9/13/2023 0 Comments Medieval oath of loyalty![]() ![]() In the second part of the commendation ceremony, the vassal placed his hands upon a Bible or saint’s relic and promise never to harm or deceive the lord, to remain loyal, and to protect the lord. Image by Myrabella – Own work, Public Domain The scene occurred at Bagia (Bayeux), as the previous scene in the Tapestry states. It was the breaking of this purported oath which caused the Norman Conquest of England. King Harold makes an oath of fealty to William, Duke of Normandy, by touching two altars containing relics of saints. ![]() “HAROLD SACRAMENTUM FECIT WILLELMO DUCI”, (Harold makes his oath to the Duke). Before this time, people stood with outstretched arms when they prayed, in the orans position. Today's Christian prayer posture, kneeling with hands clasped, evolved from the medieval commendation ceremony. The vassal stated his desire to become ‘the man,’ a request the lord would accept. This expressed the vassal’s submission to the lord’s power. The vassal clasped his hands in a gesture of prayer and extended them to the lord, who grasped them between his own. In the first part of the ceremony, a prospective vassal knelt before the lord, bare-headed and weaponless. Act of Homage Medieval Act of Homage (Hommage_au_Moyen_Age_-_miniature from the Archives Department of Perpignan The commendation ceremony was divided into two parts: the act of homage and an oath of fealty. In the early middle ages, a commendation ceremony to give homage to a liege lord required an oath of fealty that sealed the relationship between the lord and a member of his fighting forces. ![]()
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