Anglo-Saxon
Chronicles:
The chronicles are a collection of seven manuscripts
written by monks living in England between the 9th and 12th centuries
The chronicles written
in the form of a diary, tell the story of England, and cover a period
of over a thousand
years. Certain passages of the various manuscripts are identical which
suggests that a certain
amount of copying took place. There are three manuscripts that cover
the period of the
Norman Conquest. It is believed that Version C was written in Abingdon
near Oxford, Version
D in York, and Version E in Canterbury.
William
of Poitiers was
born in Normandy in about 1030. After studying in Poitiers he became
a Norman soldier. Later he became a priest and was eventually appointed
as the archdeacon of Lisieux. It was at this time that William of
Poitiers became friends with William, Duke of Normandy. When William
became king of England in 1066 he invited William of Poitiers to become
his personal chaplain. William of Poitiers' book, The
History of William the Conqueror, was published in about
1073 AlthoughWilliam of Poitiers was in Lisieux during 1066, his book
provides the most detailed description
that we have of the Battle of Hastings.
William
of Jumieges was
born in Normandy in about 1025. He became a monk at the abbey of Jumieges
in about 1055. William had a keen interest in history and while at
the abbey read all the manuscripts he could find on the Normans. In
1070 he began his book The Deeds of the Dukes
of the Normans. The book was based on what he had read
plus his own knowledge and observations. When William of Jumieqes
finished the book he sent a copy to William the Conqueror. He enclosed
a letter with the book. In the letter he explained he had written
the book with the particular purpose of showing
how William was the rightful king of England.
Chronicle of Battle Abbey:
William the Conqueror supplied the money for the building Battle Abbey
in 1070. The first monks at the abbey were brought over from France.
The chronicle was written by an unknown monk at Battle Abbey in about
1175.
Bayeux
Tapestry: It is believed that Odo, William's half-brother, commissioned
the making of the Bayeux Tapestry soon after the Battle of Hastings.
We do not know who designed the tapestry but it was probably embroidered
by a group of women from Canterbury. The tapestry is 70.34 metres
(231 feet) long by 50 centimetres (20 inches) wide and was first displayed
at Bishop Odo's Bayeux cathedral The tapestry provides a narrative
history of William and the Normans between 1064 and 1066.
Annal:
A record of what had happened during the year. Many monasteries had
a system where monks could note down events that they considered were
important. News of these events often came from travellers who stayed
in the monastery. Monks who went on trips also brought back information
for the annal. At the end of the year the monk in charge of the annal
would write it up in a book.
Chronicles:
Chroniclers selected out events they thought were important and tried
to explain why they happened. Chronicles were usually the work of
one man and tended to be more personal than annals.
The
Normans: Classroom Activities
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