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''Mora'' was the name of William the Conqueror's
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
, the largest and fastest ship in his invasion fleet of 700 or more ships
[The size of the fleet has been estimated of something between 696 and 3,000 ships of all sizes which transported an estimated 10,000 men, 2,000 to 3,000 horses, and all supplies sufficient to support the invasion forces. At the time of the Norman invasion of England, it was considered the largest amphibious operation since the early days of the Roman Empire. See: Bernard S. Bachrach, 'On the Origins of William the Conqueror's Horse Transports', ''Technology and Culture'', Vol. 26, No. 3 (Jul., 1985), p. 505-531. Also see: Edd Wheeler, 'The Battle of Hastings: Math, Myth and Melee', ''Military Affairs'', Vol. 52, No. 3 (Jul., 1988), p. 128-134.] used during the
Norman conquest of England
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...
in 1066.
The ship
''Mora'' was a ship of
Drakkar design and
clinker construction built at
Barfleur
Barfleur () is a commune and fishing village in Manche, Normandy, northwestern France.
History
During the Middle Ages, Barfleur was one of the chief ports of embarkation for England.
* 1066: A large medallion fixed to a rock in the harbour ...
in Normandy, a gift of
Matilda of Flanders
Matilda of Flanders (french: link=no, Mathilde; nl, Machteld) ( 1031 – 2 November 1083) was Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy by marriage to William the Conqueror, and regent of Normandy during his absences from the duchy. She was t ...
to her husband
William the Conqueror
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...
in the summer of 1066. She was a larger ship and carried ten knights with their entourages and equipment.
[A large ship could carry 40 to 45 armed men (not counting the ship's crew) or ten to twelve knights, whose entourage and equipment required more ship space. Edd Wheeler, 'The Battle of Hastings: Math, Myth and Melee', ''Military Affairs'', Vol. 52, No. 3 (Jul., 1988), p. 128-134.] The ship was captained by Stephen Fitz Airard, meaning the son of Airard,
[His son was Thomas FitzStephen, the captain of the famous '']White Ship
The ''White Ship'' (french: la Blanche-Nef; Medieval Latin: ''Candida navis'') was a vessel transporting many nobles, including the heir to the English throne, that sank in the Channel during a trip from France to England near the Normandy ...
'', which sank in the English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
off the Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
coast in 1120. See: Elisabeth M.C, van Houts, 'The Ship List of William the Conqueror', ''Anglo-Norman Studies X: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1987'', Ed. R. Allen Brown (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 1988), p. 173. who remained her captain until William's death in 1087. Stephen received lands in
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
,
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
, and
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
as reward for his services in the English campaign of 1066.
Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis ( la, Ordericus Vitalis; 16 February 1075 – ) was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. Modern historia ...
describes the ship: "it had for its figurehead the image of a child, gilt, pointing with its right hand towards England, and having in its mouth a trumpet of ivory.
[Ordericus Vitalis, ''The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy'', Trans. Thomas Forester, Vol. I (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1853), p. 465 n. 1] ''Mora'' carried multicoloured sails and at the top of the mainmast was the papal banner, consecrated and sent to William from Rome. The banner was described as "a square white banner charged with a gold cross within a blue border."
Voyage to Pevensey
On the evening of 27 September 1066, before sunset according to
William of Poitiers
William of Poitiers ( 10201090) (LA: Guillelmus Pictaviensis; FR: Guillaume de Poitiers) was a Frankish priest of Norman origin and chaplain of Duke William of Normandy (William the Conqueror), for whom he chronicled the Norman Conquest of Engla ...
, Duke William's invasion fleet embarked for England with the Mora in the lead.
[Christopher Gravett, ''Hastings 1066 (Revised Edition): The Fall of Saxon England'' (Osprey Publishing, Ltd., 1992), p. 47] She carried a lantern on her mast so she could be seen and a horn was blasted as a signal to the other ships following.
''Mora'', larger than the other ships, was also much faster. William found himself in mid-channel, alone, with no other ships in sight at daybreak. Waiting on the others to catch up, he had breakfast with wine. Once the others were in sight the fleet proceeded to
Pevensey
Pevensey ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The main village is located north-east of Eastbourne, one mile (1.6 km) inland from Pevensey Bay. The settlement of Pevensey Bay forms part of ...
in Sussex.
Her name
According to Elisabeth van Houts, the meaning of the name isn't known although there have been several suggestions.
[Elisabeth M.C, van Houts, 'The Ship List of William the Conqueror', ''Anglo-Norman Studies X: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1987'', Ed. R. Allen Brown (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 1988), p. 172] She might have been named for the ''
Morini
The Morini (Gaulish: "sea folk, sailors") were a Belgic coastal tribe dwelling in the modern Pas de Calais region, around present-day Boulogne-sur-Mer, during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
Name
They are mentioned as ''Morini'' by Caesar ( ...
'', ancient inhabitants of
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
, as a reference to
Matilda's Flemish origins.
The Latin word ''mora'' has several meanings, none of which seem likely. These range from 'delay' or 'pause' to 'foolish' or 'foolish woman'. Also is the possibility that ''Mora'' was an anagram of ''Amor''.
There is a more detailed analysis of the multiple meanings and possible origins of the name in the academic paper "The multiple meanings of ''Mora'', the flagship of William the Conqueror" by Elisabeth Waugaman, who in particular links it with the
Stone of Mora
The Stones of Mora () is a historic location in Knivsta, Sweden. Several Medieval kings of Sweden were proclaimed at
the assembly of Mora near modern Uppsala. It was moved in the 15th century and was considered to have been lost. However, ther ...
, once connected with coronations in what is now
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. By naming the ship ''Mora'', Elisabeth Waugaman suggests Matilda hoped to strengthen her husband's claims to royal legitimacy in the eyes of his many followers and potential critics.
Replica
A French project announced in 2022 intends to build a seaworthy replica of ''Mora'' in
Honfleur
Honfleur () is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. The people that inhabit Honf ...
, Normandy. The project will cost 13 million dollars. The goal is to complete the ship by 2027 in order to sail the Channel on the 1,000th anniversary of William the Conqueror's birth.
Notes
References
{{italic title
1066 in England
High Middle Ages
Norman conquest of England
Military history of Normandy
Ships of England
William the Conqueror
Viking ships