Canterbury And The Norman Conquest

When William I and his army arrived in Canterbury they found a powerful and long-established ecclesiastical centre, whose traditions and culture differed in many respects from those of Normandy. The Conquest brought dramatic change: Archbishop Stigand was deprived in 1070 to be replaced by the Norman abbot Lanfranc; Canterbury Cathedral itself was burnt down in 1067 and rebuilt in a Norman style. But in the following years Canterbury's position in the English church was preserved and enhanced and Norman churchmen came to appreciate more fully the importance of their English inheritance. These original essays provide a reassessment of this subject reflecting modern interests and research. They discuss the political setting of Canterbury and its churches, both locally and nationally, the aims and achievements of its leaders, the cults of its saints and many aspects of its artistic achievement. Together they bring into focus what is a crucial test case for the impact of the Norman Conquest on English politics, society and culture.

This resource provides a full introduction to the Norman Conquest, which resulted in dramatic changes to England's aristocracy, church, and administration; brought new language and cultural influences to England; and revolutionized military architecture with the introduction of the castle. With maps showing how William the Conqueror's strategic intelligence enabled him to defeat his formidable opponents and create a new order, this vivid survey studies the Conquest's campaigns in detail. Assessing the human experience of the war, attention is also paid to the community surrounding the campaigns. Including a chronology and an analysis of the consequences of William the Conqueror's victory, this fascinating volume will prove valuable for both student and general readers.

The Norman Conquest was one of the most significant events in European history. Over forty years from 1066, England was traumatised and transformed. The Anglo-Saxon ruling class was eliminated, foreign elites took control of Church and State, and England's entire political, social and cultural orientation was changed. Out of the upheaval which followed the Battle of Hastings, a new kind of Englishness emerged and the priorities of England's new rulers set the kingdom on the political course it was to follow for the rest of the Middle Ages. However, the Norman Conquest was more than a purely English phenomenon, for Wales, Scotland and Normandy were all deeply affected by it too. This book's broad sweep successfully encompasses these wider British and French perspectives to offer a fresh, clear and concise introduction to the events which propelled the two nations into the Middle Ages and dramatically altered the course of history.

A study of the experiences of the lesser English lords and landowners at the time of the Norman conquest and the aftermath