1066 the year of the conquest

A detailed Summary of 1066 the year of the conquest

The book 1066: The Year of the Conquest, written by David Howarth, tells the story of how England was governed, organized, and how the common man lived during this century. It very accurately depicts the daily life of the medieval English town. There is also great insight of the influence the Normans had over England and how they forever changed the culture of the country.

The Normans defeated the English under the rule of William the Conqueror in the year 1066 at the Battle of Hastings. William's conquest can easily be viewed as one of good fortune rather than one of strong military tactics. King Harold of England did not appear to have taken William as seriously as he should have. For example, William caught English spies viewing his army and rather than punishing them, he sent them back to Harold with a clear message. William's message to Harold was that he "need not waste his money paying spies because William would be in England before the year was out to show him the strength of the Norman army (105)." Harold was naive to this because he not only knew William was coming but through his spies he knew what kind of troops he was bringing. Harold only used an army of foot soldiers, fa

Life in England was fairly simple prior to the Norman invasion. There life was very orderly. Every day would begin at the ringing of a bell around four or five o'clock. Shops usually opened around six, which allowed people to shop before breakfast at around nine. The morning was the most active time for the market. Shops would close around three. The English used bells as their main way of telling time. Different bells were rung for different events, such as alarms, fires, attacks, and meetings. Sanitation was a large worry of the English. There were drainage ditches along the sides of the streets. There was also a problem with livestock, such as pigs in the streets, which caused a dirty nuisance (www.britainexpress.com/history).

William and the Normans' influence changed many aspects of the previous society that they came in to. They affected the way the people were governed, the power of the church, and the landscape they came into. They truly changed England's entire future.

The Normans and the English had very different cultures during that time. The Normans were more warlike than the English and apparently loved fighting. This was partially due to the fact that no Norman lord could survive unless he was "willing to fight off other predatory lords (61)." Every lord in Normandy had their own castles, which were designed to provide protection from attacks. The Norman

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Approximate Word count = 944
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History