The Norman Conquest of England

The Norman Conquest

• The Norman invasion resulted in a new royal family, ruling class, culture, and language in England.
• It took William and his barons over 5 years to subdue the whole of England after the Battle of Hastings.
• There were risings against Norman rule every year from 1067 to 1070, which William ruthlessly put down.
• The lands of Northumbria were raised to the ground, with every house or cottage between Durham and York burnt down, people massacred, crops destroyed, and cattle driven off.

Feudal System

• William organized his English kingdom based on the feudal system, where all lands belonged to him by right of conquest.
• One-seventh of the country was made the royal domain, consisting of 1420 estates.
• The monasteries were granted 1700 estates.
• Anglo-Saxon landowners and clergy were replaced by Norman barons, with only two surviving English lords of any importance by 1086.

Norman Background

• The Normans were a group of Northmen who settled in Normandy, France, after raiding the northern coast in the 9th century.
• They developed a distinct culture and language, assimilating with the French population and adopting their culture and dialect.
• The Normans lived under the rule of the Duke of Normandy, who acknowledged the King of France as their overlord but were practically independent.
• Norman knights were well-trained cavalry and formidable fighters, waging wars to seize new lands and serfs.

Claimants to the English Throne

• The question of who should follow Edward the Confessor as king was a crucial one in English history.
• Edward, being childless, named Harold Godwin as his successor, but William, the Duke of Normandy, also claimed the throne.
• Edward had relied heavily on Harold Godwin, but was more interested in the Church than state affairs, leading to a struggle between Norman influence and Saxon power.