Centuries ago Duke William of Normandy, France took an army of soldiers across the English Channel and fought English King Harold at the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066. In the end, Duke William won. Duke William became known as William the Conqueror, and became the first of many Norman kings of England. Many French words became part of our English language. French became the language of nobility in England.
The story of Battle of Hastings was documented in a 242-foot long tapestry called the Bayeux Tapestry. The tapestry, now over 950 years old, consists of 58 hand-stitched panels, that both show (in pictures), and tell the story (in Latin) of the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
This past week at Belmont, students grades 6-12 engaged in their own battle: as opposing teams (William and Harold, of course!), the students examined a 35-foot long facsimile of the Bayeux Tapestry, and translated the story from the original Latin. Team William won, and a new October tradition was born at Belmont! (See more photos, below)
By Jared Carman
Head of School, Belmont Classical Academy
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