When William
of Normandy began organising the invasion of England in 1066 he
asked knights from Poitou, Burgundy,
Brittany and Flanders to accompany him. William also arranged for
soldiers from Germany, Denmark and Italy to join his army. In exchange
for their services, William promised them a share of the land and
wealth of England.
Norman knights wore a knee-length hauberk.
In battle the hauberk was pulled up to to protect the bottom of the
face. The conical helmet had a nose guard
for further protection against blows to the face. The long kite
shield was designed to protect the left side of the body when
carrying out cavalry charges and was made with leather over a wooden
frame. The Norman knights would use a
long double-edged sword and a lance.
Sometimes knights carried a club-like weapon called a mace.
The Norman infantry used cross-bows
and bows. These were weapons used by soldiers
of low rank. In the Battle
of Hastings only one archer is wearing a hauberk
and metal helmet. The bow was about 50
centimetres (20 inches) long and was made of yew or ash wood. The
bow was only pulled back to the chest and had a killing range of about
90 metres (100 yards).
Section
55: Normans using mace,
double-edged swords, lances
and bows
at the Battle
of Hastings (Bayeux
Tapestry, c. 1090)
The
Normans: Classroom Activities
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