...and was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day, 1066. The Norman period in English history had begun. Some historians argue concerning possible ways of English, history, had the Anglo-Saxons defeated William. But History doesn't rely on the Conditional Mood. All the invasions, raids and conquests were contributing new and new waves of peoples to be integrated into a newly appearing nation of the English, to understand which we must know its historical roots, studying historical facts. The Norman Conquest had immediate social, political and cultural implications. The new tough foreign aristocracy captured power and lands. By 1100 there were 500 Norman castles in the English countryside. There was a blow against the Church as well. Normans replaced Saxon bishops. During the 11th and 12th centuries efficient Government was established. England itself was also drawn into close links with the other side of the Channel. But there was a language gap between the local (Anglo-Saxon) population and the new landowners, of both the Church and the Norman Aristocracy. Latin was a language of monasteries; Norman French was now the language of law and authority. English, spoken in the various regions remained the language of the ordinary people.The brightest evidence of the situation in the country was the Book appeared in 1086, a survey of England's land and people; according to it Norman society still rested on «lord-ship, secular and spiritual, and the King, wise or...
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...What was the impact of the Norman Conquest? With the Norman Conquest there certainly came change, impacting certain areas of government and society, some clear and some more superficial, yet despite this there was underlying continuity from the Anglo Saxon era in other areas. There was clear change in areas such as the military, geopolitics, land tenure and social life under the Normans took on a different pattern. The underlying continuity can be seen in the administration system, justice and religion. Indeed it could be argued that this underlying continuity ensured that the potentially revolutionary change remained evolutionary. The social life of the vast majority of the English population changed quite considerably under the new “Conqueror King”. William was much more ruthless than previous Kings, with many contemporary commentators noting that he was “stronger” than any past kings. This ruthless nature was shown in his savage policy of wasting where many villages were burnt to the ground. This is especially seen in the “Harrying of the North”. These were a series of campaigns undertaken by William in the 1069-70 Winter to bring the rebellious North to tow. A previously independent part of the country was now subjugated under Norman rule, and this wide spread destruction dealt with the previously ever lingering problem of the North being separate from the rest of the country. This savage way of dealing with rebellions set a precedent for the rest of the country...
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...The Norman Conquest of England [600 B.C.E-1154 C.E] Janice Hamilton's The Norman Conquest of England guides the reader through England and Normandy, before a drastic change happened in the history of these countries. It reveals what happens during the Battle of Hastings and the outcomes. Hamilton has been a freelance writer since 1984. She has written several articles that have appeared in magazines like Canadian Geographic. This book gives the reader a fine understanding of the events that occurred from between 600 B.C.E. to 1154 C.E. England came about from the term "Engla-land" meaning "Angle land." The Celts arrived around 600 B.C. and took control of the north and west of Great Britain. In A.D. 43, the Romans invaded and ruled for appropriately 400 years until the Roman Empire broke apart. In due time, Germanic tribes settled in and took control of South and East of Great Britain. By the late 700's, England was very vigorous and flourishing which cause Vikings to become attracted. As soon as the Vikings crossed the North Sea to...
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...Bayeux Tapestry Experience Selena S. Harris HUM111 – Humanities 111 World Cultures I Dr. Larry Johnson February 18, 2012 Bayeux Tapestry Experience Dear Family, To write this letter home and hope it receives you in secret is one of the most frightful experiences ever, as I am not allowed to reveal the story I am about to tell. I know you’ve been wondering where I’ve been and have seen the embroidery of The Bayeux Tapestry. Surprisingly, I was an actual figure in this work of art and would like to express to you in detail the brief events that took place, my feelings, and elements of experience, and personal satisfaction of involvement. Hopefully this letter will provide to you a better understanding of what I endured and why. While working in the army of William, Duke of Normandy, I found that William laid claim to the English throne, in which Harold Godwinson took position (Invasion of England 1066, 1997, para. 2). It seems that Harold had a formal relationship with King Edward as his esteemed advisor (Invasion of England 1066, 1997, para. 2). Confusion arose in my mind wondering who the rightful heir of England’s throne is. Since I did not want to choose sides, and wanted to consider the facts, I found out that Harold’s claim to the throne was made stronger when King Edward supposedly uttered to Harold on his deathbed: “Into Harold’s hands I commit my kingdom” (Invasion of England 1066, 1997, para. 2). Whereas, William justified his claim by blood...
