1066 and Before All That: The Battle of Hastings, Anglo-Saxon and Norman England

A Very, Very Short History of England #1

by Ed West

Alternate cover edition can be found here

A riveting account of the most consequential year in English history, marked by bloody conflict with invaders on all sides.

1066 is the most famous date in history, and with good reason, since no battle in medieval history had such a devastating effect on its losers as the Battle of Hastings, which altered the entire course of English history.

The French-speaking Normans were the pre-eminent warriors of the 11th century and based their entire society around conflict. They were led by William 'the Bastard' a formidable, ruthless warrior, who was convinced that his half-Norman cousin, Edward the Confessor, had promised him the throne of England. However, when Edward died in January 1066, Harold Godwinson, the richest earl in the land and the son of a pirate, took the throne . . . . this left William no choice but to forcibly claim what he believed to be his right. What ensued was one of the bloodiest periods of English history, with a body count that might make even George RR Martin balk.

Pitched at newcomers to the subject, this book will explain how the disastrous battle changed England—and the English—forever, introducing the medieval world of chivalry, castles and horse-bound knights. It is the first part in the new A Very, Very Short History of England series, which aims to capture the major moments of English history with humor and bite.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, British Literature, Medieval History, Historical, War

184 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another really humorous look at European medieval history.
Moving at a fast pace, this tongue-in-cheek look at this one year chunk in time is for all of you out there want your history served in a not very serious way.
Just in case you didn't know...
The big match-up in 1066 is THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS!



Harold Godwinson aka the crowned King of England
vs.
Duke William of Normandy aka Willaim the Conquer



However, before we get to the main fight, Harold has to get through Harald Hardrada, who has teamed up with Godwinson's exiled brother, Tostig.
WHAT?! Yes. His own brother has joined the opposing team. It's soap opera city, I'm telling you!



There's a lot more to it than this. Because of course there is! And as silly as Ed West is, he actually does a decent job of hitting all the highlights.
If you're looking for something more in-depth, try the lecture 1066: The Year That Changed Everything. However, if you're just wanting to get a few laughs and learn the basics, this will do quite nicely.
Recommended.

[Melindam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is my least favourite of this otherwise fun and enjoyable series by Ed West.

It still delivers on the (black) humour and short side though.

Great narration by Stephen Crossley, as always.

[Susan in NC · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, rounded up, for dry humor, concise pace, and readability. I love history, well-researched and well-written, and the author manages to pack quite a bit of information into a short book. As I hoped, it gave me a sound foundation of the bare facts of the time, but whetted my appetite to explore further and read more about the period. To me, that’s what the best historical writing does, and if it can make me chuckle (as I did on just about every page), even better! I grew up watching Monty Python reruns on my Chicago public television station, and loved their movies; I personally feel to find the humor in the darkest historical times, you have to be very smart - comedy is hard! This book, for me, was like history taught by the Pythons! Informative and entertaining.

I have already purchased the next few kindle books in West’s five book series, and look forward to reading them. I’m sure I’ll want to read all five - the bibliography and notes give additional sources readers can explore. I also recommend the audiobook, the dry tone of the narrator was delightful! As usual with nonfiction, I’ve copied and pasted many interesting bits into my reading progress, so any of my GR friends who might be interested can have a taste of the style and tone of the book.

[Les · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an American and despite taking college level history classes and passing them my knowledge of European and other non US histories is pretty sketchy. It's really more trivial pursuit level than scholarly.

This book was a delight because it is written in friendly, readable modern language, with witty comments and observations.

While a book that only covered 1066 would confuse rather than clarify what you were learning the author does a good job of limiting the rather absurd and confusing chronology of kings that preceded the Norman invasion. He also includes the rather absurd and confusing chronology of kings that followed the Norman invasion.

Not for the serious scholar but excellent for the history buff.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid, straightforward overview of what lead to the events of 1066; I especially appreciated the conclusion, which analysed the fusion of French and Anglo-Saxon in to the modern English language. However, the humour/sarcasm/wit that flows through the book is a bit of an acquired taste. Sometimes it works well, sometimes it pushes a bit too hard, and sometimes I simply didn't find it funny...but your personal mileage may vary on this score.

