Companions of William the Conqueror
Encyclopedia
William the Conqueror
had men of diverse standing and origins in France
, under his command at the Battle of Hastings
in 1066, along with others completing his Norman conquest of England
until after the Harrying of the North
and before the Anarchy
.
The term “Companions of the Conqueror” in the widest sense signifies those who planned, organised and joined with William the Conqueror
, Duke of Normandy, in the great adventure which was the Norman Conquest of England
(1066–1071). The term is however more narrowly defined as those nobles who actually fought with Duke William in the Battle of Hastings
. This article is concerned with the latter narrow definition.
Many ancient English families of Norman origin have claimed amongst their ancestors a participant at the Battle of Hastings as a matter of great pride giving them legitimacy in the higher echelons of the British aristocracy. The large majority of these claims are based on legend and cannot be proven by historical evidence.
Many hundreds of Norman nobles of varying degrees certainly fought with the Duke at Hastings, yet the fact remains that the names of only 15 of these are recorded in contemporary historical sources considered to be unimpeachable. This very select group is therefore known as the “Proven Companions”, as distinct from the several hundred “Likely”, “Probable” or “Possible” Companions. Many lists and "rolls" of so-called Companions have been drawn up over the ages, and continue so to be, yet the 3 unimpeachable sources remain as follows:
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
had men of diverse standing and origins in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, under his command at the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
in 1066, along with others completing his Norman conquest of England
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
until after the Harrying of the North
Harrying of the North
The Harrying of the North was a series of campaigns waged by William the Conqueror in the winter of 1069–1070 to subjugate Northern England, and is part of the Norman conquest of England...
and before the Anarchy
The Anarchy
The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...
.
The term “Companions of the Conqueror” in the widest sense signifies those who planned, organised and joined with William the Conqueror
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
, Duke of Normandy, in the great adventure which was the Norman Conquest of England
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
(1066–1071). The term is however more narrowly defined as those nobles who actually fought with Duke William in the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
. This article is concerned with the latter narrow definition.
Proof versus legend
Many hundreds of Norman nobles of varying degrees certainly fought with the Duke at Hastings, yet the fact remains that the names of only 15 of these are recorded in contemporary historical sources considered to be unimpeachable. This very select group is therefore known as the “Proven Companions”, as distinct from the several hundred “Likely”, “Probable” or “Possible” Companions. Many lists and "rolls" of so-called Companions have been drawn up over the ages, and continue so to be, yet the 3 unimpeachable sources remain as follows:
Unimpeachable sources
The following 3 sources constitute the only generally accepted reliable contemporary evidence which names participants at the Battle of Hastings. Between all three sources only 15 names result.- Gesta Guillelmi II Ducis Normannorum ("The Deeds of William II, Duke of the Normans") by William of PoitiersWilliam of PoitiersWilliam of Poitiers was a Norman chronicler most famous for his eulogistic account of Duke William of Normandy , called the Gesta Guillelmi II ducis Normannorum.-Life:...
, written between 1071 and 1077. William was born in about 1020 in Les PréauxLes PréauxLes Préaux is a commune in the Eure department and Haute-Normandie region of France.-Population:-References:*...
, near Pont-AudemerPont-AudemerPont-Audemer is a commune in the Eure department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Population:-Sights:The commune was spared substantial damage to its historic buildings during the Battle of Normandy. Nowadays the half-timbered buildings and the canals running between them are a...
, and belonged to an influential Norman family. After serving as a soldier he studied at PoitiersPoitiersPoitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
then returned to Normandy to become chaplain to Duke William and archdeacon of LisieuxLisieuxLisieux is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.Lisieux is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland...
. He died in 1090. His work is a eulogistic biography of the Duke. The earlier and concluding parts are lost, but the extant part covers the period between 1047 and 1068 and contains details of the Conqueror's life, although untrustworthy with regard to affairs in England. It gives a detailed description of the preparations for the Norman Conquest of EnglandNorman conquest of EnglandThe Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
, the Battle of HastingsBattle of HastingsThe Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
and its aftermath. The work forms the basis for much of the writing of Orderic VitalisOrderic VitalisOrderic Vitalis was an English chronicler of Norman ancestry who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th and 12th century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. The modern biographer of Henry I of England, C...
.
- Historia Ecclesiastica ("The Ecclesiastical History"), by Orderic VitalisOrderic VitalisOrderic Vitalis was an English chronicler of Norman ancestry who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th and 12th century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. The modern biographer of Henry I of England, C...
