Spatial and Statistical Analysis of Military Service in Eleventh to Twelfth Century Normandy

Christopher Hewitt, Western University

In the eleventh and twelfth centuries Normandy was an important source for military service during the expansion of Frankish power at that time. While much has been written about the men who actually fought on these adventures, surprisingly little has been written about where they had originated from. To help address this anomaly, this article examines the geographic origins of the Norman armies with the aid of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) techniques. The analysis will then focus on one adventure, the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Regression results indicate that 1 in 5 enfeoffed knights were owed to the duke and approximately 2 serjeants, men-at-arms and archers served per knight. Mapping the Ship List and military service reveals the spatial pattern of Duke William’s army at Hastings. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for the veracity of existing historical accounts of the Battle of Hastings, as well as options for and benefits of applying GIS analysis to other historical events.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 73. Novel Sources and Distant Pasts Across Global Geographies