1. The Norman Conquest and the subjection of English, 1066 - 1200 Baugh and Cable, chapter 5

2. 5-81 The Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest in 1066 had the greatest effect on the English language than any other event in the course of its history. What the language would have been like if William the Conqueror had not succeeded?

3. 5-81 The Norman Conquest Perhaps… it would have pursued much the same course as the other Germanic languages and would have retained more of its inflections and preserved a predominantly Germanic vocabulary, incorporating words from other languages much less freely.

4. 5-82 The origin of Normandy Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the coast of France south of the English Channel and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands. The Duchy of Normandy stems from the Danish invasions of France in the 8th century.

5. NORMANDY

6. 5-82 The origin of Normandy Northmen settled here in the 9 th and 10 th centuries. At the same time that other bands were settling in the north and east of England.

7. 5-82 The origin of Normandy In 912 the right of the Northmen to occupy this part of France (Normandy) was recognized (cf. Alfred/ Danelaw) Rollo (c.860 - c.932) - acknowledged the French king (Charles the Simple) as his overlord and became the first duke of the Normans.

8. Photo of Rollo statue depicted among the 6 dukes of Normandy in the town square of Falaise

9. 5-82 The origin of Normandy When the Norse-speaking settlers spread out over the lands of the Duchy (9 -10th cent.), they adopted the Gallo-Romance speech of the existing populations. In Normandy, the new Norman language, formed by the interaction of peoples, inherited vocabulary from Norse. Norman is still spoken in mainland Normandy in France where it has no official status, but is classed as a regional language.

10. 5-82 The origin of Normandy Scandinavians quickly absorbed the most important elements of French civilization, but also improved what they had borrowed. They added the French tactics to their military forces and soon had the best armies in Europe. They accepted Christianity and began the construction of Norman cathedrals that are still marvels of architecture.

11. Exeter's Norman cathedral (12 th c.)

12. 5-82 The origin of Normandy For some years before the Norman Conquest the relations between England and Normandy had been fairly close. In 1002 the English king Æthelred the Unready had married a Norman wife. When driven into exile by the Danes, he took refuge with his brother in law, the Duke of Normandy.

13. 5-82 The origin of Normandy His son Edward was brought up in France, and was almost more French than English. In 1042 the Danish line in England died out and Edward the Confessor (ruled 1042 - 1066) was restored to the English throne from which his father had been driven.

14. 5-83 The Conquest – the year 1066 The Norman conquest of England was the invasion of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy) in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. HOW did this happen?

15. William IWilliam I King of England, Duke of NormandyKing of England, Duke of Normandy William shown as Duke of Normandy in the Bayeux TapestryWilliam shown as Duke of Normandy in the Bayeux Tapestry William IWilliam I King of England, Duke of NormandyKing of England, Duke of Normandy William shown as Duke of Normandy in the Bayeux TapestryWilliam shown as Duke of Normandy in the Bayeux Tapestry William I King of England, Duke of Normandy

16. 5-83 The Conquest – the year 1066 Upon the death of William's cousin King Edward the Confessor of England (January 1066), William claimed the throne of England, asserting that the childless Edward had named him his heir during a visit by William (probably in1052)

17. 5-83 The Conquest – the year 1066 By the mid 1050s, Harold Godwinson, brother- in-law of the late King Edward the Confessor, was effectively ruling England through the weak King Edward and was unlikely to surrender the throne to a foreign noble. England's leading nobles approved Harold Godwinson’s coronation which took place on January 5, 1066 making him King Harold II of England.

18. 5-83 The Conquest – the year 1066

19. In order to pursue his own claim, William obtained the support of Pope Alexander II for his cause. He assembled a Norman invasion fleet of around 600 ships and an army of 7000 men. He landed at Pevensey in Sussex on 1 September 1066 and assembled a prefabricated wooden castle near Hastings as a base.

20. 5-83 The Conquest – the year 1066

21. The Battle of Hastings took place on October 14, 1066. It is the most famous date and the most famous battle in English history. According to some accounts, Harold was allegedly killed by an arrow through the eye, and the English forces fled giving William victory.

22. 5-83 The Conquest – the year 1066 William was then crowned on December 25, 1066 in Westminster Abbey. Although the south of England submitted quickly to Norman rule, resistance continued, especially in the North for six more years until 1072.

23. 5-83 The Conquest – the year 1066 It is an important watershed in English history for a number of reasons: –the conquest linked England more closely with Continental Europe and lessened Scandinavian influence, –created one of the most powerful monarchies in Europe,

24. 5-83 The Conquest – the year 1066 –created the most sophisticated governmental system in Europe, –changed the English language and culture, and –set the stage for an English-French conflict that would last into the 19th century. –It remains the last successful military conquest of England.

25. 5-83 The Conquest – the year 1066 An educated guess at the population of England in the years immediately following the Conquest is two million. It is estimated that one fifth (c. 400,000) of the people of England were killed during these years by war, massacre, and starvation.

26. 5-84 The Norman settlement: Control of England Once England had been conquered, the Normans faced a number of challenges in maintaining control. The Anglo-Norman speaking Normans were in very small numbers compared to the native English population. Historians estimate their number at 5,000 armoured knights.

27. 5-84 The Norman settlement: Control of England Any of the remaining Anglo-Saxon lords who refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of William's accession to the throne or who rose in revolt were stripped of titles and lands, which were then re- distributed to Norman favourites of William. If an Anglo-Saxon lord died without issue (i.e. without heirs) the Normans would always choose a successor from Normandy.

28. 5-84 The Norman settlement: Control of England In this way the Normans displaced the native aristocracy and took control of the top ranks of power. In 1072 only one of the twelve earls (grafas) in England was an Englishman, and he was executed four years later.

29. 5-84 The Norman settlement: Control of England It is quite impossible to say how many Normans and French people settled in England in the century and a half following the conquest, but because the governing class in both church and state was almost exclusively made up from among them, their influence was out of all proportion to their number.

30. 5-84 The Norman settlement: Control of England William proceeded to appoint Normans to church positions. In 1075, 13 out of the 21 abbots (head of a monastery) were English; In 1087, their number was just 3. Foreign monks and priests sought the greater opportunities for advancement in England.