, particularly books 4 & 5. Orderic was born in England in about 1075, the son of a Norman priest, and at the age of 11 became a novice monk in Normandy in the monastery of St Evroul-en-Ouche. He started his great work, commissioned to be primarily a history of his monastery, in about 1110 and continued it until his death in 1142.
- The Bayeux TapestryBayeux TapestryThe Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth—not an actual tapestry—nearly long, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England concerning William, Duke of Normandy and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, and culminating in the Battle of Hastings...
, an annotated pictorial representation of the Norman Conquest. It was probably made at Bayeux, Normandy, shortly after the event, 11th century.
List of 15 "Proven Companions"
(The order of listing is that given in the respective sources)- (1) Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of LeicesterRobert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of LeicesterRobert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, Count of Meulan was a powerful English and French nobleman, revered as one of the wisest men of his age...
(Source: William of Poitiers)
"A certain Norman, Robert, son of Roger of Beaumont, being nephew and heir to Henry, Count of Meulan, through Henry's sister Adeline, found himself that day in battle for the first time. He was as yet but a young man and he performed feats of valour worthy of perpetual remembrance. At the head of a troop which he commanded on the right wing he attacked with the utmost bravery and success".
- (2) Eustace II, Count of Boulogne (Source: William of Poitiers)
"With a harsh voice he (Duke William) called to Eustace of Boulogne, who with 50 knights was turning in flight and was about to give the signal for retreat. This man came up to the Duke and said in his ear that he ought to retire since he would court death if he went forward. But at the very moment when he uttered the words Eustace was struck between the shoulders with such force that blood gushed out from his mouth and nose and half dead he only made his escape with the aid of his followers".
- (3) William, 3rd Count of Évreux (Source: William of Poitiers)
"There were present in this battle: Eustace, Count of Boulogne; William, son of Richard, Count of Evreux; Geoffrey, son of Rotrou, Count of Mortagne; William FitzOsbern; Haimo, Vicomte of Thouars; Walter Giffard; Hugh of Montfort-sur-Risle; Rodulf of Tosny; Hugh of Grantmesnil; William of Warenne, and many other most renowned warriors whose names are worthy to be commemorated in histories among the bravest soldiers of all time".
- (4) Geoffrey of Mortagne, later Count of Perche (Source: William of Poitiers)
- (5) William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of HerefordWilliam Fitzosbern, 1st Earl of HerefordWilliam FitzOsbern , Lord of Breteuil, in Normandy, was a relative and close counsellor of William the Conqueror and one of the great magnates of early Norman England...
(Source: William of Poitiers) - (6) Aimeri, Viscount of Thouars (Source: William of Poitiers)
- (7) Walter GiffardWalter Giffard, 1st Earl of BuckinghamWalter Giffard, Lord of Longueville, 1st Earl of Buckingham was a Norman magnate and one of the few proven Companions of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The caput of his feudal honour was at Crendon, Buckinghamshire....
, Lord of Longueville, later 1st Earl of Buckingham (Source: William of Poitiers) - (8) Hugh de Montfort, Lord of Montfort-sur-Risle (Source: William of Poitiers)
- (9) Ralph de TosnyRaoul II of TosnyRaoul II de Tosny seigneur de Conches-en-Ouche was a Norman nobleman of the house of Tosny, son of Roger I of Tosny. He was active in Normandy, England and Wales.-Victor at Hastings in 1066:...
, Lord of Conches (Source: William of Poitiers) - (10) Hugh de GrandmesnilHugh de GrandmesnilHugh de Grandmesnil , also known as Hugh or Hugo de Grentmesnil or Grentemesnil, is one of the very few proven Companions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Subsequently he became a great landowner in England.He was the elder son of Robert of...
(Source: William of Poitiers) - (11) William de Warenne, 1st Earl of SurreyWilliam de Warenne, 1st Earl of SurreyWilliam de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, Seigneur de Varennes is one of the very few proven Companions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066...
(Source: William of Poitiers) - (12) William MaletWilliam Malet (Norman conquest)William Malet is one of the very few proven Companions of William the Conqueror known to have been present at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, as recorded by the contemporary chronicler William of Poitiers...
, Lord of Graville (Source: William of Poitiers)
"His (King Harold's) corpse was brought into the Duke's camp and William gave it for burial to William, surnamed Malet, and not to Harold's mother, who offered for the body of her beloved son its weight in gold".
- (13) Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, later Earl of Kent (Source: Bayeux Tapestry)
"Hic Odo Eps (Episcopus) Baculu(m) Tenens Confortat Pueros". (Here Odo the Bishop holding a club strengthens the boys).
