How far did the norman conquest change Anglo Saxon England ? Was it really the end of middle England?
Answers
Answer:
England was successfully invaded by a Norman army from France in 1066. This is one of the most well-known dates in English history.
How The Norman Conquest changed England and Western Europe
The Norman Conquest changed the face of England and Western Europe forever:
The Norman Conquest broke England's links with Denmark and Norway, and connected the country to Normandy and Europe.
William got rid of all the Saxon nobles and imposed the feudal system on England.
The new Norman landowners built castles to defend themselves against the Saxons they had conquered. This gave them great power, and enabled some of them to rebel against William in the late 1070s.
William reorganised the church in England. He brought men from France to be bishops and abbots. Great cathedrals and huge monasteries were built.
The status of women in the Anglo-Saxon period had been relatively high, with the opportunity for rights in land ownership, for instance. The Feudal system introduced by the Normans reversed these changes.
Norman-French and Anglo-Saxon words make up the English language we use today. For example, royal, law and pork come from Norman-French words, but king, rules and pig come from Saxon ones.
Tensions between the English and their new French rulers lasted for at least three centuries.
The three rivals for the English throne in 1066
Edward the Confessor died on 5 January 1066. He had no children. Three men wanted to be king of England. Each man thought he had the best claim to the throne. The next king of England would have to win it in a war.
Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex
Harold was a powerful and rich English nobleman. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Edward named Godwinson as his successor on his deathbed. The next day, the royal council, known as the Witan, met and declared Godwinson king. An English king was proclaimed by the Witan - this gave Harold Godwinson the only claim to the throne by right.
William, Duke of Normandy
The Norman chroniclers reported that Edward had promised his distant relative, William, the throne in 1051. William was the only blood relative of Edward, but the English throne was not hereditary anyway. Claims that Edward promised the throne were probably made up by the rival sides after the event. The Bayeux Tapestry, which was made after the Conquest, shows Godwinson swearing an oath of support to William in a visit to Normandy in 1064. William was supported by the Pope.
Harald Hardrada, King of Norway, Viking warrior
Hardrada based his claim on the fact that his ancestor, King Cnut, had once ruled England (1016‒1035). He was helped by Godwinson's half-brother, Tostig.