Bayeux Tapestry Experience - Assignment Example

I must admit that I was intimidated by the amount of bloodshed I witnessed but had to carry on with the battle in support of our leader, Duke William. Before the battle, Duke William learned that Harold had accidentally landed in Count Guy of Ponthieu’s territory and taken prisoner, he sent messages for his release. On a noble gesture, the Duke sent messages for Harold’s release to Count Guy. After the release, Count Guy brought Harold to William, who made him take an oath and join us in campaigning against the Bretons.

Both our team and Harold’s staged a brave fight that led Duke William to honoring Harold with armor. William then released Harold, who returned to England and met King Edward. Harold was then crowned King following the death of King Edward. However, I know the comet that was sighted during Harold’s coronation was a bad omen, and it meant the throne did not belong to him (Foys, 2009). All of us under the leadership of Duke Williams believe the throne rightfully belongs to him (William), so we planned to invade the Normans with the help of Bayeux’s Bishop Odo, who is also the Duke’s half brother.

We loaded our ships with food, drinks and armor, and dressed in battle gear. The Duke led us across the channel, carrying wooden castles and horses on the ships. When we landed in England at Sussex near Hastings, we prepared a feast and Bishop Odo said grace. We burnt a house in the village after the feast to demonstrate our purpose on invasion, then put up a motte and bailey to secure our position at Hastings (Hicks, 2006). I delivered a message of war from the Duke to the Harold’s camp, and he took up the challenge.

I was only a messenger then, so I was not taken hostage by Harold’s soldiers. Our Duke then gave us a speech preparing us for war against Harold. On the 14th October, we began the long Battle of Hastings. I and my fellow soldiers fought on horseback the whole day, while the English, most of whom were Saxons and fought on foot, shielded themselves behind a wall. I saw a lot of blood on the ground, but was encouraged by Bishop Odo who gave encouragement by continuously waving us on with a baton.

As a cleric, he is not permitted to shed blood (Bernau & Bildhauer, 2007). He, therefore, could not carry a sword like the rest of us. I soon saw the bodies of two knights, Gyrth and Leofwine, who are also Harold’s brothers, lying lifeless on the ground. The number of dismembered bodies and horses littering the battlefield grew, and our Duke occasionally raised his helmet to reassure us of his safety by showing his face. I saw both English and Norman army uniforms on the ground, which meant that some of our soldiers were also injured and killed.

Our troops finally managed to surround Harold. I saw him lying on the ground with an arrow through his right eye before he was hacked to death using swords. At the sight of their dead king, most of his army fled as we disarmed the ones we had captured. We eventually gained victory at the Battle of Hastings. As we celebrate our victory and explore the English land, I would like you to understand that Duke William deserves to be king because his father, Robert the Magnificent, was also a Duke of Normandy.

William himself has been Duke since he was seven years old, and by the time he was 19 years old, he was already in charge of Normandy. Further, King Edward does not have any