The History of England

from Celts through 20th century

Archives for the ‘11th century’ Category

The Norman Conquest and the Establishment of Feudalism in England

Category: 11th century

The end of the tenth century in England is marked by the advance towards feudalism. At this period the Danish invasions were renewed under king Sweyn, who had managed to unite Denmark and Norway. The attacks against England were now organized on a very interesting commercial plan. The invaders demanded a payment of money as […]



New Attacks of the Danes

Category: 11th century

At  the  end  of  the  10th  century  the  Danish  invasions  were  resumed.  The  Anglo-Saxon  kings  were  unable  to  organize  any  effective  resistance  and  they  tried  to  buy  off  the  Danes.  The  Anglo-Saxon  kings  gave  them  money  to  leave  them  in  peace.  The  result  was  that  they  came  again  in  greater  num­bers  the  following  year  to  […]



Further Development of the Feudal Relations in the 10th-11th Centuries

Category: 11th century

The  Danish  invasions  during  the  9th  and  10th  centuries  hastened  the  process  of  the  development  of  feudal  relations  in England.  The  peasantry  which  made  up  the  bulk  of  the  population  suffered  very  much  from  the  raids  of  the  Danes.



The Peculiarities of the Development of Feudalism in England in the Early Middle Ages

Category: 11th century

During  the  Early  Middle  Ages  (the  5th-11th  centuries)  feudal  relations  were  developing  in  England  like  in  all  the  other  countries  of  Western  Europe.  A  serf  class  was  gradually  appearing.  Most  of  the  serfs  of  the  Early  Middle  Ages  were  descendants  of  the  slaves  and  of  the  peasants  who  had  once  been  free  members  of  the  […]



THE NORMAN CONQUEST OF ENGLAND

Category: 11th century

As  you  already  know  four  different  peoples  invaded England. First  came  the  Celts  in  the  6th  century  В.  C.;  then  the  Romans  in  the  1st  century  A.  D.;  they  were  followed  by  the  Anglo-Saxons  in  the  5th  century;  after  them  came  the  Danes  at  the  end  of  the  8th  century.



The Norman Invasion

Category: 11th century

In  1066  William,  the  Duke  of  Normandy,  began  to  gather  an  army  to  invade Britain.  The  pretext  for  the  in­vasion  was  William’s  claims  to  the  English  throne.  He  was  related  to  the  king  who  died  in  1066. 



The Battle of Hastings

Category: 11th century

The  Normans  outnumbered  the  Anglo-Saxon  forces  and  were  greatly  superior  in  quality.  They  were  all  men  for  whom  fighting  was  the  main  occupation  in  life.  They  were  well  armed  and  the  chance  of  being  killed  was  not  so  great,  since  they  all  wore  armour  and  there  were  no  fire-arms  at  that  time.  The  superior  military  […]



Subjugation of the Country

Category: 11th century

The  victory  at  Hastings  was  only  the  beginning  of  the  Conquest.  It  took  several  years  for  William  and  his  barons  to  subdue  the  whole  of England.  Soon  after  the  victory  at  Hastings  the  Normans  encircled  London  and  the  Witena­gemot  had  to  acknowledge  William  as  the  lawful  king  of England.  Thus  the  Norman  duke  became  king  of  England  […]



The Bayeux Tapestry

Category: 11th century

In  the  Norman  town  of Bayeux,  in  the  museum,  one  can  see  a  strip  of  canvas  about  70  metres  long  and  half  a  metre  wide  embroidered  with  very  well-defined  pictures  which  tell  the  whole  story  of  the  Norman  Conquest.  That  is  the  famous  Bayeux  Tapestry.  It  is  said  that  William’s  wife  and  the  ladies  of  the  […]



THE NORMAN CONQUERORS AND HOW LIFE CHANGED IN ENGLAND UNDER THEIR RULE

Category: 11th century

The  Norman  Conquest  brought  about  very  important  changes  in  the  life  of  the  Anglo-Saxons. We  have  seen  what  little  power  King  Harold  had  over  the  great  lords.  The  Anglo-Saxon  earls  did  not  even  join  their  king  at Hastings.  After  the  Conquest  the  royal  power  in  England  strengthened  greatly.