The Carmen de Hastingae Proelio
Encyclopedia
The Carmen de Hastingae Proelio (Song of the Battle of Hastings) is an early written source for the Norman invasion
of England
from September to December 1066, in Latin
; attributed to Bishop Guy of Amiens
, uncle to Count Guy of Ponthieu
, who figures rather prominently in the Bayeux Tapestry
as the vassal of Duke William of Normandy who captured Harold Godwinson in 1064.
The Carmen is generally accepted as the earliest known written account of the invasion, which naturally focuses on the famous Battle of Hastings
. It is in poetic form, 835 lines of hexameter
s and pentameter
s, and is preserved only in a single extant copy (Bibliothèque royale de Belgique no. 10615-729, folios 227v-230v), which is apparently an early 12th century copy of the 11th century original.
Bearing all the signs of hasty work, the Carmen was most likely composed within months of the coronation of William as king of England (Christmas Day, 1066). Probably sometime in 1067, possibly as early as Easter of that year, to be performed at the royal festivities in Normandy
, where King William I presided. The motivation for the poem's production and performance must have been something to do with Bishop Guy's family, which possibly was then out of favor over the involvement of Hugh of Ponthieu in the death of King Harold. For it is tempting to identify Hugh as the younger brother of Count Guy of Ponthieu, and the perpetrator of the mutilation of King Harold once he had been slain. For this reason, or some other unknown reason, Bishop Guy felt it necessary to impress King William with the contributions his nephew(s) had made to William's invasion of England. Also, at the time, Bishop Guy himself was out of favor with the pope, and perhaps wanted to garner some Norman influence by giving William the gift of the Carmen in his honor. A third possibility (though none of these is mutually exclusive), is the disfavor of Count Eustace
of Boulogne
, who appears by the contents of the Carmen, to have been a family friend (and or relative: most of these noble houses were intermarried by this time): therefore the Carmen might have been composed to put in a plug and reverse King William's banishment of Count Eustace following his failed invasion of England in the autumn of 1067 (Eustace remained in fact out of favor until late in the 1070s).
Altogether, the Carmen is the most vivid of the original written accounts, and practically the only one to give a non-Norman point of view in detail. (The Bayeux Tapestry
is problematic; because we do not know the purpose of its creators, nor even for certain who they were; but it bears evidence of English involvement in its production.) In fact, it is the Carmen 's very vividness which has caused it in the past to come under attack as either a forgery, fraud or at the least a later, 12th-century source. But Frank Barlow
has recently advanced convincing arguments to support the position of the Carmen as a very early source indeed, most likely from the year 1067.
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
from September to December 1066, in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
; attributed to Bishop Guy of Amiens
Guy Bishop of Amiens
Guy, Bishop of Amiens was an eleventh century churchman, in what is now the north-east of France.Although the genealogy of early Ponthieu and Boulogne is scanty , it is most likely that Guy, the Bishop of Amiens, was the uncle Guy, Bishop of Amiens (d.1075) was an eleventh century churchman, in...
, uncle to Count Guy of Ponthieu
Guy I of Ponthieu
Guy I of Ponthieu was born sometime in the mid to late 1020s. He was the son of Count Enguerrand II and the grandson of Hugh II.-Caught between William of Normandy and Henry I of France:...
, who figures rather prominently in the Bayeux Tapestry
Bayeux Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth—not an actual tapestry—nearly long, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England concerning William, Duke of Normandy and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, and culminating in the Battle of Hastings...
as the vassal of Duke William of Normandy who captured Harold Godwinson in 1064.
The Carmen is generally accepted as the earliest known written account of the invasion, which naturally focuses on the famous Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
. It is in poetic form, 835 lines of hexameter
Hexameter
Hexameter is a metrical line of verse consisting of six feet. It was the standard epic metre in classical Greek and Latin literature, such as in the Iliad and Aeneid. Its use in other genres of composition include Horace's satires, and Ovid's Metamorphoses. According to Greek mythology, hexameter...
s and pentameter
Pentameter
Pentameter may refer to:*the iambic pentameter of the modern period*the dactylic pentameter of antiquity...
s, and is preserved only in a single extant copy (Bibliothèque royale de Belgique no. 10615-729, folios 227v-230v), which is apparently an early 12th century copy of the 11th century original.
Bearing all the signs of hasty work, the Carmen was most likely composed within months of the coronation of William as king of England (Christmas Day, 1066). Probably sometime in 1067, possibly as early as Easter of that year, to be performed at the royal festivities in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, where King William I presided. The motivation for the poem's production and performance must have been something to do with Bishop Guy's family, which possibly was then out of favor over the involvement of Hugh of Ponthieu in the death of King Harold. For it is tempting to identify Hugh as the younger brother of Count Guy of Ponthieu, and the perpetrator of the mutilation of King Harold once he had been slain. For this reason, or some other unknown reason, Bishop Guy felt it necessary to impress King William with the contributions his nephew(s) had made to William's invasion of England. Also, at the time, Bishop Guy himself was out of favor with the pope, and perhaps wanted to garner some Norman influence by giving William the gift of the Carmen in his honor. A third possibility (though none of these is mutually exclusive), is the disfavor of Count Eustace
Eustace II of Boulogne
Eustace II, , also known as Eustace aux Gernons was count of Boulogne from 1049–1087, fought on the Norman side at the Battle of Hastings, and afterwards received a large honour in England. He is one of the few proven Companions of William the Conqueror.He was the son of Eustace I...
of Boulogne
Count of Boulogne
The county of Boulogne was a historical region in the Low Countries. It consisted of a part of the present-day French département of the Pas-de-Calais , in parts of which there is still a Dutch-speaking minority....
, who appears by the contents of the Carmen, to have been a family friend (and or relative: most of these noble houses were intermarried by this time): therefore the Carmen might have been composed to put in a plug and reverse King William's banishment of Count Eustace following his failed invasion of England in the autumn of 1067 (Eustace remained in fact out of favor until late in the 1070s).
Altogether, the Carmen is the most vivid of the original written accounts, and practically the only one to give a non-Norman point of view in detail. (The Bayeux Tapestry
Bayeux Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth—not an actual tapestry—nearly long, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England concerning William, Duke of Normandy and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, and culminating in the Battle of Hastings...
is problematic; because we do not know the purpose of its creators, nor even for certain who they were; but it bears evidence of English involvement in its production.) In fact, it is the Carmen 's very vividness which has caused it in the past to come under attack as either a forgery, fraud or at the least a later, 12th-century source. But Frank Barlow
Frank Barlow (historian)
Frank Barlow CBE FBA FRSL was a British historian, known particularly for biographies of medieval figures.Barlow studied at St John's College, Oxford. He was Professor of History at the University of Exeter from 1953 until he retired in 1976 and became Emeritus Professor...
has recently advanced convincing arguments to support the position of the Carmen as a very early source indeed, most likely from the year 1067.
Sources
- The Carmen de Hastingae Proelio of Guy Bishop of Amiens, edited by Catherine Morton and Hope Muntz, Oxford at the Clarendon Press 1972.
- The Carmen de Hastingae Proelio of Guy Bishop of Amiens, edited and translated by Frank Barlow, Clarendon Press 1999.
- Davis, R. H. C. 1978. 'The Carmen de Hastingae Proelio'. The English Historical Review Vol. 93, No. 367, pp. 241-261 JSTOR