at Stanford Bridge. The battle was desperately fought, the armies being engaged from daybreak to noonday, when, after fierce attacks on both sides, the Norwegians were forced to give way before the superior numbers of the English, but retreated in good order. Being driven across the river, the living trampling on the corpses of the slain, they resolutely made a fresh stand. 

Here a single Norwegian, whose name ought to have been preserved, took post on a bridge, and hewing down more than forty of the English with a battle- axe, his country's weapon, stayed the advance of the whole English army till the ninth hour. At last some one came under the bridge in a boat, and thrust a spear into him, through the chinks of the flooring. The English having gained a passage, King Harold and Tosti were slain ; and their whole army were either slaughtered, or, being taken prisoners, were burnt.

 

Saxo Grammaticus Books I to IX

The first nine books of the Danish history of Saxo Grammaticus
by Saxo, Grammaticus, d. ca. 1204;
Elton, Oliver, 1861-1945; Powell, F. York (Frederick York), 1850-1904
Published 1894
Publisher London, D. Nutt

https://ia800709.us.archive.org/4/items/firstninebookso00saxo/firstninebookso00saxo.pdf

 On Project Gutenberg

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1150/1150-h/1150-h.htm

 

Book Nine contains stories of Ragnar 

 pp363-4 Ragnar meets Lagerda

Among them was Ladgerda, a skilled amazon, who, though a maiden, had the courage of a man, and fought in front among the bravest with her hair loose over her shoulders. All marvelled at her matchless deeds, for her locks flying down her back betrayed that she was a woman. Ragnar, when he had cut down the murderer of his grandfather, asked many questions of his fellow-soldiers concerning the maiden whom he had seen so forward in the fray, and declared that he had gained the victory by the might of one woman. Learning that she was of noble birth among the barbarians, he steadfastly wooed her by means of messengers. She spurned his mission in her heart, but feigned compliance. Giving false answers, she made her panting wooer confident that he would gain his desires; but ordered that a bear and a dog should be set at the porch of her dwelling, thinking to guard her own room against all the ardour of a lover by means of the beasts that blocked the way. Ragnar, comforted by the good news, embarked, crossed the sea, and, telling his men to stop in Gaulardale, as the valley is called, went to the dwelling of the maiden alone. Here the beasts met him, and he thrust one through with a spear, and caught the other by the throat, wrung its neck, and choked it. Thus he had the maiden as the prize of the peril he had overcome. By this marriage he had two daughters, whose names have not come down to us, and a son Fridleif. Then he lived three years at peace.

Tuesday, 14 December 2021

The Saga of Ragnar Lodrok and his Sons

 The Saga of Ragnar Lodrok and his Sons
http://www.germanicmythology.com/FORNALDARSAGAS/ThattrRagnarsSonar.html

The Russian Primary Chronicle

The Russian Primary Chronicle

Laurentian Text ,

Translated and edited by SAMUEL HAZZARD CROSS

https://www.mgh-bibliothek.de/dokumente/a/a011458.pdf


The Russian War with Byzantium in 1043

6551 (1043). Yaroslav sent his son Vladimir to attack Greece, [Byzantium] and entrusted him with a large force. He assigned the command to Vyshata, father of Yan. Vladimir set out by ship, arrived at the Danube, and proceeded toward Tsar’grad. [Constantinople]
A great storm arose which broke up the ships of the Russes; the wind damaged even the Prince's vessel, and Ivan, son of Tvorimir, Yaroslav's general, took the Prince into his boat.
The other soldiers of Vladimir to the number of six thousand were cast on shore, and desired to return to Rus', but none of the Prince's retainers went with them. Then Vyshata announced that he would accompany them, and disembarked from his vessel to join them, exclaiming, "If I survive, it will be with the soldiers, and if I perish, it will be with the Prince's retainers." They thus set out to return to Rus'.
It now became known to the Greeks [the Byzantines] how the Russes had suffered from the storm, and the Emperor, who was called Monomakh, [Constantine IX] sent fourteen ships to pursue them. When Vladimir and his retainers perceived that the Greeks were pursuing them, he wheeled about, dispersed the Greek ships, and returned to Rus' on his ships.
But the Greeks captured Vyshata, in company with those who had been cast on land, and brought them to Tsar'grad, where they blinded many of the captive Russes. After peace had prevailed for three years there-after, Vyshata was sent back to Yaroslav in Rus'

