The People of Exeter Didn't Break the Normans, but They Did.

In medieval Europe, cutting out a hostage's eyes carried a special symbolic context. The people of Exeter almost certainly understood that they had just offended his royal dignity. Witnessing this tyrant's tantrum carved into a helpless man enraged the people behind the walls. But by what order it calls mad obstinency over the treatment of that hostage and the unknown fate of the remaining hostages, the people in Exeter hardened.