Carmen de Hastingae Proelio

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William the Conqueror on the Bayeux Tapestry, left and right his half-brothers Odo von Bayeux and Robert

Carmen de Hastingae Proelio , also Song of the Battle of Hastings, is one of the early sources of the conquest of England by the Norman Duke William . It deals with the events from September to December 1066. The song is attributed to Bishop Gui von Amiens (alternative spelling Guido von Amiens), an uncle of Guido I von Ponthieu . This vassal of Duke plays a role in the events before the conquest because he captured Harald Godwinson in 1064 , who came to the English throne after King Edward's death in 1066.

Carmen de Hastingae Proelio is widely considered to be the oldest written source of the invasion. It deals mainly with the Battle of Hastings , in which the English King Harald was defeated by the Norman Duke Wilhelm. Carmen de Hastingae Proleio consists of 835 lines of hexameters and pentameters. Only one copy has survived, which is now in the Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique and is inventoried as no. 10615-729, folios 227v-230v. As far as we know today, the copy that has survived is a copy from the early 12th century that was made from the original.

There are several indications that the Carmen de Hastingae Proelio was hastily written in the months around Wilhelm's coronation on Christmas Day 1066. This work was performed for the first time in 1067, possibly as early as Easter during the celebrations in Normandy in the presence of the newly crowned English king. Similar to the Bayeux Tapestry , the author's intention is not known. It is considered possible that Bishop Gui Wilhelm wanted to gain favor. Since Bishop Gui of Amiens was in disgrace with the Pope at this time, it is possible that he wanted to influence Wilhelm with the Carmen de Hastingae Proelio in his favor. The poem prominently highlights the role of Count Eustace de Boulogne during the Battle of Hastings. It is also believed that the poem was intended to advertise the disgraced French count, with whom there may be family ties.

Carmen de Hastingae Proelio is considered to be one of the most vivid sources of the Norman invasion and is one of the few who tells it from a non-Norman point of view. Because of the vivid portrayal of the events, there are individual voices who see it as a forgery or who postpone the date of origin to a later century. However, the historian Frank Barlow has conclusively stated that it was a very early source of the Norman invasion.

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  • Catherine Morton, Hope Muntz (Ed.): The Carmen de Hastingae Proelio of Guy Bishop of Amiens . The Clarendon Press, Oxford 1972, ISBN 0-19-822216-6 , ( Oxford medieval texts ).
  • Frank Barlow (Ed.): The Carmen de Hastingae Proelio of Guy Bishop of Amiens . 2nd edition. The Clarendon Press, Oxford et al. 1999, ISBN 0-19-820758-1 , ( Oxford medieval texts ).