How Did The Norman Conquest Influence Western Civilization

Another impact they had on the European society was that they helped lead to feudalism. Because the kings were away

On the 14th of October 1066, Duke William of Normandy defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. His win could be summed up by the fact that William was a better leader. Other factors that contributed to William’s victory include: William was better prepared, the English army was severely weakened as Harold had just fought off an invasion in the North of England, and Harold made a fatal mistake of prematurely entering the Battle of Hastings.

On the 14th of October, the Saxon and Norman forces clashed in the Battle of Hastings. Harold took up a defensive position on Senlac Ridge. The Norman army was forced to attack uphill, placing them at a disadvantage.

Harold Godwinson was born in the 1022s to a powerful Anglo-Saxon family in Wessex, United Kingdom. Throughout his life, he achieved many great things, including being the last Anglo-Saxon to be crowned King of England and being the Earl of Wessex. He was at the top of the social structure from the 6th of January 1066 until his death fighting the Norman Invaders on the 14th of October at the Battle of Hastings. The Battle of the Hastings was a major event during this time period and marked the beginning of the Norman Conquest of England.

William was young at this time in his life, but that didn’t mean he would back down from a fight. William was already the ruler of Normandy and this, the battle of hastings would give him his second country to rule. Although he would become ruler of England he still didn’t go there much he lived in Normandy, and was a very respectable and experienced ruler, under his reign the church flourished.

Arguably the most important factor in the exertion of power over the English was the ability by the Normans to act militarily. The warlike attitude of the Normans, combined with the religious aspects that will be discussed later, provided them with a ready and capable army with which to support William’s claim to the throne. The early years of William’s rule, after the 1066 defeat of Harold, emerged as a sort of military occupation within England by the Normans. These years were crucial in the Norman advance within England. When William came to England he arrived with a large support of military men and much of these supporting military men remained in England because of their military duties. This army aided William not only in the initial battle against Harold, but later as well, through their

The Battle of Hastings happened on the 14th of October 1066 in East Sussex - which is outside of Hastings. The battle was between Harold Godwinson and William, duke of Normandy. There are three main reasons why William won the Battle of Hastings; this is because William had a ‘head start’ and he also has cavalry. The main reason he won was because during the battle William ordered his foot soldiers to run away so that the English would go downhill after them.

Henry II (1133 - 1189) was the grandson of Henry I, but only became king after having invaded England in 1153 and forcing his second cousin, King Stephen to make him heir. He was only able to invade due to his marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine, as it made him Lord of Aquitaine and gave him more power and influence in France. His succession to the throne in 1154 made him commander of an empire which stretched from northern Scotland to south-western Europe. He made various significant changes to the empire during his rule. He controlled the power of the Church and set in place various legal reforms which became the basis for the legal system still used today. He was known for being ruthless and having a very bad temper, which were some of the

Thesis statement - Without the help of William the Conqueror, England would not be as powerful a country as it is today. (1)

In 1272, King Henry III died and Edward was crowned as the new King of England. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 19th August, 1274.

It is at this time where early transitions and alliances started to pay off. Ancient traditions helped William maintain his ducal authority. Count William of Arques still had to pay homage to the duke. Probably the biggest reason William was able to maintain his authority was due to the Norman relationship with France. King Henry I supported William. Another break for William was the fact that King Henry didn’t take Normandy for himself. He did claim rights over Normandy and placed William under his protection. The King was exercising his rights as overlord to safeguard his kingdom. King Henry didn’t do this completely without any benefit to himself, he did take two fortresses.

In this essay I am writing about why William Duke of Normandy won the battle of Hastings.

After constantly being attacked he was forced to seek king henry of France who molded him and made him to the ruthless leader he was to become. After leaving Normandy for so long, William made his return back in 1047 and asserted his authority destroying all of the rebels after that making the claim as the undisputed Duke of Normandy. William of Normandy matured into a tall man with red hair. During this time The Duke of Normandy went to visit his cousin Edward the confessor, It was during this visit that he would be promised William the kingdom should he die. The true heir was Edgar Atheling who is Edwards great nephew, but he was still a child who knew very little about England, but Edward who was appointed the king in 1042 promised him in that right.

William arrived at Torbay, on November 5th 1688 ready to fight for the throne. He was a brave man, for James II’s army was double the size of William’s army. Although it didn’t matter because James II’s army was deserting to the other side, James II army had abandoned him. When William of Orange was welcomed into London, James II fled to France in disguise. Parliament claimed that by abandoning his country, the king had abdicated and the throne was now left vacant. On February 6th 1689 Mary and William became King and Queen of England.

The conflict was in the end resolved at the battle of Hastings in 1066. As Harald Goodwinson’s army first faced Harald Hardrada’s Viking attack in September of 1066 in the battle of Stamford Bridge. Harald Goodwinson’s army managed to defeat the Vikings in an exhausting battle, however, only three days later William’s army reached Hastings and Goodwinson and his army had to rush to the sight to face their new foe. Goodwinson’s army was indeed reduced and tired after the trials at Stamford Bridge, nevertheless, what followed was the longest battle in the history of medieval Britain (Kramer.33), and the result was a new king of England, the Duke of Normandy, King William the Conqueror.