Conquering the History of William

No trip to Normandy would be complete without visiting some of the castles and sites of Guillaume le Conquerant, know to the English speakers as William the Conquerer. Frankly, I don't think a trip to Normany without WtheC sightings would even be possible, since they are everywhere throughout the region. In Caen, we visit the Men's Abbey, constructed under WtheC as a penance to the Catholic church for marrying Matilda of Flanders against the church's will. Despite the fact that he "conquered" England in 1066 and became the first king of the Norman line, he is buried here in Caen. He -- and many of his descendents/heirs -- spent most of his time in civilized France as the Duke of Normandy, and very little time in England as king of that rather unimportant, backwater little island off the coast. King of England was nice, I suppose, but not exactly a "real job," much like being a writer. Interestingly, Duke of Normandy was a more powerful and bigger job than King of France as well, which confuses my American, non-royalist brain; shouldn't a King always be more powerful than the Duke under him? Yet I'm told this was not the case. WtheC was the man.

Near to the Men's Abbey in Caen is the Women's Abbey, built under the order of Matilda as her penance. Facts about Matilda that our family loves: as far as history knows, WtheC was very loyal to her and did not (at least publicly) take mistresses, which was the custom among French politicians back then. And -- who are we kidding? -- still to this day. Also, when he went away, he left her in charge, not just nominally but practically. Evidently, she was powerful and respected (and rich) in her own right, and she commanded well. They were distant cousins, but she had more noble blood than WtheC, who before he became known as "William the Conquerer" was known as "William the Bastard;" one can see why he would change his name. Our favorite factoid, initially, was that she was reportedly 4'2" -- shorter than me! Sadly, it turns out to be just a stubborn urban legend, and a scientific examination of her bones in 1959 placed her as more like 152 cm, or 5' tall. Just a couple cm taller than me.  Blast it, you giantess!

 

 

We make a special trip to the town of Falaise to see WtheC's château there. It is here the girls really get into the medieval aspects of WtheC's story, and they beg to buy bows and (rubber suction-cup) arrows. Naturally, the rest of their day is spent trying to shoot people whenever possible. I spend much of my time wandering through the castle with this scenario, and question, in my head: Imagine that you could bring WtheC, the Queen, ladies in waiting, and the rich and noble from their time all the way to 2011. Certainly, they would be dumbstruck by movies, cell phones -- phones in general, TVs, computers, the internet, cars, central heating, refrigerators and freezers, gas/electric ovens, frozen foods, imported foods, what is served in restaurants and bakeries, meat every day if you want it, our clothing choices, running water, flush toilets, hot showers on command, electric lighting, comfortable King and Queen beds, airplane travel, literacy of the masses, medication, longer life spans, et cetera, et cetera. But which of them would choose to remain here in the future? Let's say WtheC could bring enough jewels and treasures that we could guarantee him he'd never have to work. He could be fabulously wealthy, but not King or Duke, in 2011. Would he trade his power and cushy 1066 lifestyle for the comforts of life a thousand years later? If not him -- perhaps we decide the power and glory are too intoxicating --  then at what level beneath him do people start choosing life now to life then? I think everybody beneath WtheC chooses 2011, but not the King himself. What do you think?

 

 

After our trips to Caen and Falaise, we are primed on our last morning in Normandy to hit the town of Bayeux, a town untouched in World War II and with charm intact. Our main goal here is to see the Tapestry of Bayeux, often called "the most famous tapestry in the world." I didn't know there were that many tapestries vying for the title, but no matter how many contenders, we're here to see the champ. I was expecting a tapestry in the more classical sense (large, heavy square woven woolen thing hanging on a wall) but instead it is a very, very, very long thin strip, approximately 230 feet long and just a few high, that is embroidered with the story of WtheC and the events leading up to and including his conquest of England. It was created just after 1066 (experts estimate in the 1070s) so it's pretty remarkable that it's still hanging, and I think instead of touting it as "the most famous tapestry," they should really be bragging about it as "the oldest embroidery." But I'm not an art expert, so I doubt anybody will listen to me on this one. We are, of course, not allowed to take photos, but here's a link to a website with good pictures and information not of the original, but of the copy made recently to stay in England: http://www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk/Bayeux1.htm If you are really interested, you can click through this website on the pointing hands (around the word "Scene") from this, the 1st scene, all the way to the end. They give explanations that I must admit are easier to follow than the audioguide at the actual museum in Normandy which was so fast, I felt like I was running a 230 foot dash. The tapestry was made to be displayed, in order to tell the story to a largely illiterate public, around the interior of the Bayeux cathedral (pictured below), built under the auspices of WtheC's half-brother, Bishop Odo, around that same time. I keep marveling at the cathedrals in Normandy -- each one just as amazing as the next -- and have come to the conclusion that the only reason Notre Dame is so much more famous is its location. This is every bit as awe-inspiring.

 

 

We learn in a film at the Tapestry museum that there is a Latin inscription at the British cemetery for World War II soldiers here in Normandy that translates as “We, who were once conquered by William, have now liberated the Conqueror’s land.” All in all, it seems a nice way to tie together two fascinating and juxtaposed historical time periods that we've explored in our time here in Normandy. And with that, we sadly say goodbye to some dear friends and to a truly fabulous vacation, and take the two hour train back to Paris.