TOPIC TWO

• Cnut's marriage to Emma of Normandy allowed Emma's son Edward the Confessor to come to power in 1042 and thereby created a connection to Normandy (where Edward had lived in exile)
• Witan


  A national council/parliament of the leading Anglo-Saxons
• Edward the Confessor


  King of England and son of Aethelred and Emma (1042-1066)
• William the Conqueror


  The Duke (leader) of Normandy who seized the English throne in 1066
• Thegn


  A powerful landowner given their title and land by the king
• Harold Godwinson


  The most powerful Anglo-Saxon in England-briefly King in 1066
• Harald Hardrada


  Viking ruler of Norway who tried to seize the English throne in 1066
• Harold Godwinson defeats an invasion by the Viking claimant to the throne Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in September 1066
• William the Conqueror launches an invasion of England defeating and killing Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in October 1066
• William the Conqueror is crowned King William I of England at Christmas 1066
• William dies following 20 years of Norman rule in 1087
• Most of the Anglo-Saxon landowners were killed during the Norman Conquest, and William gave their lands away to his loyal barons and knights from Normandy
• The Normans introduced castles to England, with William's barons building 500 of them across the country to secure Norman control
• William, his court and his Norman barons spoke French, which became the language of power, while English became the language of ordinary people
• The Anglo-Saxons became second class citizens, ruled over by the Norman barons and knights, with their taxes now going to the Normans
• England became connected to France, which would have important consequences in the near future, having previously been under the influence of Northern Europeans for 600 years with the Anglo-Saxons and then the Vikings
• William's great skill as a general allowed him to defeat Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and secure Norman control of England
• The failure of Edward the Confessor to produce a male heir led to the crisis in 1066, which allowed William and the Normans to claim the throne
• William's superior military tactics, use of castles and knights allowed him to conquer England and then secure it against Anglo-Saxon rebellions
• About 200,000 people were killed in the Conquest and its aftermath, and the Normans introduced castles to England to secure their control against Anglo-Saxon rebellions
• England became part of Normandy's empire and was connected to France, remaining strongly connected for the next 400 years under the Normans and then Angevins
• The Normans increased spending on the Church and built hundreds of abbeys and cathedrals across the country, and England's culture became strongly influenced by Normandy
• The rulers of England now spoke French and the people they ruled over spoke English, with Anglo-Saxons becoming second-class citizens
• William II


  William the Conqueror's son who became King of England
• Henry I


  William the Conqueror's younger son who became King of England while his brother Robert was given Normandy
• Henry I seizes Normandy from Robert and becomes King of both Normandy and England in 1106
• Henry I dies in 1135, leading to a succession crisis and the start of the Angevin period
• Henry II becomes King in 1154, starting the Angevin dynasty which would rule England for over 300 years
• Castles


  Introduced by the Normans to England to secure their control against Anglo-Saxon rebellions
• England became part of Normandy's empire and was connected to France for the next 400 years by the Normans
• The Normans increased spending on the Church and built hundreds of abbeys and cathedrals across the country
• England's culture became strongly influenced by Normandy, with Norman castles and cathedrals built all over England, and French words like 'solder' becoming part of the language
• William the Conqueror dies, handing power to his son William II


  1087
• Henry I becomes King of England while his brother Robert is given Normandy


  1100
• Henry I seizes Normandy from Robert and becomes ruler of both Normandy and England


  1106
• Henry I dies, leaving his daughter Matilda in charge, but Stephen of Blois tries to seize the throne, leading to a 19-year civil war

  1135
• Stephen dies, with Matilda's son Henry II becoming King


  1154
• Barons


  Powerful landowners who gained their title and land by the King
• Magna Carta


  The "Great Charter" signed in 1215 that recognised people's rights to certain basic freedoms
• Richard I dies and is replaced by his brother King John


  1199