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...Bayeux Taprety Dear Family; It is with great pride to let you know that I have survived the Battle of Hastings. We were victorious but it was not an easy venture. We had a meeting about how the trip would be before leaving Normandy. They said that it would only be about 5 hours to get there, but turns out that it took us over 12 hours to reach England. We didn’t think when rushing to make these boats that it would be such a long trip. If we had known we would have built them so they were more stable. I saw Tim bend over on the side of his boat looking very ill. I think he may of got sick from something when smiting the weapons, but it could have just been from the water. He was so ready to fight he put on his uniform as soon as we got them. I on the other hand, decided to keep mine off until we got closer. I did not want to because the chainmail was so heavy and wanted to conserve my strength. The Sun was beaming off the water; it was too hot to have it on. I do wish I was on the Mora Ship. The ship is so elegant and a masterpiece that it is just a honor to be in a fleet with it. The ship has a Dragon figure on the prow and screams war. All the men on the boat knew this was not going to be an easy fight. The thing was we all understood what was right. King Harold stole the crown from King Duke. Harold and his lies will not be taken lightly. The cowardly Harold forgets that there were witnesses, like me. I heard him King Edward tell the room that William will be King...
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...The Battle Of Hastings The Battle of Hastings was a historic event that occurred on October 14, 1066 during the Norman Conquest of England (Hollister, Stacey, Stacey 126) . The battle was between the Norman-French army that was led by Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II because they both believed that they were to succeed King Edward, the late king (Esteves 5-9). The Battle of Hastings is significant because it led to changes in “English law, language, and culture and laid the groundwork for the beginnings of the English feudal system”(Ericson par.1) It was significant because this war ended the Anglo-Saxon period that lasted about 600 years, and really established England is an independent power, under Norman Rule. It was the last time that England was ruled by a foreign power. When King Edward died, William and Harold both had reasons to why they thought they were next in line to take the throne (Esteves 5-9). William, who was the Duke of Normandy, was a cousin of Edward, who was the King of England. Edward died without children in the year of 1066 and supposedly named Harold his heir in the year of 1051(Hollister, Stacey, Stacey 118). The throne was then given to Harold Godwinson, but William claimed that before his death, Edward had promised him that he would be appointed the throne. William considered Harold’s crowning a declaration of war, and planned to fight for the throne that he thought was his. (Hollister, Stacey, Stacey 118,119)...
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...The Battle of Hastings Angelina Minton Professor Chris Sisson – World Culture I June 2, 2013 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to imagine myself as a figure in the Bayeux Tapestry and to write a first- person account in a letter home describing this historical event. In this paper I have described the event in detail and have explained why it was justified for us to raise arms in battle. To My Loving Mother Herleva, Let me start by saying I miss and love you and the family. Things have been very complicated since King Edward died without naming an heir to his throne. Edward's immediate predecessor was to be Harold of Wessex, a wealthy and influential English noble, who was chosen to be king by the Witenagemot of England. However, Harold was challenged by William who demanded that he had been promised the throne by King Edward and that Harold had confirmed this agreement. Harald III of Norway also disputed the succession. His right to the throne was founded on an arrangement between his predecessor Magnus I of Norway, and the earlier King of England Harthacanute, whereby if either died without heirs, the other would inherit both England and Norway. (Wilson, 1985) To add to this confusion Williams and Harald III both began assembling troops and ships for battle. Williams and I spent months preparing our army for battle and we waited for the right time to attack so that William could claim what was rightfully his. Mother you should have seen it...
