The Enigma of Hastings

220 Pages·1974·12.339 MB·English

by  Edwin Tetlow

THE ENIGMA OF HASTINGS
Edwin Tetlow
Fascination with the mystery of how and
why William the Conqueror came to seize
England has grown ever since 1066. How­
ever, the picture built up upon scanty
original evidence by nine centuries of
historians, novelists and romantics is a
distorted one, often influenced by preju­
dice and propaganda. In this engrossing
and revolutionary interpretation of the
events preceding Hastings and the battle
itself, Edwin Tetlow discounts all question­
able evidence and casts fresh light on the
incidents and personalities involved.
Many questions arise. Was Harold himself
a throne-grabber? Did he and his father
Godwin murder to clear Harold's path to
the throne? Why did most of his fellow
Englishmen fail to back him at Hastings?
What part did the womenfolk of the
Norman and English aristocracy play in the
drama? Was Harold's predecessor, Edward
the Confessor, impotent and/or a homo­
sexual? Did William suffer a major dis­
aster at sea after he set out from the
Normandy coast on his great gamble?
Was one of Harold's brothers in league
with William and did he ensure Harold's
defeat by his treachery in the spring and
summer of 1066?
After half a century of research, the author
faces these and many other questions,
and answers most of them. His account
includes much new material based on
firsthand investigation at Hastings, Stam­
ford Bridge, Tadcaster, Oxford, London,
Normandy and Roskilde (Denmark). He
has researched into little-known records
and gives probably the first full analysis
of the background to and course of the
grossly-neglected Battle of Gate Fulford
and Stamford Bridge.
Illustrated
The Enigma of Hastings
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Edwin Tetlow
The Enigma of Hastings
St Martin's Press, Inc.
New York
All rights reserved. For information, write :
St Martin’s Press, Inc.
175 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10010
Printed in Great Britain
Library of Congress Catalog Number: 73-92161
First published in the United States of America in 1974
This book is fully protected under the provisions of
the International Copyright Convention.
Contents
Foreword 9
1 An Embroidered Tale 11
2 Noble Triangle : Duke, King and Earl 24
3 The Challengers Prepare 59
4 A Setback for the Duke 76
5 The Norwegian Pretender Intervenes 93
6 Harold’s Finest Victory 109
7 The Duke Invades 125
8 Harold’s Last Ride 145
9 The Battle 161
Epilogue 184
Appendix A 191
Appendix B 193
Appendix C 196
Bibliography 197
Index 201

Illustrations
1 Aelfgyva and the clergyman. Detail from the
Bayeux Tapestry.
2 Falaise, Normandy.
3 Falaise Castle.
4 The River Dives near the Normandy Coast.
5, 6 Unloading a horse from an invasion ship.
Detail from the Bayeux Tapestry,
and a modern reconstruction of the scene.
7 The battleground at Gate Fulford.
8 The River Wharfe at Tadcaster.
9 Stone commemorating the Battle of
Stamford Bridge.
io Site of the Battle of Hastings.
n Caldbeck Windmill, Hastings.
12 Stone commemorating the Battle of
Hastings.