Carmen de Triumpho Normannico - The Song of the Norman Conquest - A new transcription and translation of the earliest account of the Norman Conquest (Paperback)

THE FIRST LATIN TRANSCRIPTION WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION USING HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES OF THE 12TH CENTURY MANUSCRIPT A gripping account of ambition, blood, plunder and conquest written just after the events of 1066. This new translation helps explain why, how and where the events of the Norman Conquest occurred. The commentary suggests the Normans landed in the Brede Valley, then a huge estuarine port, and camped there awaiting King Harold's approach. The battle of Hastings likely occurred on a ridge facing the valley known to the Saxons as Senlac - sandy loch. This is a new transcription and translation of the earliest account of the Norman Conquest. Digital images of the 12th century manuscript were used to create a more accurate and informative transcription, and therefore a fuller and more literal translation. The Carmen is an epic poem in Medieval Latin attributed to Bishop Guy d'Amiens and likely composed in 1067. Its 835 lines contain a wealth of detail about William of Normandy's claim to the English throne, the Normans' navigation, landing and fortifications, the Battle of Hastings, King Harold's death and burial, and the political accommodation King William agreed with the citizens of London to secure their assent to his coronation. The Carmen follows the conquest from Normandy to St Valery-sur-Somme to the Sussex coast to the blood-stained ridge where the battle was fought, to King Harold's burial, to Hastings, Dover, Winchester, Westminster and London. Throughout it offers a deeper understanding of the motivations, personalities and politics that influenced great events. The Song of the Norman Conquest is a must read for students and historians of the Norman Conquest and a fun read for everyone else.