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Battle of Hastings may have had papal motive, lost letter at Vatican suggests
Fox News • • world
Key Points:
- A lost papal letter discovered in the Vatican archives suggests Pope Alexander II supported William the Conqueror's invasion of England in 1066 because the English sided with his rival, antipope Honorius II.
- The letter describes England as being led astray by an "evil head" and labels the English as "followers of Satan," indicating a religious and political struggle behind the Norman Conquest beyond the traditional view of a throne dispute.
- Professor Tom Licence's research proposes that England's alignment with Honorius II, who was a serious contender in the papal power struggle, gave Alexander II a motive to back the Norman invasion.
- This discovery reframes the Battle of Hastings as part of a broader papal conflict, with Alexander II seeking regime change in England, a perspective detailed in Licence's book "Harold: Warrior King."
- Licence emphasizes that previous historians may have overlooked the role of papal politics in 1066 due to a lack of focus on ecclesiastical history in Norman Conquest studies.