Monday, 13 December 2021

Sawyer's Anglo-Saxon Charters

 https://esawyer.lib.cam.ac.uk/about/index.html
The ‘Electronic Sawyer’ presents in searchable and browsable form a revised, updated, and expanded version of Peter Sawyer's Anglo-Saxon Charters: an Annotated List and Bibliography, published by the Royal Historical Society in 1968.

https://esawyer.lib.cam.ac.uk/browse/kinga/A.html
an alphabetical index which provides the user with an easy way to browse through the charters of a particular king (e.g. Offa, Alfred, Edgar, or Harold)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_charters

Charters have provided historians with fundamental source material for understanding Anglo-Saxon England, complementing the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and other literary sources. They are catalogued in Peter Sawyer's Annotated List and are usually referred to in the specialist literature by their Sawyer number (e.g. S 407).

For Example Charter 1008
 King Edward the Confessor of England grants seven hides at Millbrook, Hampshire, to Bishop Ælfwine of Winchester, 1045: Cotton Ch VIII 9

https://esawyer.lib.cam.ac.uk/charter/1008.html#
Grant of King Edward the Confessor (r. 1042–1066) to Bishop Ælfwine of Winchester

The Anglo Saxon Charters contain a wealth of information that may not be available elsewhere. They show, by examination of the pecking order of the witnesses, who was attending court at the time of the signing and their respective positions.
We can see in this one, the respective positions of the earls in 1045, with Earl Godwin of Wessex leading, followed by Leofric of Mercia and  Siward of Northumbria, followed by Godwin’s sons Sweyn and Harold and their cousin Beorn Ulfson.
 
+ Ego Godwine dux. + Ego Leofric dux. + Ego Siwerd dux. + Ego Swegen dux. + Ego Harold dux. + Ego Beorn dux

The actual charter can be seen here at the British Library Collection

The British Library holds the world's largest collection of Anglo-Saxon charters. They are issued in the names of kings, bishops and laypeople, and include a considerable number of writs, wills, records of disputes and decrees of synods. The charters supply significant testimony to the evolution of English handwriting (the scripts deployed include uncial, pointed minuscule, square minuscule and English Caroline minuscule). They are composed primarily in Latin but with a considerable number in Old English (or with Old English bounds). Some of the documents are originals or were issued contemporaneously, while others are later copies or are deemed to be forgeries. Collectively, these charters provide us with substantial evidence for early English political, ecclesiastical, administrative and social history.
http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Cotton_Ch_VIII_9

Wednesday, 8 December 2021

Florence of Worcester

The chronicle of Florence of Worcester with the two continuations;
by Florence, of Worcester, d. 1118

Published 1854
=======
 “The chronicle of Florence of Worcester with the two continuations; comprising annals of English history, from the departure of the Romans to the reign of Edward I.” 

Translated from the Latin with notes and illustrations  by Thomas Forrester,

by Florence, of Worcester, d. 1118; John, of Worcester, 12th century; Taxster, John de, d. 1265?; John, of Eversden, 13th century 

Publisher London H.G. Bohn


https://archive.org/details/chronicleofflore00flor/page/166/mode/2up

 There is much debate over how much of this chronicle was completed by Florence of Worcester and how much was completed by John of Worcester.

"The Chronicle of Florence of Worcester, so far as it relates to English history, with its two Continuations, embraces the period from the departure of the Romans in the year 446, to the twenty-third year of the reign of Edward I. in 1295. It is founded on an earlier Chronicle, compiled by Marianus Scotus, one of the many learned Irishmen sent forth from the "Island of Saints," between the sixth and eleventh centuries. ... The rest of his materials for the earlier period of English history are chiefly supplied by Bede, the Saxon Chronicle, the Lives of Saints, and Asser's Life of Alfred."

Knytlinga Saga

 [most of] the Knytlinga Saga courtesy of De Re Militari

  knytlinga-saga

This text comes from Knytlinga Saga: The History of the Kings of Denmark, translated by Hermann Palsson and Paul Edwards (Odense University Press, 1986).