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...Confessor a successful monarch? Edward was a successful monarch because throughout his reign there were few rebellions and the kingdom was mostly at peace. However, he could also be considered an unsuccessful monarch as he exiled Godwin and his son Swegn and yet after, renounced their exile. Edward brought Normans to England and gave them positions of power. Robert of Jumièges was brought to England and became the Archbishopric of Canterbury from 1051 to 1052. Another Norman brought over was Ralph the Timid (Ralph of Mantes) who was Edward’s nephew and he was the Earl of Herford from 1051 to 1055/57. These appointments were to the dislike of many Anglo-Saxon nobles, especially Godwin, as they believed that high positions such as Archbishopric were meant to be held by Anglo-Saxons. Edward mainly appointed these Normans because he trusted them more than some Anglo-Saxons, this shows the Edward was very self-sufficient and that he could use his power for things that he wanted, instead of being controlled by Earls such as Godwin. It is also a statement of who is in control and who the leader is. The earldom of Herefordshire was held by Godwin’s son Swegn and so by appointing a Norman to that position it emphasises his power. These are all good qualities of a successful monarch. Because of this ability to cement that he is in charge and show who is in power, there were very few rebellions during Edward’s reign from 1042 to 1066. One of the few rebellions which were against him was when...
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...important years in English history, it is the year of the battle of Hastings and the subsequent changes that the victor, William the Conqueror brought. It was also a turning point of England and its European ties, arguably without the Norman victory England would have remained cut off from the rest of Europe, more Scandinavian in attitude - due to Harold and his Norse heritage - than mainland. Within a hundred years of the Norman Conquest, England was surrounded by a vast European empire that controlled many of the lands located in France, more so than the French King at that time – this empire was “The Plantagenet Empire of Henry II. After the conquest in 1066 many Normans migrated into England and began to mingle with the Saxons, learning and furthering off of each other – the new Norman barons gained the Scandinavian – resulting model of parliamentary governance which in itself would led to Magna Charta, resulting from the fight against the rebellious Barons in 1215, as well as Simon de Monfort - Montfort is regarded today as one of the progenitors of modern parliamentary democracy and arguably without the Norman conquest of 1066 occurring, democracy today would not be as we know it. One of the largest effects of the Norman conquest was the melding of a new language, French words became a norm in the English language – further evidence of this shift was the usage of names in England that would be more commonly found in France, this were names such as William, Robert...
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...David Howarth introduced 1066: The Year of The Conquest as the Norman conquest of England and in 1066 the invasion of England was led by the Duke of Normandy, William. The basis were the claims of William to the English throne where the king originally agreed to have him to be throned. The Norman conquest of England granted that in 1066 the accomplishment and recognization of the feudalism that originally only began in the period of the Anglos. Because William the conqueror wanted to be the one to thrown right into the throne, that came with huge implications for the development of England. He founded the United Kingdom himself. The management of the system that he developed really worked and it was accepted by others. William also created an army that conducted the first of landowners. The conquest of Normany in England the year of 1066 was taken ahead by the army of troops of William the...
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...quickly had been designated by the Saxon Witan to guard the country. With the passing of Harold II at Hastings, sorted out Saxon resistance fallen. William of Normandy, driving less than three thousand Norman knights, moved north parallel to the drift, took Dover, then judiciously went to Canterbury, where he threatened Archbishop Stigand into giving his approval for Duke William to proceed onward to Westminster and claim the crown. Along his way toward London, William's aptitude, as a military strategist for fulfilling this objective with constrained ground support, is appeared in the way he encompassed and disconnected towns with least showdown. In any case, when he touched base at the south shore of the Thames opposite London, he mercilessly crushed the land. He exhibition to nationals of London that he could be absolutely brutal, and that he implied business. In this, he was successful to the point that the Saxon pioneer, Edgar the Atheling (the main living male beneficiary of Alfred the Great) and other Saxon nobles in London met William outside the city entryways, where they offered him...
