Battles of English HistoryGeorge, H. B. (Hereford Brooke)
History
Battles of English History
George, H. B. (Hereford Brooke)
Battles -- Great Britain
[5] It must have been later in reality; since sunrise, the whole Norman
army had marched seven miles, had halted, and had then been arrayed in
order of battle, and this on October 14. Moreover, such a battle could
not have lasted nine hours, and it certainly ended at dark.
[6] This suggestion is not based on any direct statement, but it seems
to be the only way in which the archers could have aimed effectually.
If they had been behind the horsemen, shooting over their heads, the
arrows would have been as likely to strike Normans as Saxons.
[7] Harold's tomb was shown at Waltham down to the date of the
dissolution of the abbey. There is no positive information on the
point, but there seems no reason for rejecting the explanation that
William afterwards allowed the corpse of Harold to be removed to
Waltham. It is at least much more probable than that a falsehood should
have been allowed to pass unchallenged.
[8] This word, which is of course French but was adopted in English
with the same signification, definitely means a body of men, originally
mailed horsemen, drawn up together; but it implies nothing as to their
formation or strength. The usual practice was to form three; the
vanguard, which became ordinarily the right when in line of battle;
the rearguard, which similarly became the left; and the main battle
or centre. In the Latin chroniclers the equivalent term is generally
_acies_, which occasionally leads to some confusion in interpreting
their statements, as the classical sense of _acies_ is order of battle,
as contrasted with _agmen_, order of march.
[9] It is suggested that this was a waggon, such as was habitually
used in Italy at an earlier date, and occasionally at least in England
(as at the battle of the Standard), to carry to battle the standard of
the town. The earl's standard certainly floated over it, and attracted
prince Edward's attention: and from the account given of the prisoners
being shut up in it, it would seem to have been very substantially
built. Montfort however would hardly have travelled in such a waggon,
and certainly the royalists imagined he was in it. There is no reason
except the silence of the chroniclers why there should not have been
both a _carroccio_, and also Montfort's own carriage.
[10] As he had not been crowned at Rome he had no right to use the
imperial title.
[11] The name itself may very possibly be derived from the event.
[12] There are the remains of an ancient bridge at this spot, where
so many of the fugitives from the battle were cut to pieces that the
meadow bears the name of Dead Man's Eyot: but there is no mention of a
bridge in the authorities, so that probably the bridge was built later.
[13] Here again I have given the account which seems to me most
probable, after study of the ground and of the authorities. Professor
Prothero, in his _Life of Simon de Montfort_ (p. 339 note), gives the
different possibilities, and comes to a conclusion differing from mine
on one point only.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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