The Normans: The History of a Dynasty

by David Crouch

"The Normans" is the history of a dynasty. It is also the history of ruthless ambition, rivalry and war between brothers and cousins. The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 was a critical moment in history. Following the death of Harold at the battle of Hastings, it established William, duke of Normandy, on the throne of England. By ending Anglo-Saxon rule, it tied England to Normandy and to involvement in France for the next five hundred years.
The Normans were pioneers of strong government, vigorous builders of church-es and castles, and fierce warriors. William l's death was followed by civil war and continued tension between England and Normandy, unresolved at the time of he death of William Rufus in a hunting accident in the New Forest in 1100. Peace under Henry I was followed by final eclipse after the Anarchy of Stephen's reign, when 'Christ and his saints slept'.

Genres: History, Medieval, France, British Literature, Nonfiction, Medieval History, European History

362 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

David Bruce Crouch, FRHistS, FBA, was Professor of Medieval History at the University of Hull, where he taught from 2003 until his retirement in 2018.

Reviews

[Romulus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Czytałem głównie w podróży - a z rzadka wybieram wówczas książki historyczne. Ale dzieje dynastii normańskiej, od na wpół legendarnego Rollona po Stefana z Blois i cesarzową Matyldę to mój oczywisty konik w ramach historii średniowiecza w ogólności i średniowiecznej Anglii w szczególności. Książka napisana ze swadą, nie zanudzająca czytelnika historiozoficzną rozprawą. Może autor mógłby skupić się czasami na jakimś konkretnym, soczystym szczególe, ale to nieistotne. Podobało mi się podejście do kolejnych władców Normandii a potem i Anglii i próba przedstawienia ich w ludzkim wymiarze.

Kupiłem ebooka, ale zastanawiam się nad dokupieniem wydania papierowego.

[Adelais · Rating 4 out of 5]

Гарна узагальнююча праця про те, як вікінги (приблизно) набігли спочатку на північ Франції, а потім їм видалося мало, і нормандський герцог захопив Англію. Звичайно, все не так просто, і більшу частину свого королювання Вільгельм Завойовник власне воював, щоб відстояти надбане, а після його смерті сини конфліктували між собою добрий десяток років, поки не переміг Генріх Перший, який вмів не тільки у війну, але й в бухгалтерію та дипломатію. Так на англійських теренах запрацювала податкова система, але від подальших династичних негараздів це, звичайно, нікого не вберегло. Досить грунтовна книга; при цьому легко читалася.

[Julie Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed if sometimes confusing intro to the dynasty leading to William the Conqueror and the Norman Conquest [there are a lot of names and places and dates!] Additional chapters lead to Stephen and the civil war. Read on: www.openlibrary.org

1. Counts of Rouen
2. Richard II and his Sons
3. William of Normandy
4. The Conqueror of England
5. William Rufus
6. Henry I
7. Robert Curthose and William Clito
8. Stephen
9. The Norman Dynasty

"Historians are now convinced that the offer to William of a place in the succession in 1051 really did happen. But whether Edward had as yet singed William out as sole heir from among his other close cousins (the Anglo-French children of Godgifu, his sister and the exiled children of Edmund Ironside) is another matter, and not a question that will ever be resolved."

"The final and most serious failures in Normandy in 1137 were the alienation of Robert of Gloucester from Stephen's court and the fall from grace of Bishop Henry. Earl Robert does not seem ever to have taken to Stephen as King and the distaste may have been mutual; the two were regarded as rivals even before Stephen was crowned. But, like him or not, Stephen still needed his support. Robert, however, saw himself as threatened by the growing dominance of Count Waleran at court; a dominance all the more obvious as Bishop Henry was himself squeezed out of influence following the military failure that summer. As Walerans influence strengthened the king began more and more to turn to direct military action to further his ends, which was never the sort of policy that Bishop Henry would have suggested."

[Jacob Lehman · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to know the geography of Northern France, this will solidify it in your mind.

I read this book as a part of my project to read one book from every aisle in Olin Library. You can read more about the project, find reactions to other books, and (eventually) a fuller reaction to this one here: https://jacobklehman.com/library-read

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

dipping in and out of this, very detailed.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on the subject I have ever read.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed if a little dry.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this five stars except towards the end I found someone of his chronological jumps confusing. I thought it was an excellent introduction to the dynasty. The Norman Dynasty is a testing ground for issues of national and ethnic identity--how much of the "North Men" was still in the culture? Were they totally assimilated? How did the different groups perceive the matter of being "Norman"?

[Pedro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro fantástico por donde se lo vea. Concentrándose en lo que el autor denomina la dinastía normanda, la propuesta analiza brevemente la entidad política e identitaria que se desarrolló en la región, representada en la serie de duques que gobernaron Normandía.

Los capítulos dedicados a la formación del ducado considero los más útiles, pero sin dudas el más completo es el dedicado a Esteban.

[Klaudia]

*I read it in fragments -- I needed it for my essay and found it really informative and interesting.*