Norman Conquest of England

The fate of you who are listening, of nations of the world, is often hung upon accident, or upon decisions that made another way would have substantially altered the course of human events. Suppose by a stroke of fate, Hannibal had conquered Rome.

Suppose fate had decreed that when McKinley ran for president, Theodore Roosevelt had refused to be his running mate. Would Roosevelt have ever become president? Yes, much depends upon a stroke of fate. And tonight for the last time, we rewrite history as we present a dramatic conception of the stroke of fate that might have prevented the Norman conquest of England in 1066 AD.

On October 14th, 1066, Duke William of Dormonday defeated Harold of England, the last of the Anglo-Saxon kings at the Battle of Hastings, A decisive battle in world history and one that profoundly influenced the future course of England.

But if fate had intervened, it is possible there would have been no Norman conquest. Our story as usual is true, up to the stroke of fate. After that speculation, based on historical possibility. Our story is related by the beautiful Aldith, she who was destined to be the wife of King Harold.

In the year of our Lord 1064, King Edward the Confessor sat on the throne of England. Edward being old and weak, the country was ruled by Earl Harold Godwinson, and he ruled wisely and well. Earl Harold in that year 1064 was shipwrecked with some of his men on the coast of France, being then imprisoned and held for ransom by Guy Counter-Ponture.

Harold was ransomed from Count Guy by William Duke of Normandy, and Harold and his men then rode to the Duke's castle, where he was greeted by William. I owe you much thanks, William. Were it not for your ransoming me, I would still be lying in the dank in noise from Dungeon of Count Guy.