Norman Conquest Encyclopedia
Relics
Importance was attached to the relics of the saints as objects of veneration and sanctity. Wace reports that a tooth of St Peter was sent to the William the Bastard by Pope Alexander II together with a blessing and a banner to carry into battle. The oath of fealty sworn by Harold Godwinsson to William was portrayed as being enhanced in its power to bind the Englishman because it was made on bones of the saints. The Bayeux Tapestry shows the scene in graphic detail.
See also: Banner; Bayeux Tapestry; Harold Godwinsson; oath of fealty; Pope Alexander II; Wace; William the Bastard
Related Reading:
- Hastings 1066 (Revised Edition)- The Fall of Saxon England
(Campaign 13 )