Saxon leader Harold holds his hand above the caskets, as William king of England, looks on from his throne.
The Saxon leader Harold was shipwrecked on the shores of Normandy and given hospitality by the Norman leader William the Conqueror. Both were rivals for the throne of England. William made Harold swear and oath of loyalty to him as the heir to the throne of England on a holy book that was resting on an old chest covered by a piece of cloth. Having no recourse to any other action, Harold took an oath. William then whisked away the cloth, revealing small caskets, inside of which were relics of Norman saints. Harold realized he had been tricked - to make such an oath under the most binding circumstances possible. William then let Harold go . Soon after England's king Edward the Confessor died and Harold disregarded his oath and claimed the throne. Soon followed the Norman Conquest. Pictured in this 1912 illustration is Harold with his hand above the caskets, as William looks on from his throne.
Size: 3355px × 4800px
Photo credit: © Ivy Close Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: ages, caskets, confessor, conqueror, conquest, edward, england, english, europe, france, harold, history, king, loyalty, medieval, middle, norman, normandy, normans, normany, oath, saxon, saxons, swears, william
