Transcript The Norman Invasion of 1066

By Yvette Duenas, Sweta Zaveri, and Daniel Narvaez
of Mrs. Demangos 4th Period Class
Background information
before the Invasion

 •
In January of 1066, King Edward of England died which lead to a
dispute over the succession of his throne. The leading contender was
Harold Godwinson, the second most powerful man in England and
brother-in-law of Edward. He quickly seized the crown but was
shortly threatened by other rivals who also made claims to the crown.
 •
The first rival who desired to rule was his exiled brother Tostig
Godwinson. He raided Lincolnshire and East Anglia, two Northern
England regions until he was confronted by Earl brothers Edwin of
Mercia and Morcar of Northumbria in the beginning of 1066.
 •
The second rival was Harald Hardrada, King of Norway, who
initially crushed the English army under Edwin and Morcar, but was
eventually defeated by Harold at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in
September of 1066. This English victory was costly as it weakened
Harold’s army.
Why exactly did the whole conflict
start in the first place?

 • As explained earlier, the
reasons for the Normans’ and
particularly William’s (II
Duke of Normandy) desires
for the English throne were
because they were tied by
bloodline and it seemed like a
suitable piece of land. He
swore that they were
promised to reign since there
was no clear heir to the
throne.
More background events
leading up to the Invasion

 • His third rival was William,
Duke of Normandy who
justified his claim to the throne
through his distant blood
relation with Edward. William
also claimed that Edward
himself had designated him as
the next successor. He quickly
got support from Pope
Alexander II and began to plan
his invasion on England. This
would come to be known as the
Norman Invasion of 1066.
Who was involved?

 • The English under King Harold Godwinson
were too defend their homeland against any
invaders that were trying to usurp the throne.
 • The Normans under William II Duke of
Normandy who believed they had the right to
rule England because of Family relations.
 • Tostig Godwinson and King Harald Hadrada
of Norway influenced the results.
Precisely when and where did
it occur?

 • It occurred
throughout the year
1066 and it’s effects
were felt throughout
1074.
 • The fighting took
place in several areas of
England including
more importantly,
Hastings, Berkhamsted,
and London.
What happened when the Normans
landed?

 • William assembled his army, composed of
cavalry and infantry, in Pevensey, located on the
Sothern English shore. He then ordered his army to
pillage and burn nearby towns in order to force
Harold to retaliate and defend his people.
 • Just shortly after having defeated the
Norwegians, Harold marched half of his troops,
south to deal with the Normans.
The Battle of Hastings

 • The battle began on October 14, 1066. The
English, composed mainly of foot soldiers and
archers, met the Normans and were forced to fight a
defensive battle. They formed a defensive shield wall
in attempt to block Norman efforts to attack. This
proved to be successful until some of William’s army
fled followed by some of Harold’s army in pursuit.
This broke up the English wall allowing the
Normans to effectively damage the English army.
The battle finally culminated with the death of
Harold resulting in the Norman victory over the
English.
More events after the attack

 • After the Battle of Hastings with the Leader of
England killed, William continued up the island. He
was met by a few forces in small skirmishes and
easily continued. The rest of England began to
crumble at their ineffective attempts to stop the
invaders. They soon gave in and William was
crowned King on December 25th of December. He
successfully conquered England.
What was the aftermath of the
Conquest?

 • After William was crowned on Christmas day by
Archbishop Ealdred, he sought to preserve the powerful
administration held by the previous Anglo-Saxon
regimes. However, he also brought change through his
new and strengthened aristocracy, built upon the French
ruling class, as well as his efforts to reform the church.
Furthermore, William brought on a transformation of the
English language and the overall culture of England.
French (the Norman dialect of Old French) became the
language of the royal courts and government. French
words and names were introduced into Old English,
developing into “Middle English”. Language of the
Church in England was changed from Old English
(Anglo-Saxon) to Latin.
More results of the William’s Rule

 • King William I took away land from English
aristocrats and handed it to his Norman followers which
led to a large emigration of English nobility to Ireland,
Scotland, and Scandinavia.
 • The Bayeux Tapestry and Domesday Book were
created following the Conquest.
 • The Bayeux Tapestry was an Embroidered cloth
measuring 70 meters long, which depicted the events
leading up to William the Conqueror’s victory and the
Battle of Hastings itself. It is believed to be
commissioned by Bishop Odo (William’s half-brother),
in order to win favor with William.
 • The Domesday Manuscript was a tax record book
and survey of the majority of land in England,
completed in 1086.
Works Cited Page
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http://www.britannia.com/history/hastings.html
Ibeji, Mike. BBC News. 17 Feb. 2011. BBC. 02 Nov. 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/normans/1066_01.shtml>
https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Norman_conquest_of_England.h
tml
"Invasion of England, 1066." Invasion of England, 1066. 02 Nov. 2013
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/bayeux.htm>
"Norman conquest of England." Norman Conquest of England. 02 Nov. 2013
<https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Norman_
conquest_of_England.html>
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/normans/background_01.shtml
Huscroft, Richard (2009). The Norman Conquest: A New Introduction. New York: Longman,
2009. Print.
Huscroft, Richard (2005). Ruling England 1042–1217. London: Pearson/Longman, 2005. Print.
Thomas, Hugh M. (2003). The English and the Normans. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press,
2003. Print.
http://www.essentialnormanconquest.com/