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Banners from Literature

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This article contains quotes from primary sources that mention banners. It is not complete and additional quotes will be added as discovered.

==Capitulary of Charles the Bald, 843-877AD==

*

:“Let our envoys (missi nostril) see that the troops of every bishop, abbot, and abbess, march forth properly equipped, and with their '''Gonfalonier''' (cum Guntfannonario).” [HEWITT ~~1885~~1855: p.166]

:"As dawn came the King heard mass and then ranged his army around to storm the town. He himself remained at the top of the hill with his '''battle-standard''' to give assistance to those attacking the wall." [REUTER 1992:p.126]

==The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle B, C, D, E (970-1116AD)==*AD 878 :“And in the winter of this same year the brother of Ingwar and Healfden landed in Wessex, in Devonshire, with three and twenty ships, and there was he slain, and eight hundred men with him, and forty of his army. There also was taken the war-flag, which they called the RAVEN.” [INGRAM 1912] Swanton’s translation [SWANTON 2000:p.77] of Anglo-Saxon Chronicle E “.. and there the banner which they called ‘Raven', was taken.” It's also mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle's B, C and D (B was written in the second half of the C10th, probably in the 970's) but it is not mentioned in the oldest surviving copy of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, A (written from c.890AD to 1070AD).==Asser's The Life of Alfred (1000AD)==:"...and there they gained a very large booty, and amongst other things the standard called '''Raven'''; for they say that the three sisters of Hingwar and Hubba, daughters of Lodobroch, wove that flag and got it ready in one day. They say, moreover, that in every battle, wherever that flag went before them, if they were to gain the victory a '''live crow would appear flying on the middle of the flag''' ; but if they were doomed to be defeated it would hang down motionless, and this was often proved to be so. " [GILES 1848:p62]A major doubt exists regarding the authenticity of this chapter in Asser's Life of Alfred. It has been fairly well proved that Bishop Parker added this chapter directly from The Annals of St Neots in his 1574AD published version of Asser's Life of Alfred. [STEVENSON 1904] The original sole surviving Anglo-Saxon manuscript, Cotton MS Otho A xii, was lost in the Cotton Library fire of 1731AD. The two remaining transcripts have both been affected to varying degrees by Bishop Parkers interpolations.

==Beowulf, c.1000AD==

*

==The Song of Roland, 1040-~~115AD~~1115AD==*Verse 4 8

:"And Geoffrey of Anjou, the bearer of the King's '''gonfalon'''" [BACON 1914]

*Verse 33 69

:"Through Cerdagne, and through the valleys and the mountains they marched on,

:Until of the French army they saw the '''gonfalon'''.

:King Marsile will not tarry till he have joined the fray" [BACON 1914]

*Verse 3980

:"They held Valentian lances, and shield on shoulder wore.

:'''White and blue and vermilion were the gonfalons they bore'''." [BACON 1914]

*Verse 5982:"And from their gold wrought helmets a blazing light did dance on shield and broidered hauberk, on '''pennant''' and on lance." [BACON 1914] *Verse 92:"With all his armor on him that became him well indeed.:He bore the good spear in his hand with the point unto the height. :Upon the summit of the spear was laced a '''pennant white'''." [BACON 1914] *Verse 95:"Therewith the shield he shattered, and the hauberk all to-broke. :Through the side the '''pennant-fringes''' were driven at the stroke." [BACON 1914] *Verse 110:"What store of spears were shattered and drenched in the blood! How many '''gonfalons and flags''' were tattered in the fray." [BACON 1914] *Verse 113:"Blazing were all their helmets with precious stones and gold. :'''Pennants''' and spears and bucklers and broidered coats had they and seven thousand war-horns were bellowing for the fray." [BACON 1914] *Verse 114a

:"Then '''an embroidered banner''' he gave unto Grandoign

:To lead his men against the Franks that battle they might join.

:And therewithal was given to Grandoign the whole command." [BACON 1914]

*Verse ~~125~~114b:"Down he rode through the valley as swiftly as might be. :His '''gonfalon''' was fastened with three fair nails of gold" [BACON 1914] *Verse 117:"He shattered all the buckler, :through the hauberk did he shear. :He thrust into the body the '''pennant''' of the spear." [BACON 1914] *Verse 120:"He thrust into the body his '''azure battle-flag'''. :And dead he struck Count Gerin beside a mighty crag." [BACON 1914] *Verse 126:"To rally men in battle the Dragon aye he bore." [BACON 1914] *Verse 138:"The Emperor his war-horns forthwith he let them peal. :From the steeds the Franks dismounted and girded on the steel. :The hauberks and the helmets and the great swords of gold, :and splendid shields and lances heavy and strong they hold, :with the '''vermilion gonfalons, and the azure and the white'''. :There mounted on the chargers of the army every knight." [BACON 1914] *Verse 139:"And all the armor of the host was flashing in the sun. :The hauberks and the helmets shone with a mighty glare, :and likewise the good bucklers with flowers painted fair, :and gleaming were the lances and the '''gonfalons of gold'''." [BACON 1914] *Verse 218:"They deem there will be a battle, if they come upon the foe. :Down over their bright helmets the '''gonfalons''' hang low." [BACON 1914] *Verse 223:"Aloft they bore the lances. Laced were the '''flags of war'''" [BACON 1914] **Verse 226

