The fundamental event in British history is the Norman Conquest, when William, Duke of Normandy defeated Harold, Earl of Wessex, and took over England. In Harold and William, historian Patterson presents an evenhanded look at the relationship between the two leaders. Patterson presents the Conquest, and the years leading up to it, from both the Norman and the Saxon points of view. He also assess the skills of both-as rulers and as warriors-and offers a new look at the still-debated politics of succession in which both men claimed to be rightful heirs to Edward the Confessor's throne. According to Patterson, one man was the rightful heir, and the other was the better choice.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The most famous year in English history, 1066 witnessed the epic confrontation between William, Duke of Normandy, and King Harold, who, killed by the invading Normans during the Battle of Hastings, would be the last Anglo-Saxon ruler of England. An emeritus professor of journalism at the University of Florida, Patterson is unabashedly pro-Harold: "The wrong side, the wrong cause, the wrong man won." Indeed, Patterson refers to William as "the Bastard," and often highlights the Norman's brutality. This anti-William bias, however, doesn't stop Patterson from weaving a highly entertaining narrative. In 1064, England's King Edward sent Harold, who was then earl of Wessex, to Normandy to meet with Duke William. On his way, Harold was kidnapped and held for ransom. William paid the ransom, and Harold then swore an oath to support the duke in his bid to become king of England after Edward's death. Harold would later claim that he swore this oath under duress. For his part, William would call Harold a liar. In January 1066, King Edward died, naming Harold his successor. Upon hearing the news, an outraged William immediately began preparing for an invasion of England. Meanwhile, King Harold's own brother Tostig, with the aid of the king of Norway, led an armed rebellion against the new king. Harold crushed Tostig at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Three days later, William landed his invasion force near Hastings. Harold marched his exhausted army south to meet the Norman foe. Patterson does an excellent job describing the back-and-forth struggle of the bloody battle in this highly accessible work of popular history. 30 b&w illus. not seen by PW.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The scant surviving evidence concerning the prelude to the Battle of Hastings, such as the famous Bayeux Tapestry, is heavily biased toward the cause of the victor, Duke William of Normandy. Seeking to tilt the case, not just to balance it, retired journalist Patterson elaborates with imagination and conjecture Harold's claim on the throne vacated by the death of Edward the Confessor in early 1066. The Witan, the national council, was in charge of deciding who would be Edward's successor, and Harold, earl of Wessex, was the best and most logical choice. However, William claimed that the Confessor promised him the succession and that it was communicated in a 1064 oath by Harold personally (a claim that is impossible to verify). Patterson's ensuing narrative, replete with clanking chain mail and swinging battle-axes, vibrantly imagines the course of the ensuing military events. This is unabashed Harold advocacy, but the upfront bias is no impediment to a lively rendering. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't let the bad intro throw you!!,
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This review is from: Harold and William: The Battle for England, A.D. 1064-1066 (Hardcover)
Initially I was getting ready to put this book aside because the author stated that he perceived the Saxons as the good guys.I thought not another one of these pro-Anglos,like a southern American lamenting old "Dixie".Anyways Hastings was almost a thousand years difference and with not alot of primary sources available,how could anyone honestly believe the Saxons were such wonderful people.Ask LLewelyn of Wales what he thought about the Saxon "wonderfullness",so how far back are we going to go on this?
Anyway, I don't think the authors' stated bias affected his interpretations at all and this book is packed with tension and excitement,I actually had to put the book aside a few times so I could savor it.Two strong personalities Harold and William headed on a collision course with lots of swinging axes.A great movie script if some producer could latch on to this book.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Biased, yes, but what history is not biased?,
By
This review is from: Harold and William: The Battle for England, A.D. 1064-1066 (Hardcover)
I've read the other reviews criticizing Harold and William for its bias towards Harold, but what written history is without bias? History tends to be recorded by winners, survivors, descendants and later observers, the majority of whom tend not to be actual eyewitnesses to the event chronicled for their audience. Credit should be given Mr. Patterson for tackling a subject lacking in available documentation. He has several things working for him: he is British, and they are some of the best historians, he is an academic and professor of journalism, and he is fascinated with his subject matter. This is a labor of love, and Mr. Patterson wishes to share it with us. Can you blame him for that?
As for those desiring a text with lively dialogue and vivid action, please attend to any number of historical fictional adventures not based in fact. I find Mr. Patterson's writing style concise, yet descriptive and his narrative tempered to the right degree to keep me interested. He maintains a fluid plot and his attention to detail with chronologies and background materials adds to the reader's interest and education. Give thanks that the world has historians willing to take a chance and present their theories before us. You only have to look to Hollywood to see history mangled for lowest common denominator audiences. If you disagree with Mr. Patterson's book, then write your own in rebuttal.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Forgotten King Harold,
By
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This review is from: Harold and William: The Battle for England, A.D. 1064-1066 (Hardcover)
The reason history is so fascinating is because, quite often, momentous, world-altering events occur as the result of smaller, trivial ones. England, one of the greatest world powers in history, would not have evolved as it did without William's successful Norman invasion of the island in 1066. William's invasion may not have been successful but for the fact that his enemy, Harold, the king of England, was required to fight a desperate battle at Stamford Bridge three days earlier against a large invading army from Norway. And Harold would not have had to fight these Norwegians but for the falling out he had with his brother, Tostig, who left the country in a jealous fit one year earlier, and returned with this army to exact revenge. It is a fascinating story, and recounted expertly in this straightforward but all-too-brief history. Brief, I should add, because there are simply not enough sources from which to draw, but the author does a fine job with what is available. The reason that there was a conflict in the first place was that the former king of England, Edward, did not leave an heir. For inexplicable reasons--although he was unusually enamoured of the Normans--he decided that the best person to succeed him would be William. He sent Harold, his wife's brother-in-law and his most likely successor, to Normandy to solicit William, and somewhere in there--the author persuasively argues that he was coerced--Harold swore an oath of allegiance to William. But two years later Edward--on his deathbed--requested Harold be his successor, and Harold was subsequently approved by the witan, England's national council. William, enraged, immediately began preparations to invade. In the meantime, Tostig, Harold's brother and ruler of Northumbria, was having a tough time ruling his subjects. It was so brutal, in fact, that the entire area was on the verge of rebellion. It says something about his rule that the demands of the Northumbrians were in fact met. Tostig was removed, by his brother no less, and became thereafter and until his death, a scourge of England, leading eventually to his alliance with a foreign power, and his accompaniment of this power on their invasion of England. Perhaps the most fascinating character in the book is Harald Hardraada, the Norwegian leader. After fleeing the country for his life as a young man, he went to Russia where he won the favor of the Novgorodian King. He then enlisted as a mercenary for the Byzantine empire, where for eight years he fought their battles in Sicily, North Africa and the Middle East. He then returned to Novgorod where he married is love, returned to Denmark where he formed an alliance, used this power to forge an alliance with a Norwegian usurper, and eventually became King of Norway himself. In the summer of 1066 we find him an eager participant in Tostig's plan to invade northern England, but after an initial success, he is surprised by Harold at Stamford Bridge, and both he and Tostig are killed after a long, bloody battle. Three days later--three days--William's forces land in England, and Harold, with his depleted army, makes the long march south. The rest, as they say, is history, and poor Harold has become nothing more than a footnote. This is really remarkable, fascinating history, and retold here in a methodical, straightforward, and entertaining way.
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