| Abstract: | Widely read as a largely reliable account of Duke William of Normandy's invasion of England in 1066, the Carmen de Hastingae proelio is built around an important and neglected literary theme: God's protection of William's venture, and the sustaining importance for that venture of Holy Church. William's reliance upon, and consequence indebtedness to, the Church, emerges frequently in the poem, informing the structure in a way which can be observed in other texts as well, and illuminating several key passages. The duke's prayers before setting out, his safety in battle, and his treatment of Harold and the English nation after victory, all reflect this theme. The poem thus not only argues the Norman case, but more importantly it reminds the new king - or his successors - of the contribution which God and his Church made to the establishment of the Norman crown in England, and enjoins them to continue to support it in the future. Later instances from the rule of William I of England suggest that, in large measure, he did so. |
