The Norman Invasion
1066
Who were the Normans?
● The Normans were
originally Vikings
(“North Men”) from
Scandinavia
● They settled in a part
of France called
Normandy
● The Normans were
the last people to
successfully invade
England
In 1066 the Anglo-Saxon King of
England (Edward the Confessor)
died without an heir
Two people claimed the
Kingdom:
* William, The Duke of
* Harold, The Earl of Wessex Normandy
The Norman Conquest (1066)
● Harold had himself crowned King
but his position was not secure.
● By August 1066 William had
assembled a force of about 5,000
knights for invasion
● William defeated Harold at the
Battle of Hastings (Oct 14 1066).
● This resulted in profound political,
administrative, and social
changes in the British Isles.
William the Conqueror
● William was crowned in
Westminster Abbey on
Christmas Day 1066.
● However, native revolts
continued until 1071.
● England was divided among
180 Norman “tenants in chief”
(basically “Lords”)
● William brought about many
changes in British culture
● Military conquest followed by settlement
and firm administration led to the
Normanisation of England, Wales and
lowland Scotland.
● William's victory brought England into
closer contact with western Europe.
Cultural and economic links with France
and continental Europe were re-
established.
● Stone castles became a common sight,
serving as administrative centres as well
as military and economic strongpoints.
The White Tower
● The oldest building in the Tower
● Was built in 1078 by William I
● Originally referred to as the Great Tower
● 27 m high
● Primary purpose – a fortress-stronghold
● Nowadays - a museum
Durham Cathedral
● Situated in the city of Durham, England
● Norman (Romanesque) architecture
● Begun in 1093
● The turning point for the cathedral was after the
Reformation in the 16th century
● Re-founded in 1540
● On the bank of River Wear
● 143 m high
● A UNESCO World Heritage Site
What the Normans did…
● Considerable changes in the
social structure - new aristocracy
introduced
● Anglo-Saxon central and local
governments and judicial system
retained
● English disappeared in official
documents - replaced by Latin,
then by Norman-French.
● Written English slowly reappeared
in the 13th century.
FEUDALISM
Feudalism
● Feudalism brought to England by
the Normans
● bases: obligations and relations
between lord, vassal and fief
1. Lords (Land owners),
2. Vassals (Knights)
3. Fiefs (Land).
● In exchange for use of the fief, the
vassal would provide military
service to the lord.
● Knights were supported by
peasants who worked to produce
food and ideologically supported
by the church.
The Domesday Book (1086)
● The Domesday Book was the result of
a great survey by William I
● He sent officials to 13,418 places to
find out who lived there and what they
owned.
● The purpose of the survey was for tax
collection, or possibly as a way of
resolving disputed titles and lands.
● Domesday was the most complete
record of any country at that time and
continued to be consulted on legal and
administrative matters into the Middle
Ages.
●Why DOMESDAY?
• People compared it to: “Last
Judgement”, or 'Doomsday‘.
• This name was not adopted until
the late 12th Century.
● VIDEO: The Domesday Book (Horrible
Histories)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjm4NDE_vRE
In order to reduce crime and prevent rebellion William
used public execution as a deterrant.
During Saxon times
your fine went to the
person that you had
hurt. After the Norman
Conquest, your fine
went to king.
Trial by Ordeal was
replaced by Trial by
Combat but the
principle was the
same. It was used in
cases where guilt
could not be decided,
as they believed that
God would not let an
innocent man suffer.
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY
● Embroidered cloth nearly 70 m long
and 50 cm tall.
● It depicts the events leading up to
the Norman conquest of England
and culminating in the Battle of
Hastings.
● VIDEO: The Bayeaux Tapestry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8OPQ_28mdo