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent popular history about a major historical watershed; namely, the demise of the Anglo-Saxon civilization and rise of a new English culture with the arrival of the Normans. It is written with much wit and plenty of 21st century cultural references that kept me entertained and informed throughout. The book begins and ends with events recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

[Georgia Swadling · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really wasn’t expecting this to be quite as funny as it was. a very brief overview but i need bits and bobs like this to bolster my dodgy recollections of history so every little helps.
i didn’t realise that this was a series so i think i’ll definitely try to get to the rest at some point. witty, accessible but well researched nuggets of history are my bag.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

And here I thought living in England during the War of the Roses sounded like a horrific existence. Eleventh century England has that misery beat hands down. The author is quite witty and includes many anecdotes and interesting bits of trivia, but it is still hard to provide any history of England without having to include long, confusing litanies of names: successions of kings and their legitimate and illegitimate progeny; who married whom; which nobles were siding with which ruler at any given time; (and so many bore the same names!) and various bishops and popes. But he was as succinct as possible, bless ‘im.

The era was marked by non-stop famine, disease, stabbing, poisoning, hacking, and blinding each other. King Ethelred raised the largest navy ever at time, with over 80 ships to fight the Vikings, but squabbles among the crews resulted in the navy fighting itself and destroying a third of the fleet before the Vikings ever arrived. And mostly everyone was drunk all the time, which didn’t help matters any.

While the violence levels didn’t change much after the Battle of Hastings, much else sure did! Between a quarter and half of all words in the English dictionary come from French. The castles, knights on horses, rules of chivalry – things we associate with medieval England – came from the Norman invaders. So many Englishmen fled north to Scotland that it upset the linguistic balance, and Scotland became English-speaking rather than Gaelic. The old Saxon names like Ailwin, Godwin, Ordric, Alric, Tostig, and Ulfac – were replaced by Norman names like William and Henry that we now think of as English. Post Battle of Hastings, every Englishman who fought had his lands confiscated and the elite were purged and exiled. Within a generation, there was no native aristocracy.

A man’s social class could (and can) be deciphered just by his name. In 2011, research found that people with Norman surnames are 10% wealthier on average than those with Anglo-Saxon names. Words for semi-skilled trades like baker and shoemaker are Anglo-Saxon, while highly skilled, well-paid professions like mason and tailor come from the French. To this day, Norman ancestry is synonymous in England with elitism (in literature, Anglo-Saxon sounding names like Potter and Weasly are heroes, with the bad guys having Norman-sounding names like Voldemort and Malfoy.)

A couple of my favorite factoids from the book: Much like in America, there are old laws on the books that no one has bothered to repeal, so in some towns on the English-Welsh border, it is still legal to kill any Welshman after dark. And William the Conqueror got so obese that at his funeral, the pallbearers collapsed under the weight, the body fell to the church floor, stinking out the place and causing everyone to flee. What a legacy.

[Ashley Camm · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting insight into the pre-Norman state of the British Isles, where kings could be so terrible that we actively asked to be invaded.

Short and for that, a bit light on detail. Also, the Vikings didn't help by all using one of three names (except Cnut!) and all of their wives being called Emma (except Emma of Normandy who was several peoples wife).

Anyway, great and entertaining romp through early British history. You won't come out of the other side of it with a History degree, just with a better understanding of how the country was run 1000 years ago.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

An irreverent, quick look at the Norman invasion and its fallout on the course of history.

[Al Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A breezy short history.

[Elke Haas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, witty, great and simple explanations of history, one of those books that makes you looking for more and FINALLY explains history in a spellbinding manner.

[Sammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to find out about the time period, read Bernard Cornwell instead. More accurate and more entertaining. (although this was at least amusing)

Still, Dan Jones it ain't...

[John Nellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice short overview of the events leading to the invasion of England in 1066 and the aftermath of the Norman conquest.

[Starbubbles]

If you are into snarky humor that roasts just about everyone, this is a book for you to consider. While I like sass, this can at times come off as mean or anti-Norman and anti-Catholic.

History-wise, this book is problematic. While I am not an expert, and this book was researched, there were parts that I felt were less than accurate. For example, West said (or implied) that the Holy Roman Emperor picked the new pope. That is until the council of cardinals took over that task. That is not exactly true. The pope did crown each new emperor and they did have close ties, but the emperor along with other leaders and influential families influenced pope picks well into the Renaissance era.

The sword that could cut chainmail. I consulted my residential armor enthusiast on this topic, because it was actually a topic we had discussed more than once. He vehemently disagreed. He argued that people died from blunt force trauma with chainmail and that if it could be easily cut, they wouldn't bother wearing it, yet along make it. However, he did say that modern chainmail is very cut-able due to how it is made. It had something to due to modern ones being cut rather than the medieval ones being hand riveted. Google says chainmail can be cut with lots of swords. Try to avoid this rabbit hole if you can.

St. Edward and healing the sick. I am really tired of present-day psychologists trying to analyze people, in particular saints. One cannot offer an accurate diagnosis without actually meeting them. I find it weird that for living people, psychologists make this point, but that point gets missed for historical figures. Anyway, West basically claims that St. Edward was on the spectrum, suffered from depression or something, started the whole kings placing their hands on people while giving blessings, and that he healed people that had a particular type of TB that clears up on its own.

