knight among all these Normans.’
‘What are they like?’
‘Good soldiers, strong-willed; some can be ruthless, even vicious. But that’s true of all people. I like your young protégé; he seems to be a fine young man.’
‘He’s a very special boy. But I am desperate for him to make the step to manhood and to become a warrior in the right place with the right people. He wouldn’t be happy with Count Geoffrey in Toulouse. He’s a good man, but his men are ill-disciplined and lazy.’
‘Training with the English housecarls is no longer possible, but the Normans are the next best thing. And, most importantly, you’re here. He wants to finish what Hereward started and put you on the throne of England.’
‘The boy needs a lesson in harsh reality. Sometimes caution can be more effective than haste.’
‘I know, but he’s young. I am trying hard with him, but he is so determined. I hope you will help me.’
‘Of course.’ I reassured Edwin. ‘But harsh reality may be here sooner than you think. Robert has gone hunting to calm down. He and the King have been at loggerheads for years, and it’s getting worse. Robert now thinks his father favours his younger brother, William Rufus, who he dislikes intensely …’
I paused before voicing for the first time the conclusion to which I was inevitably drawn.
‘I think Robert will rebel and bring us civil war.’
I was right. Events moved quickly in the next few weeks. William had already been annoyed by a revolt by severalof his Breton earls in his kingdom in England. Even the Danes had stirred again. The old King, Svein Estrithson, who had abandoned Hereward to his fate at Ely, had died, but his son, Cnut, had sailed with a fleet of 200 warships and plundered York and the east coast. William’s dukedom in Normandy was also under threat, surrounded by increasingly powerful and fractious neighbours. None of this did much good for William’s temper, an ire that usually found a victim in Count Robert.
In the autumn of 1076, William had suffered his first military setback in twenty years when he was forced to retreat from an attack on Dol on Normandy’s western frontier. He had been besieging two of his enemies, Geoffrey Granon, Count of Brittany, and Ralph de Gael, the rebel Earl of Norfolk, in their castle at Dol, the same fortress that he had taken so memorably with Harold Godwinson at his side in 1064.
This time, the defenders were more resolute and the castle held.
Significantly, it was young Philip, King of France, who came to the aid of the Bretons. William tried to stand his ground, but Philip’s military prowess was becoming more and more pronounced, and he deployed his large army to good effect.
William, the mighty warrior, victor of many battles, had been complacent. He had left a significant part of his elite cavalry behind and had not roused his men quite as vigorously as usual. Philip, on the other hand, was young and dynamic and had something to prove.
When Philip’s force appeared to the Normans’ rear, instead of turning his entire force to meet the threat,William split his corps of archers in two, leaving half to carry on the assault on the city, while the other half tried to halt the French attack. But Philip’s cavalry were too numerous and disciplined to be blunted by a small force of archers. William delayed committing his cavalry, thinking that their role would be to cut into the French horsemen after his archers had inflicted heavy losses on them. As a consequence, his infantry was overrun and his cavalry had no time to form up properly for a counter-attack.
From the Norman perspective, it was a shambles. William had made the sort of mistake one might expect from a novice on the battlefield.
When I heard the details, I could not stop myself from thinking how different history would have been had William made the same errors of judgement at Senlac Ridge.
William lost many of his finest men and suffered a massive dent to his
‘What are they like?’
‘Good soldiers, strong-willed; some can be ruthless, even vicious. But that’s true of all people. I like your young protégé; he seems to be a fine young man.’
‘He’s a very special boy. But I am desperate for him to make the step to manhood and to become a warrior in the right place with the right people. He wouldn’t be happy with Count Geoffrey in Toulouse. He’s a good man, but his men are ill-disciplined and lazy.’
‘Training with the English housecarls is no longer possible, but the Normans are the next best thing. And, most importantly, you’re here. He wants to finish what Hereward started and put you on the throne of England.’
‘The boy needs a lesson in harsh reality. Sometimes caution can be more effective than haste.’
‘I know, but he’s young. I am trying hard with him, but he is so determined. I hope you will help me.’
‘Of course.’ I reassured Edwin. ‘But harsh reality may be here sooner than you think. Robert has gone hunting to calm down. He and the King have been at loggerheads for years, and it’s getting worse. Robert now thinks his father favours his younger brother, William Rufus, who he dislikes intensely …’
I paused before voicing for the first time the conclusion to which I was inevitably drawn.
‘I think Robert will rebel and bring us civil war.’
I was right. Events moved quickly in the next few weeks. William had already been annoyed by a revolt by severalof his Breton earls in his kingdom in England. Even the Danes had stirred again. The old King, Svein Estrithson, who had abandoned Hereward to his fate at Ely, had died, but his son, Cnut, had sailed with a fleet of 200 warships and plundered York and the east coast. William’s dukedom in Normandy was also under threat, surrounded by increasingly powerful and fractious neighbours. None of this did much good for William’s temper, an ire that usually found a victim in Count Robert.
In the autumn of 1076, William had suffered his first military setback in twenty years when he was forced to retreat from an attack on Dol on Normandy’s western frontier. He had been besieging two of his enemies, Geoffrey Granon, Count of Brittany, and Ralph de Gael, the rebel Earl of Norfolk, in their castle at Dol, the same fortress that he had taken so memorably with Harold Godwinson at his side in 1064.
This time, the defenders were more resolute and the castle held.
Significantly, it was young Philip, King of France, who came to the aid of the Bretons. William tried to stand his ground, but Philip’s military prowess was becoming more and more pronounced, and he deployed his large army to good effect.
William, the mighty warrior, victor of many battles, had been complacent. He had left a significant part of his elite cavalry behind and had not roused his men quite as vigorously as usual. Philip, on the other hand, was young and dynamic and had something to prove.
When Philip’s force appeared to the Normans’ rear, instead of turning his entire force to meet the threat,William split his corps of archers in two, leaving half to carry on the assault on the city, while the other half tried to halt the French attack. But Philip’s cavalry were too numerous and disciplined to be blunted by a small force of archers. William delayed committing his cavalry, thinking that their role would be to cut into the French horsemen after his archers had inflicted heavy losses on them. As a consequence, his infantry was overrun and his cavalry had no time to form up properly for a counter-attack.
From the Norman perspective, it was a shambles. William had made the sort of mistake one might expect from a novice on the battlefield.
When I heard the details, I could not stop myself from thinking how different history would have been had William made the same errors of judgement at Senlac Ridge.
William lost many of his finest men and suffered a massive dent to his
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