Day 8 (Saturday): To Bayeux in Normandy
Matilda’s Role in the Kingdom
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- Enter the Walls of Caen Castle to Wander the Ruins
Matilda’s Role in the KingdomMatilda was passionate, steadfast and wise, yet utterly ruthless and tenacious in the pursuit of her goals. She supported and sympathized with all of William’s projects, social and political, and was the only person capable of taming her formidable husband. She confounded the traditional views of women in medieval society by seizing the reins of power when she had the chance, directing her husband’s policy, and, at times, flagrantly disobeying his orders. She was known to have a talent for architecture that she inherited from her father. Before William set off to conquer England, he sought help in his preparations from Matilda, who assisted him by convincing the barons to follow William “beyond the Sea.” Since she controlled her own property, wealth and income, she was able to use her own funds to build and equip a secret ship, called the Mora, that she presented to her husband as a gift to support his venture across the Channel. William took the Mora as his flagship. The king of France, King Philip I, considered William’s plan to annex England to be absurd, asking who would be left in charge of Normandy while William was off running another country. To this William confidently replied that Matilda was fully capable of ruling Normandy in his absence. Before he left for England, William appointed Matilda as Regent of his dominion, with their 13-year-old eldest son, Robert, as her assistant. After William was crowned king of England in Westminster Abbey, he arranged for Matilda to join him to be crowned Queen. She was crowned in Winchester Cathedral in 1068. Matilda died in 1083, at age 51. William was bereft, and plunged into a deep depression. He died four years later, at age 63, after a fall from his horse. Enter the Walls of Caen Castle to Wander the Ruins Caen Castle, one of the largest medieval fortresses of Western Europe, was built by William the Conqueror in around 1060. The walls of the castle are beautifully preserved, with fantastic views of the city from atop the walls.
The ruins of the castle’s keep, a large square section with round towers at each corner, all surrounded by a moat, have been undergoing excavation. Over 6,000 cubic meters of earth have been removed, revealing elements of the early structure that include: the base of the keep, a better view of the 12th-century north-west wall, the cellar of a 15th-century private home, a powder magazine, a 14th-century forge, and the traces of the stables. The grounds of the 11th century castle also house the Musée des Beaux-Arts, with one of the world's finest collections of European Art, as well as the Musée de Normandie. Enter through the castle walls to wander the ruins of the château and explore the ramparts, at will. The castle has two fortified gateways: porte sur la ville (“door to the town”) and porte des champs (“door to the fields”). For a fuller view of this remarkable medieval site, climb to the top of the recently restored northern rampart. Directory: wp-content -> uploads -> 2016 2016 -> 2017 afoCo Landmark Scholarship Program 2016 -> Instructions for the Preparation of Camera-Ready Contributions to the Conference Proceedings 2016 -> Step student Scholarships for Year 10-13 2016 -> The united church of canada 2016 -> Idan raichel biography – May 2016 Brief Producer, keyboardist, Lyricist, composer and Performer Idan Raichel 2016 -> An introduction to centre’s interventions expanding access to justice 2016 -> Sanchar Shakti 2016 -> Unit analysis should help here. We want number of bananas 2016 -> The Autobiography of Elder Joseph Bates 2016 -> The Great Heat and the Rhode Island Deep Water Bay Scallop (Argopecten irradians) Fishery 1875-1905 Download 6.05 Mb. Share with your friends:
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