:"And onwards Geoffrey of Anjou bore the great '''Oriflame''' —

:Because it was Saint Peter's, it bore the Roman name." [BACON 1914]

:Note: Oriflame was the name of Charlemagne's banner

*Verse ~~137~~237:"Baligant the Amiral was a gallant man of might. He had his '''Dragon borne before, and Termagant's ensign'''" [BACON 1914] *Verse 239:"It was Amboire of Olifern who bore his '''gonfalon'''." [BACON 1914] *Verse 241:"But when the Emperor Charlemagne the Amiral surveyed, And the '''Dragon and the ensign and the standard''' there displayed." [BACON 1914] *Verse 244:"And shattered all the byrnie. And furthermore he ran his '''gonfalon''' right through the midst of the body of the man." [BACON 1914] *Verse 249

:"Right through the Prince's body his '''golden banner''' bore.

:He smote him dead seven hundred of his servitors before." [BACON 1914]

*Verse ~~142~~259

:"Ogier the Dane and Charlemagne well the great strokes laid on,

:And Neimes and Geoffrey of Anjou that bore the '''gonfalon'''.

==Bishop Guy of Amiens, The Carmen de Hastingae Proelio c.1067 ==

(Song of the Battle of Hastings)

(Deeds of the Dukes of the Normans)

:"Ragnar Lothbroc saga: Ragnar Lothbroc got a magic shirt from his wife Aslaug and his daughters are said to have woven a magic raven banner" - GET SOURCE

[~~Anglo-Norman Studies VI: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1983 edited by Reginald Allen Brown~~BROWN 1984: p.116]

==William of Poitiers, The Deeds of William, Duke of Normandy and King of England c.1071AD ==

(Gesta Willelmi ducis Normannorum et regis Anglorum)

:"The duke therefore sought the favour of this apostle for the project he had in hand, and gladly received from him the gift of a banner as a pledge of the support of St Peter whereby he might the more confidently and safely attack his enemy." [DOUGLAS ~~and~~ & GREENAWAY ~~1981~~1995: p.227]

:"He then advanced in good order with the papal banner which had been granted to him bourne aloft at the head of his troops." [DOUGLAS ~~and~~ & GREENAWAY ~~1981~~ 1995:p.233]

Apparently mentions the fighting man standard being sent to Rome. - GET SOURCE

==The Annals of St Neots (1120-1140AD)==

:""

Although written in the C12th, The Annals of St Neots was based in part on a now missing early version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. [SWANTON 2000]

==Henry of Huntingdon, Historia Anglorum c.1129-c.1154==

* AD 752 Battle of Burford

:“Ethelhun who led the West-Saxons, bearing the royal standard, a golden dragon, transfixed the standard-bearer of the enemy.” [BOHN 1853:p.130]

* AD 1016 Battle of Assandun

:“King Edmund distinguished himself for his valour. For perceiving that the Danes were fighting with more than ordinary vigour, he quitted his royal station which, as was wont, he had taken between the dragon and the ensign called the Standard,....” [BOHN 1853:p.194]

(Gesta Regum Anglorum)

*

:“The king himself on foot, stood with his brother, near the '''standard'''; in order that, while all shared equal danger, none might think of retreating. This '''standard''' William sent, after the victory, to the pope; it was '''sumptuously embroidered, with gold and precious stones, in the form of a man fighting'''.” [GILES 1847:p.276]

==Master Wace, The Chronicle of the Norman Conquest c.1174==

(Roman de Rou)

==References==

~~<nocite>~~

~~BACON1914~~

~~BROWN1983~~

~~DOUGLAS1981~~

~~GILES1847~~

~~GUMMERE1910~~

~~HEWITT1885~~

~~LAING1907~~

~~OAKESHOTT1960~~

~~MORILLO1996~~

~~NELSON1991~~

~~REUTER1992~~

~~SELLAR1907~~

~~SWANTON2000~~

~~TAYLOR1837~~

~~</nocite>~~

~~<biblio force=false>#[[Template:Bib]]</biblio>~~

[[Category:Literature]]

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