The Norman Conquest
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In the IX century while the Danes were plundering England another brunch of Northmen,who related to the Danes were doing the same along the Northern coast of France.
Soon they attacked Franch and conquered the Northmans theritory of France from Franch king and settled down then they established a new settlment and called Normandy.By the time they became very powerful and rich.By XI century the dukes of Normandy had become very powerful. Thoough they acknowledged the king of France as their overlord, they were actually as strong as their overlord.
In 1066 the Duke of Normandy, William began to gather an army to invade Britain. He was related to the English king Edward, who died in 1066. According to the English law if the king left a grown-up son he was almost sure to be chosen as a king; if not , the king’s council of wise men would offer the crown to some other close relative of the dead king. Edward had no children , and William hoped to succeed to the English throne. But the Witengemot chose another relative of the king, the Anglo- Saxon Earl, Harold. William got angry and felt cheated, so he began to prepare for an overwhelming campaign aiming to sweep Anglo- Saxon rulers off the British throne forever. In the careful preparations for invasion William showed himself at his best. He got papal approval for his expedition, instead he promised Pope to strengthen the Pope’s power over the English church. Throughout the spring and summer of 1066 ships were built and military supplies were assembled.
By August 1066 Wiliam’s force was ready. If he had managed to defeat the English , he would then have had to face another contender for the throne, Harold Hardrada, the king of Norway and the famous Viking warior , who also claimed to the English throne. The battle between the Normans and the Anglo – Saxons took place on the 14-th of October, 1066,at a little village in the neighbourhood of the town, Now called Hastigs.
William’s army was superior to that of the Saxons. King Harold was killed in the battle, and thogh the Anglo- Saxons went on fighting the Normans won the victory of them. But the victory at Hastings was only the beginning of the Conquest. It took several years for William to subdue the whole of England. Soon after the victory at Hastings the Normans sieged London and William was declared King of England. He was crowned in Westminster on December 25th.
William the first, or as he was generally known, William the Conqueror, ruled England for 21 years(1066-1087). During the firs 5 years of his reign the Normans had to put down many rebellions in different parts of the country. To strengthen himself the Conqueror declared that all the land in England belonged to him by the right of conquest, the forest-lands which made up one- third of the country belonged to him too.
Thus the king of England became the richest feudal, lord of all.
In 1086 at a great gathering of knights in Salisbury, William made all of them take a special oath to be true to him against all his enemies.
William devided the country into sheries, as the Normans called them . William appointed royal official in each share to be his “sheriff”. To make himself stronger than any of his nobles, William ordered to build a lot of castles in different parts of the country. No other peson was allowed to build a castle without his permission. During William’s reign, many cathedrals and castles werw built. The construction of the Tower of London began.
In 1086 William the Conqueror sent his men all over England , into every share to find out what property every inhabitant of all England possessed in land, cattle and all these writings were broubht to him. That was the first registration in England. That is why , probably the book in which all these accounts were written was called Domesday Book.
William the first established strond central government in England.
He replaced the Witengamot by the Great Council, which consisted of Bishops and Barons to help him govern the country.
