A Short History of the Norman Conquest of England

by Edward Augustus Freeman

"By the Norman Conquest of England we understand that series of events during the latter part of the eleventh century by which a Norman Duke was set on the throne of England, and was enabled to hand down the crown of England to his descendants. The Norman Conquest of England does in truth mean a great deal more than the mere transfer of the crown from one prince or one family to another, or even than the transfer of the crown from a prince born in the land to a prince who came from beyond sea. It means a great number of changes of all kinds which have made the history and state of our land ever since to be very different from what they would have been if the Norman Conquest had never happened... But the fact that a Norman Duke was set on the throne of England is the central point of the whole story of the Norman Conquest of England. That story must tell how William Duke of the Normans became William King of the English. It must also tell how it came about that the Norman Duke could be made King of the English; that is, it must tell something of the causes which led to the Norman Conquest. It must also tell of the changes which came of the way in which the Norman Duke was made King of the English. That is, it must tell something of the effects which followed on the Norman Conquest..." - Edward A. Freeman

Contents: I. Introduction. II. The English and the Normans. III. The Early Dealings between English and Normans. IV. The Youth of Duke William. V. Harold Earl and King. VI. The Two Harolds. VII. The Coming of Duke William. VIII. The Great Battle. IX. How Duke William became King. X. How King William won the whole Kingdom. XI. King William’s later Wars. XII. How King William ruled the Land. XIII. The Two Williams. XIV. The Results of the Norman Conquest. XV. The Later History.

Genres: History

166 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

English historian, architectural artist, and Liberal politician, as well as a one-time candidate for Parliament. He held the position of Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford.

Reviews

[Daniel Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, understandable nutshell of the situation giving rise to the Norman conquest.

[Rod Zinkel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The brief history gives many names of people and places without going into depth about them. It is good for getting the basic facts of events leading up to the Norman Conquest, during William's reign, and some time after his death. What I found is most valuable in Freeman's work is his discussion of the effects of the Norman conquest of England.

[K. Counihan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short History Norman Conquest of England

This was a short engaging history of the Norman Conquest of England. It gives the reader a just the facts approach to history. It is then up to the reader to pursue a more robust in depth study of the topic of they choose to.

[Marti Martinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

No fluff.

[Castlehill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Fascinating Brief Read

An abridge history of William the Conqueror 's invasion of England, that leads the reader to crave more about the Man and his conquest.

[TomK2 · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

A bit too dry for me to finish. I was enjoying it, but eventually the endless presentation of dry facts to satisfy historical accuracy was just too hard for me to continue. I may come back to this after consuming more historical fiction for the same time period, then I might have interest in the actually dry, but true, material to balance what embellishment the story tellers have made.

[Paul Creasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book

Very informative and jam packed with facts. A bit dry at times it makes up for this by being very comprehensive in a relatively short book. A good read for history buffs.

[Michael Christian Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. Enjoyed it.