I argue that there was a lot of bold statements with this one. He has no way of proving that it was TB, yet alone a type of TB that can clear up on its own. I argue miracle on the healing the sick front. Also, Jesus healed people by placing his hands on people. So boo to St. Edward starting that one too.

He has no way of proving or disproving St. Edward's mental faculties, and quite frankly, eccentricity does not mean mental illness. It just feels like a smear campaign on someone who cannot defend themselves. It would even be nice to say that there is a theory that this could apply due to _______ attribute.

Mace-wielding priests I cannot confirm or deny this one. There are plenty of monks that wielded swords and were expected to fight. My resident war/armor enthusiast said priests did not fight, period. If you fought and were of the "cloth," you were in a group like the Templars.

St. George, Patron Saint of England. West claims that this saint was straight up fictional. Believe it or not (because I think West is in the "don't believe" category), the Church went through and culled out the saints that could not be confirmed as having actually existed.

Basically, I knew enough to pause every couple of pages and go on a research binge to confirm if my previous understanding/perception was correct or West's. It made reading this with any speed difficult. It also felt like watching a History Channel special on a topic, and it got generalized in a way that diluted how accurate it actually was.

I honestly cannot recommend this to anyone. The topics were interesting and there was some humor. But this came off as extremely anti-Norman. A warrior culture is still a culture and should not be treated as a bunch of meatheads.

You know, that was England's longest dynasty and helped establish fun stuff such as the popularization of the King Author myth and the Magna Carta. Though the Magna Carta was because that king was that bad. Not the point. My point is that many of the things we think of as distinctly English came from the Normans, 1,000 years ago. Can one really argue something isn't truly "English" if it has been part of one's culture for 10 centuries?

[Henry Egler · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are even a little familiar with the year 1066 you can guess what 1066 and Before All That by Ed West is about. Yes, it is about the Battle of Hastings and the surprisingly long chain of events that led up to it and the incredibly dramatic ramifications of that battle. West manages to encapsulate important moments in English history in a way that is informative and incredibly engaging. 1066 and Before All That tells the tale of betrayal, deception, violence, numerous English kings and their fatal flaws. And Vikings. Lots and lots of Vikings. The story begins quite a bit before the actual Battle of Hastings with Ethelred the Unready -- the latest in a long line of kings from the house of Wessex. His epithet says it all. He was a cowardly, incompetent, treacherous buffoon. From Ethelred West takes us through a series of Viking conquerors such Canute the Great, Harold Hairfoot, and Sweyn Forkbeard. I don't think I, or many people for that matter, was/are aware of the Viking influence on English history. While these stories are necessary and important to the build-up of 1066 it is William "the Bastard" (he lived up to the name in every sense of the word), his cousin Edward the Confessor, and Harold Godwinson who inevitably take center stage in this book. West recounts the intrigues of the Norman conquerors and the influence of the Vikings on this pivotal moment in English history.
1066 and Before All That is not a book for hardcore historians but rather those who have a general knowledge of history and enjoy the little known twists and turns along the way. West is insightful and humorous and not afraid to take many detours ain the pursuit of a good story. One criticism: West dwells a bit too long on how the Norman invasion impacted the English language. It was mildly interesting but not really necessary to the overall arc of the story/history. West also tends to get bogged down at times with geneology, tracing people and their families to the point of utter confusion. This is a minor criticism in the face of a book that not only manages to tell the story of England but to shed light on the little known corners such as the Viking influence not just on the history of England but the Battle of Hastings itself. Overall West is a engaging, entertaining, and sometimes downright funny in his recounting of the history of England. Readers will find themselve with a book that is hard to put down and an endless supply of anecdotes to supply to their friends.

[Elizabeth Theiss Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bad jokes but good history. Over the years, I’ve come upon bits of British history in one place or another. A Scottish conceptual artist provided me with a hat and placed me in the midst of the Battle of Culloden; I saw the Magna Carta at Oxford; a Norman church provided a stopping point on a day hike. But having grown up with American History, it’s hard to put the pieces together in a coherent whole. The mission of this book is to explain the history of the Battle of Hastings in political context and its influence on British government and culture. A tall order indeed.

1066 succeeds in some ways. The Anglo Saxon context is a slurry of Danish, Norwegian, and rival Anglo Saxon warlords who ravage the British Isles continuously. I will admit that I can’t keep the Ealdors, Sweyns, and Uhtreds straight. And then there is the problem of who has a right to the throne of England, given the combination of genealogy and election-by-warlords that seems to have caused competing claims.

