This battle ended the Anglo-Saxon rule in England, and by doing so, it ended the Dark Ages in England, and began the Middle Ages. Immediately after the Battle at Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror attempted to create a new set of rules to control the conquered population. He established Ten Rules that would attempt to keep peace and control among the population. Common themes in these laws are a “common religion” and oath of loyalty to the king.
The first law, for example, states “First that above all things he wishes one God to be revered throughout his whole realm...” (Halsall, “Laws of William the Conqueror”). By controlling the religion of an empire, the population will not have religious tension and this would decrease chances of …show more content…
The Bayeux Tapestry, most likely commissioned in the 1070s by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, serves to depict approximately fifty events related to the Battle of Hastings (Reading Museum, "Bayeux Tapestry"). This tapestry is divided into thirteen parts and is over 70 meters long (Reading Museum, "Bayeux Tapestry"). This is where most of the history of the battle is depicted. It was made only about eleven years after the conquest, showing how quickly the rebirth took place. Interestingly, even the art that was produced during this time serves to depict the great power of William the Conqueror. The tapestry depicts the victory of William the Conqueror. Specific to literature, a new era began after the Battle, the Romance Literature. This erupted because “chivalry was a system of ideals and social codes governing the behavior of knights and gentlewoman” (Leeming, “Middle Ages”). The knight still had to keep his oath to the “overlord” which in turn meant he kept his oath to the king. This idea lead to the fact that acting in the name of a lady would make a knight “braver” and more worthy of “courtly love.” Leeming makes the parallel: “she was “set above” her admirer, just as the feudal lord was set above his vassel” (Leeming, “Middle Ages”). Once again the reoccurring theme of oath and honor to the king was prevalent in both art and
The first law, for example, states “First that above all things he wishes one God to be revered throughout his whole realm...” (Halsall, “Laws of William the Conqueror”). By controlling the religion of an empire, the population will not have religious tension and this would decrease chances of …show more content…
The Bayeux Tapestry, most likely commissioned in the 1070s by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, serves to depict approximately fifty events related to the Battle of Hastings (Reading Museum, "Bayeux Tapestry"). This tapestry is divided into thirteen parts and is over 70 meters long (Reading Museum, "Bayeux Tapestry"). This is where most of the history of the battle is depicted. It was made only about eleven years after the conquest, showing how quickly the rebirth took place. Interestingly, even the art that was produced during this time serves to depict the great power of William the Conqueror. The tapestry depicts the victory of William the Conqueror. Specific to literature, a new era began after the Battle, the Romance Literature. This erupted because “chivalry was a system of ideals and social codes governing the behavior of knights and gentlewoman” (Leeming, “Middle Ages”). The knight still had to keep his oath to the “overlord” which in turn meant he kept his oath to the king. This idea lead to the fact that acting in the name of a lady would make a knight “braver” and more worthy of “courtly love.” Leeming makes the parallel: “she was “set above” her admirer, just as the feudal lord was set above his vassel” (Leeming, “Middle Ages”). Once again the reoccurring theme of oath and honor to the king was prevalent in both art and