NORMAN CONQUEST Joanna Lättemägi

In reminder  King Egbert became the 1st king of England and united all the small Anglo-Saxon kingdoms  Reign of Egbert´s grandson king Alfred the Great, Wessex became the centre of resistance against the Danes

The Norman invasion  1016, England was conquered by the Danish king Canute, an effective ruler  Canute had married Emma, the widow of the Saxon king Ethelred, who had a son Edward  Canute died, his sons did not reign long  1042, reign of Edward the Confessor, the Saxon line of kings was restored  Edward was a weak king  Edward had no children, died in 1066

The Norman invasion  Edward had no children, died in 1066  Succession trouble, three men claimed the throne: 1) The son of Edward´s father-in-law Earl Godwin of Wessex, Harold Godwin, claimed that Edward had promised him the throne on his deathbed 2) Duke William of Normandy claimed that Edward had promised him the throne as well 3) Edward´s great-nephew, Harald Hardrada, the king of Norway

 The Battle of Stamford Bridge – Harold Godwin vs Harald Hardrada  The Battle of Hastings – Harold Godwin vs Duke William of Normandy  Winner William of Normandy aka William the Conqueror

The Battle of Hastings  On 14 October 1066  Near Hastings, East Sussex, on the south coast  Close to present-day Battle  Decisive Norman victory  10,000 soldiers for William; 7,000 for Harold  English army; lead by Harold Godwin  Norman-French army; Duke William of Normandy  The last successful invasion of Britain  Turning point for English history and language

Tom Lovell

Bayeux Tapestry  Nearly 70 m long  Not actually a tapestry, but an embroidered cloth  Depicts the events that lead to the Norman conquest of England  Depicts The Battle of Hastings  About 50 scenes  Text in Latin with English influence  Listed as a “Memory of the World” by UNESCO 

Sources    conquest/battle-hastings.htm conquest/battle-hastings.htm  e_1066.htm e_1066.htm   _England _England