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With the Bayeux Tapestry on display at the British Museum until July 2027, making its first return to Britain in nearly a thousand years, 1066 is once again firmly in the public imagination.
But what did the Norman Conquest feel like for those who lived through it?
At the heart of this talk is the Vita Ædwardi Regis (Life of King Edward Who Rests at Westminster), a remarkable account written for Queen Edith, widow of Edward the Confessor, as England was undergoing a period of dramatic change. Written during this turbulent period, it offers a rare glimpse of how the crisis of 1066 was experienced by those on the losing side.
The talk also explores an extraordinary poem written by the monks of Peterborough Abbey after the death of William the Conqueror. Bold and surprisingly critical in tone, it offers a fascinating insight into how some English people remembered the king who transformed their country.
Through these and other accounts from the period, Professor Catherine Clarke explores how people experienced uncertainty, loss and upheaval. Looking beyond kings, battles and conquerors, the lecture offers a vivid and deeply human perspective on one of the most significant turning points in English history.
Arundells, Salisbury
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