Norman Conquest Encyclopedia

William the Bastard made Caen his capital after his victory over rebellious barons at Val-ès-Dunes in 1047. It was here that he brought his bride, Matilda, having married her in spite of Pope Leo's objections. The excommunication that followed was not lifted until 1059 when Lanfranc, who was originally equally opposed, agreed to plead William's cause.The Duke had been so angry that he chased the monk out of the Abbey of Bec and urged him to greater speed in leaving Normandy. Lanfranc replied that he would go faster if William gave him a better horse. This appealed to the Duke's sense of humour, and the two were reconciled. That the new Pope Alexander II, was a former pupil of Lanfranc at Bec must have helped. As a show of penance, William and Matilda build the Abbaye aux Hommes and the Abbaye aux Dames which survive today and in which they are, respectively, buried. Caen was severely damaged in 1944 when the Allies invaded German-occupied Normandy.

See also: Abbey of Bec; Lanfranc; Matilda; Pope Alexander II; Val-ès-Dunes; William

Related Reading:

• The Normans (Elite 9)
• Hastings 1066 (Revised Edition)- The Fall of Saxon England
  (Campaign 13 )
• Campaigns of the Norman Conquest
  (Essential Histories 12)
• Normandy 1944 - Allied landings and breakout
  (Campaign 1)