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...Battle of Stamford Bridge 25th September 1066 b) Battle of Hastings 14th Octuber 1066 3. 1 comet: Halley's comet The Norman conquest (from the norman point o view) It is 1064. In the Royal Palace of Westminster Edward the Confessor, King of England since 1042, is talking to his brother-in-law Harold, Earls of Wessex. After this Harold, holding a haek, makes for the south coast with his followers and hunting dogs. Harold's ship is driven across the channel, to Ponthieu, noth of Normandy, the territory of the fierce Count Guy. Harold is shown twice. At the left he stands on the ship, ready to land. As soon as he climbs ddown, he is seized by the soldiers of Count Guy, who directs operations from horseback. Harold, now a prisoner, is treated with respect; he rides in front, with his hawk, towards Beaurain, Guy's capital town. Guy sits on his throne and speaks with Harold. New is brought to William tha Guy has seized Harold. Guy obeys William's order and takes Harold to meet him. Guy ponts to Harold; both men carry their hawks. Harold accompanies William and the Norman soldiers as they set off to fight Duke Conan of Brittany. They pass Mont St. Michel, and they hace to cross the river. They hold their shields above their heads. Some soldiers sink into quicksand and Harold rescues them two at a time! The Normans catch up with Conan at Dinan. During the battle soldiers on horseback throw lances, and others try to set fire to the defences. Conan surrenders...
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...be able to come home soon, the enemy has been steadily retreating. My cause has been great and I believe I have been able to honor our family name. Let it be known that as a Norman soldier, the Battle of Hastings was one of the most successful and memorable battles that I ever participated in. Since I have volunteered for the war, we have spent the days working hard in the preparation of the ships we were going to be using to sail across the channel. It seemed like every day there were more and more soldiers arriving to help and fight for the cause. To keep the soldiers organized and working efficiently Duke William separated us into groups that would work on the ships, another group would work on weapons at the armory and another group would gather supplies needed for the journey and this battle. As the days past I became more anxious to go to battle, not sure if it was the smell of fresh cut wood or seeing the ships being built or seeing the magnificent weapons that were being crafted and stock piled. I know that the men I am with will fight to the death, we are a brotherhood of men. The soldiers who could afford it wore leather jackets with steel chain or ring mail sewn into the leather, carrying a spear, sword and the tear drop shaped shield. Archers in the Norman army were armed with a short bow. The significant features of the...
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...Straight after the conquest of England in 1066 William of Normandy was keen to consolidate his power over his new kingdom and display his authority to his English subjects. Norman oppression can be judged by castles, law/taxes and the means by which William dealt with the English rebellions which arose. However, were the years 11066 -1075 a period of growing oppression for the English or was William merely taking action appropriate to the situations he found himself in? Oppression is keeping people of a kingdom suppressed and powerless against their rulers. When the Normans arrived in 1066, they decided to take a geopolitical approach to their new kingdom. Before The Battle of Hastings began, the Normans had already built two castles and after William became King he started having these castles built across England, especially the White Tower. Even after the rebellions during the years of 1067 to 1071, castles became a common sight through England. This proves that the geopolitical form of oppression did indeed grow over time. Castles were built in precaution to make the rebellious kingdom more stable, to intimidate the locals and to protect the Norman soldiers. These castles were also placed for strategy purposes and they were used to protect borders, trade and communication. The Normans used these castles to display their authority to the English people as they destroyed hundreds of homes in order to make way for construction, the Normans even got the local people to build...
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...Confessor a successful monarch? Edward was a successful monarch because throughout his reign there were few rebellions and the kingdom was mostly at peace. However, he could also be considered an unsuccessful monarch as he exiled Godwin and his son Swegn and yet after, renounced their exile. Edward brought Normans to England and gave them positions of power. Robert of Jumièges was brought to England and became the Archbishopric of Canterbury from 1051 to 1052. Another Norman brought over was Ralph the Timid (Ralph of Mantes) who was Edward’s nephew and he was the Earl of Herford from 1051 to 1055/57. These appointments were to the dislike of many Anglo-Saxon nobles, especially Godwin, as they believed that high positions such as Archbishopric were meant to be held by Anglo-Saxons. Edward mainly appointed these Normans because he trusted them more than some Anglo-Saxons, this shows the Edward was very self-sufficient and that he could use his power for things that he wanted, instead of being controlled by Earls such as Godwin. It is also a statement of who is in control and who the leader is. The earldom of Herefordshire was held by Godwin’s son Swegn and so by appointing a Norman to that position it emphasises his power. These are all good qualities of a successful monarch. Because of this ability to cement that he is in charge and show who is in power, there were very few rebellions during Edward’s reign from 1042 to 1066. One of the few rebellions which were against him was when...
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