Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Memories of a Conquest: The Norman Conquest in Twelfth-Century Memory

Comshaw-Arnold, Benjamin W.
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1234-9969
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1501344421498507

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Arts, University of Akron, History.
The Norman Conquest of England (1066) was a common historic topic for twelfth-century authors, who recorded the past as they wanted it to be remembered in gestae. As a genre of historic writing, the gesta allows authors to alter the presentation of the past in order to reshape history in a way that fit their generational needs. The focus of this study is a sampling of the gestae of the long twelfth century (in this case roughly 1050-1200), which includes works by such Norman, English, and Anglo-Norman authors as William of Jumieges (c. 1000-1070), William of Poitiers (c. 1020-1090), Eadmer of Canterbury (c. 1060-1126), Simeon of Durham (c. 1060-1129), Orderic Vitalis (c. 1075- 1142), Henry of Huntingdon (c. 1088-1157), William of Malmesbury (c. 1095-1143), John of Worcester (d. 1140), and William of Newburgh (c. 1136-1198). Although other historians often cite these authors for historic information, the present study is concerned with the twelfth century and the authors themselves rather than the accuracy of their narrative. The differences in their portrayals of the past provide insight into what each deemed important as well as how they viewed their own place in Anglo-Norman history. Many of the twelfth century authors provide different portrayals of the Conquest, despite their use of common sources, such as William of Jumieges’ Gesta Normannorum Ducum. The differences, often in the form of omissions and augmentations, provide insight into what these writers considered significant to preserve in memory and reflect their views on society as well as identity. Each author of this study presents the Norman Conquest and the surrounding history in a slightly different manner, which is typical for the genre of gesta writing. The differences in depictions provide insight into what each deemed important to commit to historic memory and served a greater purpose for contemporary audiences. These changes are significant in the lessons that each author wanted to teach his audience. In addition, they also reveal many of the factors that inform each author’s identity and understanding of ethnicity. Although gestae usually manipulate history to influence contemporary thought or behavior, the unique approach that each gesta author of this study takes to his portrayal of various historic characters reveals aspects of his own worldview and suggests a trend in how English ethnicity was perceived. While the practical application of this study may appear initially limited, it is useful because it illustrates patterns of self-identification that become apparent in the ways that the authors of this study describe history. Some authors make implications about the significance of ethnicity while others overlook it in favor of Christianity. Christianity, which is a common identity among all the gesta authors of this study, serves as a foundation upon which each author’s identity is formed. Ethnic preferences direct the writing of each author, even though the ways in which each author understands and constructs the idea of ethnicity changes over time. These differences in identification suggest a trend in the way that people understood the changing concept of ethnicity in England following the Norman Conquest.
Constance Bouchard (Advisor)
Michael Graham (Committee Member)
126 p.
European History; History; Middle Ages
Medieval; England; Normandy; Memory; Identity; Ethnicity; 1100s; Gesta; William of Jumieges; William of Poitiers; Eadmer of Canterbury; Simeon of Durham; Orderic Vitalis; Henry of Huntingdon; William of Malmesbury; John of Worcester; William of Newburgh

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Comshaw-Arnold, B. W. (2017). Memories of a Conquest: The Norman Conquest in Twelfth-Century Memory [Master's thesis, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1501344421498507

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Comshaw-Arnold, Benjamin. Memories of a Conquest: The Norman Conquest in Twelfth-Century Memory. 2017. University of Akron, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1501344421498507.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Comshaw-Arnold, Benjamin. "Memories of a Conquest: The Norman Conquest in Twelfth-Century Memory." Master's thesis, University of Akron, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1501344421498507

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

akron1501344421498507
457
© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.