Tuesday, 7 December 2021

Queens of England Podcast - Strickland

 


The Lives of the Queens of England is a multi-volumed work attributed to Agnes Strickland, though it was mostly researched and written by her sister Elisabeth. These volumes give biographies of the queens of England from the Norman Conquest in 1066. Although by today's standards, it is not seen as a very scholarly work, the Stricklands used many sources that had not been used before.Volume one includes the biographies of Matilda of Flanders, Matilda of Scotland, Adelicia of Louvaine, Matilda of Boulogne and Eleanora of Aquitaine.(Introduction by Ann Boulais)

https://archive.org/details/podcast_lives-queens-england_417818002?tab=about

Matilda of Flanders was the wife of William the Bastard, her life in six parts. 

https://archive.org/details/podcast_lives-queens-england_417818002?tab=collection 

Monday, 6 December 2021

The Chronicle of Battel Abbey

 

The Chronicle of Battel Abbey, from 1066 to 1176,
now first translated with notes, and an abstract of the subsequent history of the establishment ;
by Battle Abbey,
translated by Mark Antony Lowell
publication date 1851

https://archive.org/details/chronicleofbatte00batt/mode/2up

The original is in the Cottonian Collection of Manuscripts in the British Museum (Domitian A ii). It is written on 129 leaves of vellum of a small quarto size, and is evidently of the latter part of the twelfth century.

The Bayeux Tapestry Elucidated

The Bayeux Tapestry Elucidated
by John Collingwood Bruce
Publication date  1856

https://archive.org/details/bayeuxtapestrye00brucgoog/page/n2/mode/2up


This book argues the case that the tapestry was made by Queen Matilda.

"One effect of the Conquest was to bring the people of England and Normandy into closer alliance than before. On the first  occasion on which William returned to Normandy, after the battle  of Hastings, he took with him, "in honourable attendance," a considerable number of the Saxon nobles, who were doubtless  accompanied by their wives and daughters. Assisted by English ladies, as well as by those of her own court, Matilda, the wife of  the Conqueror, probably at this time constructed the Tapestry which for many ages was preserved in the Cathedral of Bayeux.” p2

"Perhaps, however, we have acted rashly in having ventured even thus cursorily to touch upon the antiquity of the Tapestry. Miss Agnes Strickland, who, in her ‘Lives of the Queens of England’ shows how vigorously she can wield the pen, is rather indignant that any one who is not learned in cross-stitch, should  venture to discuss the subject. Before we argue, she wants to know if we can sew. She says, 'With due deference to the judgment of the lords of the creation on all subjects connected with policy and science, we venture to think that our learned friends, the archaeologists and antiquaries, would do well to direct their intellectual powers to more masculine objects of inquiry, and leave the question of the Bayeux Tapestry (with all other matters allied to needle-craft) to the decision of the ladies, to whose province it belongs. It is matter of doubt to us whether one, out of the many gentlemen who have disputed Matilda's claims to that work, if called upon to execute a copy of either of the figures on canvas, would know how to put in the first stitch.’ Few of the rougher sex would like to be put to the experimentum acus and therefore it may be as well at once to exercise the best part of valour, and beat a hasty retreat." p15

Sunday, 5 December 2021

The Anglo Saxon Chronicles - Podcast

Historian Pauline Stafford shares the latest research and thinking on some of the most important historical sources from early medieval England.

https://www.historyextra.com/period/anglo-saxon/anglo-saxon-chronicles-podcast-pauline-stafford/

Podcast from History Extra, in support of Ms Stafford's new book
"After Alfred: Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and Chroniclers, 900-1150"

 

Saturday, 4 December 2021

The Battle of Stamford Bridge, podcast

 Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Battle of Stamford Bridge, a decisive English victory over Viking forces which took place in September 1066.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011jvlt

Thu 2 Jun 2011 09:00

The Icelandic Sagas - Podcast

In Our Time Podcasts

Thu 9 May 2013 21:30

 Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Icelandic sagas.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01s8qx9

The Saga of Edward the Confessor

 ICELANDIC SAGAS, Vol. III
THE ORKNEYINGERS SAGA
by George W. Dasent
[1894]
 
Appendix F: The Saga of Edward the Confessor
https://sacred-texts.com/neu/ice/is3/is324.htm