- (14) Turstin FitzRolfTurstin FitzRolfTurstin FitzRolf was a Norman magnate, one of the few "Proven Companions of William the Conqueror" who fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. As his name indicates, he was the son of a certain Rolf, synonymous with Rou and Rollo . His first name appears as Tosteins, Thurstan and other variants...
(Source: Orderic Vitalis) - (15) Engenulf de LaigleLaigle DynastyThe Laigle Dynasty is among the best known of the families that came to England in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest. The family took its name from the town of L'Aigle. In the ducal period of Normandy it was the site of some strategic importance as it lay on the fringe of the duchy. The record...
(Source: Orderic Vitalis)
Sources of secondary merit
- Carmen de Hastingae Proelio (Song of the Battle of Hastings), a poem, said to be by Bishop Guy of Amiens and written shortly after 1066.
- Roman de RouRoman de RouRoman de Rou is a verse chronicle by Wace in Norman covering the history of the Dukes of Normandy from the time of Rollo of Normandy to the battle of Tinchebray in 1106...
(The Romance of Rolf), written by WaceWaceWace was a Norman poet, who was born in Jersey and brought up in mainland Normandy , ending his career as Canon of Bayeux.-Life:...
, about 1160-70. Lists 116 names. - Cronicques de Normendie, by William Le Talleur. Published at Rouen, Normandy, in 1487.
- Collectanea by John Leland (d.1552). Based on a Roll of Battle Abbey.
- Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland, by Raphael HolinshedRaphael HolinshedRaphael Holinshed was an English chronicler, whose work, commonly known as Holinshed's Chronicles, was one of the major sources used by William Shakespeare for a number of his plays....
(1529–1580), first published in 1577, in England. Said to be based on Le Talleur, and Leland. - Roll of Battle AbbeyBattle Abbey RollThe Battle Abbey Roll is supposed to have been a list, lost since at least the 16th.c., of the Companions of William the Conqueror, which had been erected or affixed as a memorial within Battle Abbey, Hastings, founded by William ex-voto on the spot of the slaying of Harold in the Battle of...
, various in number, date and reliability, surviving from 16th.c. The original version, now long-lost, is said to have been placed in Battle AbbeyBattle AbbeyBattle Abbey is a partially ruined abbey complex in the small town of Battle in East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the scene of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St...
, built by William the Conqueror on the spot of King Harold's death, shortly after the Battle. - Roll of Dives-sur-MerDives-sur-Mer-Transport:Dives-sur-Mer is on the line from Deauville to Dives-sur-Mer. The station is open, train services operate year round at weekends as well as on week days during the summer season. Dives is also on line #20 of the Calvados bus company Bus Verts du Calvados....
, Normandy, 1862. Names were engraved in 1862 under the auspices of the French Archaeological Society, on the wall of the nave of the Norman church (11th.c.) of Dives-sur-Mer. 475 names are listed, based mainly on names contained in the Domesday BookDomesday BookDomesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. The names are therefore merely those of Normans holding land in England in 1086, many of whom may have fought at Hastings. - Roll of FalaiseFalaise, CalvadosFalaise is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-History:The town was the birthplace of William I the Conqueror, first of the Norman Kings of England. The Château de Falaise , which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of...
, Normandy, 1931. This consists of a bronze plaque erected on the initiative of the French government in 1931 in the Chateau de Falaise. It lists 315 names, based on the Roman de Rou and one of the Battle Abbey Rolls.
Sources for this article
- French Wikipedia, Compagnons de Guillaume le Conquérant
- Cokayne's Complete Peerage. Revised edition, vol.12, Appendix L, pp. 47–48
- Douglas, David C. & Greenaway, George W. (Eds.) English Historical Documents 1042-1189, London, 1959. "William of poitiers: the Deeds of William, Duke of the Normans and King of the English", pp. 217–232 & "The Bayeux Tapestry", pp. 232–279.
External sources
- French Wikipedia, Compagnons de Guillaume le Conquérant:fr:Compagnons de Guillaume le Conquérant
- C. P. Lewis, Companions of the Conqueror (1066–1071), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press. read online.
- Battle Abbey Roll Liste de l'abbaye de la Bataille
- Roll of Dives-sur-Mer. Liste de Dives-sur-Mer
- Roll of Falaise. Liste de Falaise
Further reading
- Douglas, David C. Companions of the Conqueror, Jnl of History, vol.28, 1943, pp. 129–147
- Mason, J.F.A. The Companions of the Conqueror: An Additional Name. English Historical Review, vol.71, no.278, 1956, pp. 61–69