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background
the Bayeux
Tapestry
selection of
links
printables
BACKGROUND
ORIGINS
Britain's first populations
were the Celts /k/.
Britain was not ruled as a nation
but it was divided in many different
tribes fighting
(1) against
each others.
The Romans
ruled Britain from 43
AD to 410 AD (Anno
Domini). Emperor Hadrian had
a long wall built in 122 AD
in the North of England (about
120 km long). Towards the end
of the Roman period, invaders
(2) attacked
Britain (East coast) : the Saxons,
the Angles
and the Jutes).
From the 790s, Vikings
landed in England. They came
from Scandinavia. They killed,
plundered (3)
and took slaves (4).
WILLIAM the CONQUEROR (1027-1087)
- first
Norman King
illegitimate son of :
Duke Robert the Magnificent
and a tanner's daughter
married Matilda of Flanders
4 sons and 5 daughters
The Saxon King of England, Edward
the Confessor had no
heir (5)
to the thrown. So he sent Harold
Godwinson, his brother-in-law
(6), on
a mission to William, Duke of
Normandy, (Edward's second cousin).
He would become king at Edward's
death (7).
Harold told William about Edward's
promise and Harold swore (8)
he would be the next king and
he would obey him (9).
Edward died in January 1066.
However (10)
Harold was crowned on the same
day.
So William and his army decided
to invade England.
It took several months for William
to prepare his army. He had
over 7,000 soldiers. Most of
them were knights (11).
Over 700 ships (12)
were needed to take his soldiers
and horses
from France to England. They
left from St Valéry
in France to Pevensey
on the south coast of England
(September 27th-28th 1066).
extracted from
history.wisc.edu
The two armies met at Hastings.
The battle took place on October
14th 1066. Harold and
his army were defeated. Harold
was killed (13).
On Christmas Day 1066
William was crowned King
of England in Westmnister
Abbey. After the Battle of Hastings,
William was called William
the Conqueror (14).
Coronation of King William
Westminster
Abbey, London, 1066
The Conquest was finished around
1072 when the regional revolts
were stopped.
In 1085 the
Domesday Book (15)
was started in order to raise
taxes : he
listed all English land and
property. He was a great administrator.
 the
Domesday Book
He made England into a feudal
society (16).
Normans brought (17)
their language
and culture
to England.
Activity on word origin : click!
created by Renée Maufroid
The next King would be his middle
son, William Rufus,
his favourite.
Robert, the eldest son (18)
, became Duke of Normandy.
Henry, the youngest (19)
, inherited a fortune.
He died in
Rouen on September 9th 1087.
He was buried
(20) in St Stephen's
in Caen, Normandy.
William the Conqueror's tomb
Caen - St Stephen's
("St Etienne")
HIC SEPULTUS EST
INVICTISSIMUS
GUILLELMUS
CONQUESTOR
NORMANNIAE DUX
ET ANGLIAE REX
HUJUSCE DOMUS
CONDITOR
QUI OBIIT ANNO
MLXXXVII
Ici a été
enseveli le très invaincu
Guillaume le Conquérant,
duc de Normandie, roi d’Angleterre,
fondateur de cette maison, qui
mourut en 1087.
The Bayeux Tapestry
(21) tells
the story of William the Conqueror.
It is 70 metres long and 50
cm high (20 inches
tall and 231 feet long).
It is the longest piece of embroidery
in the world.
The Tapestry starts with Edward
the Confessor and Harold.
It ends with William, King of
England.
It was commissioned by Odo
(Bishop (22)
of Bayeux and William's half-brother),
and it was probably made in
Canterbury (Kent), England.
The Tapestry was intended as
a monument to his half-brother's
achievement (23)
that he wanted to display in
his new cathedral
at Bayeux.
Visit the Bayeux Tapestry
!
Tapisserie de Bayeux
Centre Guillaume le Conquérant
rue de Nesmond - 14400 Bayeux
(France)
tel. 02 31 51 25 50
tapisserie@mairie-bayeux.fr
NOTES
(1) to
fight
(fought - fought) against
: lutter contre
(2) invader : envahisseur (to
invade : envahir)
(3) to plunder : piller
(4) to take (took
- taken) slaves : prendre pour
esclaves
(5) heir : héritier
(le /h/ ne se prononce pas)
(6) brother-in-law
: beau-frère
(7) death /e/ : la mort (dead
/e/ : mort adjectif - to die
/ai/ : mourir)
(8) to swear /e/ (swore - sworn)
: jurer
(9) to obey : obéir à
(pas de préposition en
anglais)
(10) however
: cependant
(11) knight :
chevalier (le "k"
ne se prononce pas, comme dans
"know" ou "knife")
(12) ship /i/
: bateau, navire
attention prononciation : /i/
court <> /i:/ long
- sheep
- veut dire mouton
!!
(13) to kill
: tuer
(14) William
the Conqueror : Guillaume le
Conquérant
(15) Domesday
Book : recensement, document
cadastral. Guillaume
voulut connaître, de façon
précise, les biens et
ressources du pays. L'"enquête"
fut terminée en 1086;
elle devait servir de base à
l’établissement
de l’impôt royal.
C'est un document essentiel
pour connaître l’état
de l’Angleterre au début
de l’époque normande.
L’Angleterre comptait
2 millions d’habitants
environ. La plus grande
partie du pays était
couverte de forêts,
marécages
et landes.
L’élevage des moutons
et des porcs
et la culture des céréales
constituaient les principales
ressources du pays.
(16) feudal society
: société féodale
(17) to bring (brought - brought)
: apporter
(18) eldest son
: fils aîné
(19) youngest son : fils cadet
(20) to bury : enterrer
(21) Tapestry
: Tapisserie
(22) Bishop :
Evêque
(23) achievement
: exploit, réussite
The
BAYEUX TAPESTRY
Scene by scene : Tapestry and
comments
bayeuxtapestry.org.uk
CHAPTERS
Journey to Normandy
The prisoner
The mysterious lady
Brothers in arms
The oath
The return
The King is dead
Long Live the King
Planning the invasion
The crossing
Beachhead
William rides to war
The Battle of Hastings
SELECTION of LINKS
Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
thumbnails rubens.anu.edu.au
interactive page - choose Mac
or PC
essentialnormanconquest.com
history in simple English woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk
summary, quiz, worksheets normanconquest.co.uk
online lessons schoolhistory.co.uk
PRINTABLES
dozens
of printables! schoolhistory.co.uk
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