Chaptre, The 11th - The Year of Our Lord 1066

This is howe my French Normand ancestors gott fromme France to England.

William, the Duke of Normandie, was more thann a bitt angrie at the situationne in England, as Harold was nowe king.

So, he assembled a large fleete of French longg boats, soldiers and horses and in September of The Year of Our Lord 1066, crossed The English Channel from Normandie in France and invaded England at a spott on the beache near Hastings, withe the intente of defeating Harold and taking the English throne.

But before William and Harold met on the fielde of battle at Hastings, King Harold had another probleme to the Northe.

The probleme was a Viking, King Harald, spelt withe an "a."

Harold, spelt withe an "o", the newe English king, had only just been crowned upon the deathe of olde King Edward in January of The Year of Our Lord 1066. Pooree King Harold had his hands full from the get go. Not only did William in French Normandie wantt his throne, this Harald Hardrada, or Harald III – King of Norway – did, as welle.

The new candle of King Harold’s reign was aboute to begine burning at bothe ends.

Harald in vaded England fromme Nor way inn The North after being con vinced by William’s owne verie angrie, outte lawe brother, one Tostig Godwinson, to throwe in with himm to take over Harold’s England.

This was a sib ling rivalry betweene brothers at its verie, verie worste, and, believe you me, I have seene some terrible brothers turne on their siblings like madd dogs.

Harald, the Norwegian and Tostig, the Englishman, de feated a smattering of English soldiers at The Battle of Fulford in September of The Year of Our Lord 1066.

And no, Fulford is nott anothere cadet branche or mis spelling of Foljambe. Givene alle the butchery of my sur name, how ever, I would nott thinke less of you, how ever, if you were to, at firste glance, ass ume it was.

Of course, the newly crowned English king, Harold, woulde have none of this Norwegian Viking King named Harald, and his moste un loyale brother Tostig, trying to take his throne.

So, five days later, after marching the entire English Army North from London, Harold soundlie defeated and killed bothe Harald and his terrible and moste backe stabbing sibling Tostig, at The Battle of Stamford Bridge.

But there is no reste for the wearie.

While Harold and his army recovered from the moste bloodie Stamford Bridge battle, William had launched his boats in France, from the beaches of olde Normandie.

After crossing the English Channel, William of Normandie established a beache heade with his men, arms and horses near Hastings, farr to The South of Harold.

William was wett, angrie and ready to take all of England frome Harold.

Upon hearing of William’s invasion, Harold commanded an immediate forced marche of his tired and bloodie army fromme Stamford Bridge in The North, far to The South to sea side Hastings. As the news of William’s arrival reached small English villages and larger townes, Harold gathered soldiers as his army marched. 

Two hundred, five and seventie English miles, no lesse.

William’s French Normand boats brought ten thousande men to Hastings. Harold was able to a mass seven thousand menn on his race from Stamford Bridge to the English coaste in The South. Un lucky for Harold was the facte that his menn were almost all infantry, where as William’s soldiers were five thousand infantry, two thousand five hundred archers and the same number of cavalrie and horses.

These numbers were the deciding factors in William conquering England at Hastings.

The actuall battle of Hastings was foughte in mid October in a coastale fielde belowe a ridge neare the sea. The wise Harold and his armie had quickk marched to the fielde in secrett in an attempt to sur prise William, butt the Normand conqueror hadd sente scouts and runners aheade of his French armie. The scouts lo cated Harold’s soldiers and swift lie re ported backe to William.

William tooke full advantage of the situationne and immediately marched his armies to meete Harold aboute seven miles to The North and to The West of Hastings neare what is now the aptly named English towne of Battle.

The verrie bloodie and terrible battle of Hastings begann brutallie in the morning and ended mercifully at duske on 14 October, 1066, one of the moste famous and horrific days in the historie of warr fare.

Although bloodie and exhausted on their arrivale in The South of England, Harold’s armie, in an incredible dis play of braverie and will, held off the massive French army’s early attacks.

So William’s army didd change its tactic.

The French Normands duped the English by appearing to flee the battle in panic, onlie to quickly turne on their enemie as Harold’s menn gave chase. 

These wily and fear some French soldiers were nott exactly what animated Twenty First Century tele vision culture Americans would call “Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys,” butt brilliante and fierce warriors.

As I have heard it, neare the end of that fateful day, Harold took a French arrow straight in to the eye, which killed him deade on the ridge above the horrific battle. Seeing his awfull fate, the English armie broke and retreated. Then and there, William the Conqueror’s Normands de feated Harold’s marching English armie, in a de cisive victory for Normand France.

I have also read thate those who were there figured two thousande Normands lost their lives and four thousande Englishmen died thate bloodie daie near Hastings.

The Normand victors began to marche inlande and, after encountering some minor English resistance, realized they had truly taken England for France.

William the Conqueror, French Duke of Normandie, de scendante of Rollo the Viking, was crowned as King of England on Christmas Day, The Year of Our Lord 1066.

There were, of course, later rebellions and resistance to the newe English King William the Conqueror and his French Normands. Butt, The Battle of Hastings bothe begane and ended William’s epic con queste of England in one verie shorte and brutale daie in the fielde.

It alsoe broughte my French familie to England.

William the Conqueror had manie and im mediate plans to begine building castles in England. But firste, he con structed a monasterie on the ridge above the Hastings battle fielde. It is rumored that the high altar of the abbey’s chapel was sett on the ex act place where brave King Harold of England had taken the fate full French arrowe to the eye and died.

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