The history of the Norman conquest of England, its causes and its results, Volume 2 (of 6) — Reading Notes

Pilgrimage as Political Vulnerability

Freeman repeatedly returns to the theme that the absence of rulers on pilgrimage created dangerous power vacuums. He notes that the Witan of England wisely prevented Edward from undertaking a pilgrimage, but that Earl Tostig’s journey to Rome in 1061 left Northumberland exposed. During Tostig’s absence, Malcolm of Scotland invaded and ravaged the country, even violating Lindisfarne. Freeman draws a parallel to earlier Norman troubles when Duke Robert went on pilgrimage, and to Harold’s own journey. The pattern is clear: pious journeys, however sincere, invited opportunistic attacks. The author does not condemn pilgrimage outright but emphasizes its political cost, especially for kingdoms without a ruler as formidable as Cnut, who could keep distant nations in check by “the mere terror of his name.”

The Roman Road: Negotiation and Brigandage

The account of Tostig and Archbishop Ealdred’s journey to Rome is one of the volume’s most vivid episodes. Freeman describes how the party was attacked by brigands near the Papal States, who stripped them of possessions and nearly captured Tostig. A noble youth named Gospatric saved the earl by claiming to be him, and was released unharmed. The rest returned to the Pope “with nothing but the clothes on their backs.” Freeman presents two versions of how Tostig then secured Ealdred’s pallium: one where the Pope was moved by pity, another where Tostig threatened to withdraw English tribute and expose papal complicity. Freeman judges the threatening account “more of the stamp of truth.” The episode illustrates how even high ecclesiastical business was entangled with banditry, bluff, and the personal authority of earls.

Shifting Alliances and the Earls’ Authority

Freeman’s narrative is structured around the careers of the great earls—Godwine, Harold, Tostig—and their fluctuating relationships with the king. The volume shows how Edward’s reign was a period of political jockeying rather than open war. Freeman traces how Harold and William gradually become “leaders and representatives of their several nations” without yet being brought into hostile relations. The author is careful to note when sources conflict, as in the differing accounts of Tostig’s Roman audience. He also highlights the role of the Witan in checking royal power, as when they prevented Edward’s pilgrimage. The volume thus presents a kingdom in which authority was negotiated between king, earls, and churchmen, with no single figure yet dominant.

Movement Between Scenes: From Court to Frontier

Freeman’s narrative moves rapidly between settings: the English court, the Norman duchy, the Scottish border, and the roads to Rome. This geographical range underscores the interconnectedness of the period’s politics. A raid in Northumberland is linked to a negotiation at the papal curia; a pilgrimage to Jerusalem affects the security of a distant earldom. Freeman uses these shifts to show how events in one region could have consequences in another, even when the actors were not directly in conflict. The volume’s structure thus mirrors its argument: the Norman Conquest was not a single event but a process that unfolded across multiple theaters, and the reign of Edward the Confessor was the period when the pieces were set in motion.

Readers should approach this volume as a detailed political narrative rather than a military history. Freeman’s strength lies in his critical use of sources and his ability to reconstruct the motives of figures like Tostig and Ealdred. The excerpts suggest a work that rewards careful attention to the author’s asides and source comparisons. Those interested in the mechanics of eleventh-century politics—how earls leveraged papal authority, how pilgrimage destabilized kingdoms, how chroniclers shaped events—will find much to analyze here.

That rainy afternoon, I lost myself in Freeman’s account of Edward the Confessor’s court, the quiet tension between earls and king. His careful tracing of pilgrimages and border raids felt less like history, more like eavesdropping. Later, almost by accident, I picked up The history of England, from the accession of Henry III. to the death of Edward III. (1216-1377) — Story, Setting & Ideas. The same restless crown, a century later, still struggling for footing.