The Norman Conquest, Dispense di Inglese

Scarica The Norman Conquest e più Dispense in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! The Norman Invasion and the Battle of Hastings The Normans were the last invaders of the British Isles, they came from Normandy (France). Along the route taken by the Normans, it's still possible to see reminders of the oppression of the Saxon people. These are 500 Norman castles built across England. From here they commanded the landscape in every direction. Norman troops, under the command of William the Conqueror, invaded Saxon England on the 28th September 1066 in Pevensey Bay on the Sussex coast, claiming the English crown. What happened in Pevensey Bay, was the very opposite of democracy because Normans came here and conquered the whole England by violence. William’s army was formed of two thousand knights, six thousand horses and eight thousand foot soldiers, who fought against the Saxon King Halord’s army, formed instead of three thousand soldiers. The two armies faced off in Hastings on 14th October 1066. This battle took place in a hill in the north-east of Pevensey. The Saxons formed a shell with their shields, while the Normans had cavalry; but then Saxons broke this wall of shields to advance against Normans that in this way could defeate them easier. King Halord died, hit in the eye by an arrow. This event is depicted in a 70 metres long tapestry, exhibited in Bayeux. So Normans won the Battle of Hastings and William was proclaimed king in Westminster Abbey, on Christmas Day 1066. The consequences of the invasion The arrival of the Normans really changed the life of Saxon people in politics, society and culture. First of all the English ruling class was destroyed and the members of the English high clergy were replaced by French or Italian churchmen. Another important reform was the establishment of the feudal system, that followed a chain of command formed by:  The king who possessed all lands;