Watch on YouTube
Time
Travels with Truffle: Dateline October 14th , 1066 - Senlac Hill,
Near Hastings, England
The wind howled
across the Sussex countryside as the sun dipped behind the hills. The field was
strewn with broken shields and fallen men. Among them lay King Harold Godwinson,
the last Anglo‑Saxon king of England — his lifeless body pierced by an arrow.
Curled against him was his loyal reddish‑orange Pomeranian, Truffle,
whimpering softly as the Norman banners rose in victory.
The Battle of
Hastings was the climax of one of the most dramatic years in English history.
After the death of Edward the Confessor
in January 1066, three men claimed the
throne:
- Harold Godwinson,
England’s powerful earl, chosen by the Witan (royal council).
- Harald Hardrada,
King of Norway, asserting a Viking claim.
- William of Normandy,
Duke of Normandy, who claimed Edward had promised him succession.
Harold first
defeated Hardrada at Stamford Bridge on September 25 — a stunning
victory that left his army exhausted. But within days, word came that William
had landed on England’s southern coast. Harold marched south with his weary troops to
meet him.
At dawn on October 14,
Harold’s forces took position atop Senlac Hill,
forming a solid shield wall. The Normans attacked in waves — archers, infantry,
and cavalry. Truffle stayed close to Harold’s side, her small form darting
between the king’s guards as arrows whistled overhead.
For hours, the
English held firm. But William’s feigned retreats drew parts of Harold’s army
down the hill, breaking their formation. As the sun began to set, Norman
archers loosed a final volley. One arrow struck Harold in the eye — a wound
immortalized in the Bayeux Tapestry.
Truffle rushed to
her fallen master, pressing against his chest as the battle raged around them.
When the fighting ended, she remained there, trembling amid the silence of
victory and loss.
William’s triumph
at Hastings changed the course of history.
- He became William the Conqueror,
crowned King of England on Christmas Day 1066.
- The Norman Conquest
transformed England’s language, law, and aristocracy.
- Anglo‑Saxon nobles were replaced by
Norman lords; castles rose across the land.
- The English tongue absorbed French
words, shaping the language we speak today.
Harold’s death
marked the end of Anglo‑Saxon rule — and the beginning of a new era of feudal
monarchy.
Chroniclers later
wrote of a small dog found beside Harold’s body, refusing to leave even as
scavengers roamed the field. For years afterward she would visit his tomb at Waltham Abbey,
where Harold had founded a church years earlier. In legend, Truffle became a
symbol of loyalty — the last guardian of England’s fallen king.
Her story reminds
us that even amid the clash of empires, devotion endures beyond victory and
defeat.
And once again,
History is gently guided by a tiny paw.