7  For that Harold, Godwin's son, was of great family in England, and a very proper man in himself, but the rulers of the land thought it hard to come under the rule of outlandish lords, then they took Harold to be king, and he was consecrated under the crown as the custom was of English chiefs.  In this design his brother Tosti had no share, but he was older, and so he thought himself nearer to the kingdom.  Then he went to meet his brother Harold and claimed to be even with him, but when Harold said "nay" to that, then he fared out of the land and fled to Denmark to find king Sweyn, Wolf's son, his kinsman, and bade him fare to England and win the land under his rule "as the Dane kings of old had done."  But Sweyn was not ready to do that.  Then Tosti fared north into Norway and egged on king Harold, Sigurd's son, to fare to England and win the land under him.  And that same summer those two, king Harold and Tosti, fared to England with a host and slew Morcar, Godwin's son, but earl Gurth his brother fled out of the battle.  But a few nights afterwards they fought at Stamford-bridge with king Harold Godwin's son, and there they both fell, Harold and Tosti, as is said in the annals of the kings of Norway.
 8         When William heard of the death of king Edward, and that Harold had let himself be chosen king in England, it liked him very ill, and he thought Harold had broken his oath and agreement with him;  then straightway he summoned all the chiefs he could get and a mighty host beside.  He made ready that force for England.  He came there just at the time when the two Harolds had fought.  Then he began to harry the land where he made the coast, and laid it under him wherever he went.  But when Harold, Godwin's son, heard that he fared against him, and their meeting was south by Helsingport, and either side had a very great host;  then earl Gurth spoke to his brother Harold and said, "I am afraid that it will not answer for thee to hold a battle against duke William because thou art bound by oaths to him, and thou hast sworn not to hold England against him."  King Harold answers, "May be brother thou art better fitted to fight with William, but I have not been wont to lie in a lair when other men have fought, and William the bastard shall not hear this that I dare not look him in the face."  After that king Harold made them set up his banner before him and went out to battle against William, and there was the greatest battle, and it seemed uncertain a long time which side would win the victory.  But as the fight went on the loss of men turned on the English side, and a great host fell there, and all fled who chose life.  There fell king Harold and his brother Gurth, but Valtheof their brother fled out of the fight.  William the bastard caused him to be burnt afterwards in a wood, and a hundred men with him.

The Fulford Tapestry

 


 “In the year 2000, a group began a systematic search for the battlefield of Fulford. Fulford was the site of the first battle of the fateful autumn of 1066 that would spell the end of the Anglo-Saxon rule in England.
Because we could not be confident that we would find the site, since nothing had been found at Hastings or Stamford bridge, we had to think of a suitable way to commemorate this forgotten battle.
We decided to preparing a tapestry in the style of the Bayeux Tapestry which would tell of the events taking place in Yorkshire during one momentous week in 1066 when two battles took place that had such a profound effect on the history of England
. “
http://www.fulfordtapestry.info/index.htm
 
In 2012 the completed tapestry was displayed at the House of Lords
http://www.fulfordtapestry.info/d_house_of_lords.htm

 On the tapestry website each of the six panels is depicted, and its content explained,  along with some detailed information about the process and materials used.

Unfortunately, the website does not state who drew the design, the names of the embroiderers or where the tapestry is permanently displayed or stored. 

Friday, 3 December 2021

Time Team Hastings Special

 

Time Team S20 Special 1066 The Lost Battlefield

 
 

Time team digs at Battle Abbey and on Caldbec Hill and go roundabout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm-gARMbWiA

 

Wednesday, 1 December 2021

Battle Of Hastings: Secrets Of The 1066 Conquest | Dan Snow's Norman Walks


 Perhaps the most famous battle in British history is the defeat at Hastings in 1066, when William the Conquerer's Norman forces took victory on the British south coast. Historian Dan Snow puts his walking boots on and sets off to see what the British landscape can teach us about this fascinating battle

Master Wace, The Chronicle of the Norman Conquest from the Roman de Rou

 

 

 

Master Wace, His Chronicle of the Norman Conquest From the Roman De Rou by Wace

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41163

 "Then it was that an arrow, that had been thus shot upwards, struck Harold above his right eye, and put it out. In his agony he drew the arrow and threw it away, breaking it with his hands: and the pain to his head was so great, that he leaned upon his shield. So the English were wont to say, and still say to the French, that the arrow was well shot which was so sent up against their king; and that the archer won them great glory, who thus put out Harold's eye."