1066 Norman Invasion
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Context
Perhaps the first real invasion, The Norman Invasion of 1066 was the first successful attempt at uniting Anglo-Saxon Society. It involved the incessant raids of the Norse, sailing across the North Sea to The British Isles. During this time, the Vikings from Denmark were also raiding Anglo-Saxon Britain, but even the Danes were overthrown by the Norse. The result of these various people groups was a culturally diverse and heterogeneously mixed society. [1] Among the most serious of battles was the Battle of Hastings, in which William the Conqueror lead the Norse into a final battle with the Anglo-Saxons. The final moments of the battle involved the Norse calvary charging and killing the Anglo-Saxon King. With this, the Norse successfully gained control of the British Isles, and William the Conquerer took the throne. [2] |
Effect
As the Norse traveled from Norway to England, they brought the previously disheveled Anglo-Saxon people together in union, with a renewed sense of nationalism. But perhaps more importantly, the Norse imposed their cultural ideals, virtues, and beliefs upon the Anglo-Saxons. The most recognizable of these adopted beliefs was the religion of Christianity, bringing and end to Paganism. "To consolidate his position William used the existing Anglo-Saxon administrative system, which functioned as part of a centralized monarchical tradition [...] The period saw many churches and castles built, the latter chiefly on the south and east coasts and on the Welsh and Scottish borders. Norman French became the language of the court and upper classes, and of literature, and had great effect on the development of the English Language." [3] |
Timelines.tv. “Norman Conquest - Timelines.tv History of Britain B0” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 8 June. 2010. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
Essentially, the 1066 Norman Invasion stimulated the beginning of the Middle Ages, and propelled the country of Europe into a Christian-based, fixed-hierarchy society which lead to the development of castles and other architectural feats.