The Norman Conquest

William, the future conqueror of England, as Duke Robert's illegiti­mate son already inherited his father's throne in 1026 and in 1035. By 1047 the nineteen-year-old Duke had gained full control over his [and and over his rebellious vassals. In 1051 he visited Edward the Confessor in London who promised to name him as his successor. Fifteen years later William decided to invade England.

His invasion was well-timed for success. The new King of England Harold II and his army were busy fighting the two contenders for the English throne; one of them was Harold's own brother Tosting and the other the King of Norway Harold III Hardaada. A few days after a brilliant victory over the King of Norway and Tosting in the battle of Stamford Bridge on September 25,1066 Harold received news of William of Normandy's landing in Kent. He rushed with his exhausted army to the south to fight William whose invasion he had been expecting.

The Normans had landed on September 28, and the news reached Harold in the north three days later. By the time Harold's army completed its forced march from Yorkshire to Kent, William's troops had rested and refreshed themselves after crossing the Channel at Hastings castle. They were beginning their march to London when the English army confronted them at about 9 km from Hastings. On October 14,1066 the great battle of Hastings was fought between the English and the Norman armies. At first the success was on the English side, but eventually they were defeated and King Harold was killed.

Harold left several children, but they were powerless against the Norman usurper. Incidentally, one of Harold's daughters, named Gyta was the first wife of Grand Prince Vladimir Monomachos of Kiev. After the victory at Hastings there was nothing to stop William of Normandy and his army on the way to London. However, London itself was not prepared to welcome the invaders. William and his army arrived to find London gates shut against them. William isolated Londoners marching around burn­ing and devastating all the suburbs and the countryside on the way. Fi­nally, the city gates were opened, and William entered London, promising fair treatment to its citizens in exchange for submission. Two months later William was crowned at Westminster Abbey as King William I (1066-1087).

William's coronation, however, did not mean that his conquest of England was complete and that he had nothing to worry about. His new kingdom was far from being secure. The Earls of Northumbria and Mei cia were not yet willing to submit, and revolts against the Norman rule broke out several times around the country. William put them down with great ruthlessness and cruelty, burning down rebellious towns and villages and killing his opponents without hesitation.

The Conquest accelerated the development of feudal relations in England. A class of Norman landlords was created in England, and these landlords - earls and barons - were the King's vassals who had to swear loyalty to him and to come under his banners when necessary with their own knights and soldiers.

The large landlords could distribute as much of their land as they wished among their knights. Then the knights allocated plots of that land to peas­ants (freeholders or serfs who actually worked the fields). The freeholders could leave their land and decide to settle elsewhere if they liked; the serfs were bound to their lord's land by law, and they could only leave it by paying for it or by running away.

In terms of their origin, the Normans were Northmen (Vikings who had settled on the south side of the Channel in the late 9th century. They greatly assimilated with the French. They brought to England the French language and the French way of life.