Harold Godwinson (later King Harold II), swearing an oath on sacred relics to support William of Normandy in his claim to the English throne, 1064
Illustration from Cassell's illustrated history of England published circa 1896. Info from wiki: In 1064, Harold apparently was shipwrecked at Ponthieu. He was captured by Guy I, Count of Ponthieu, and was then taken as a hostage to the count's castle at Beaurain. Duke William arrived soon afterward and ordered Guy to turn Harold over to him.[21] Harold then apparently accompanied William to battle against William's enemy, Conan II, Duke of Brittany. While crossing into Brittany past the fortified abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, Harold is recorded as rescuing two of William's soldiers from quicksand. They pursued Conan from Dol-de-Bretagne to Rennes, and finally to Dinan, where he surrendered the fortress's keys at the point of a lance. William presented Harold with weapons and arms, knighting him. The Bayeux Tapestry, and other Norman sources, then record that Harold swore an oath on sacred relics to William to support his claim to the English throne.
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Photo credit: © Historical Images Archive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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