The impact of the Normans on British language, culture, and governance is also fascinating. To this day, we often pair a Norman word with an Anglo Saxon word when charging people in criminal courts—assault and battery, burglary and larceny.

I’m sorry to say that I found the author’s bad jokes and witty asides to be annoying. Somehow, lightheartedness in the descriptions of death and destruction seemed inappropriate and interfered with my enjoyment of the book. It’s undergraduate humor and I do hope it helps undergraduates to appreciate the impact of the Norman invasion on Britain.

I’m still glad I read the book as it’s a pretty good introduction to the influence of the Normans on Britain.

[AngelaC · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are occasional flashes of humour in this book that ensure it does not read like a school textbook. There are also a number of interesting facts (e.g. Churchill's "We shall fight them on the beaches" speech consisted of words drawn from Anglo-Saxon, with the exception of the last one, "surrender", which comes from French).
However, it remains a dense litany of evil Vikings and Normans - kings and their various relatives - and I found myself getting slightly lost in the middle of them all.
Also, the book is not particularly well written. Having said that, I am very picky about language after forty years in the translation business. It may be that this book would pass very well with younger readers.
I would now like to find a copy of "1066 and All That" which was written in the 1930s and which I read and enjoyed in the 1960s. I have a feeling that it is a funnier look at history. I must track it down and compare the two.

[Chuck Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read ... Emphasis is on the human interactions ...provides considerable historical context to

Written in a jocular style with many tidbits of detail, this book was an enjoyable read. It appears to me , that he has captured the human chaos of the period and the events described ... But my knowledge is limited to a few summaries of what happened in 1066 and the events that led to the 'conquest.'. It is clear that the complexity of the situation and the relationships between the various actors are often glossed over in other accounts of the facts and outcomes of the battle of Hastings. One note: in the Kindle version of the book there are a number of apparent errors where sentences are incomplete and left hanging in space.

[Doug Lewars · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** Possible Spoilers ***

I doubt this book is likely to have a wide audience. It's a pretty good historical study into the 10th and 11th centuries with some notes as to how they affected future history but it's a little dry with plenty of facts but not much else. The author did his best to offer some commentary and some was amusing but overall it was okay but not great. That said, this is a fantastic book for authors. Almost every fact, and there was a LOT of them, could be twisted into a plot point or even a full story. There's intrigue, murder, violence (lots of violence), political marriages and plunder.

[Trina Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really can (and do!) appreciate West making these historical subjects that truly are deep, comprehensive, complex and - in the wrong hands - oh so boring fascinating, digestible and entertaining as hell. Are these books relaying these subjects with rather broad strokes - yes, but you're not here for deep political, social, legal and cultural dives. West's book is a quick hit - perhaps even a surgical strike overview of history with tons of thoughtful dialogue and insight (and snark!) and it wholly serves its purpose: piquing your interest to want to learn MORE!

And any history book that does that is a success.

[Randolph Rossi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Norman Conquest’s Greatest Impact was on the English Language

I learned a great deal about the history of England from the period prior to the Norman Conquest and the period during and thereafter the Norman Conquest. The English Kings and the Norman Kings were violent and had total disregard the common people. I was surprised to learn that about 40% of Modern English is derived from French. A very enjoyable book in which the author related clearly but with some sarcastic and funny asides.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate myself for not liking this book more. I viewed this as a reader-friendly introduction to the Conquest and to pre-conquest England, and it is those things. I also have to acknowledge that this is the funniest history book I’ve ever read, but I just couldn’t get into it. I don’t know. Maybe there’s only so much marauding and invading one can tolerate, even in a thin history of a bygone era. Having semi-panned this book, I do want to sing its praises: this is an accessible, fun book suitable for lovers of history who do not want to endure the slog of academic writing.

[Andrew Shawber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spoiler alert! The Normans won.

Ed West does an outstanding job at presenting English history with a wit and humor that makes it an absolute joy to read. Well-researched, packed with amusing anecdotes and connections about the major events and historical figures involved in the decades before the pivotal battle.

If you’re a fan of Medieval or English history and want a lighthearted, fun take on it, pick up this little gem.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many names!

The writer makes good use of wry humor, understated comments, etc. to make it a light read. So it is a fun read. But the endless names, and relationships! I couldn't begin to keep track of who was who, and who killed who and who hated who and who married who after killing their brother...so read it for the humor and the long arc.

It was fun, and it's short. Not much take away on the history.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun light history read. I feel like a lot of important and interesting material was ignored because the author’s main goal was to be entertaining. I laughed out loud at a lot of the jokes. Interestingly the author has now declared himself anti immigration in later woks which is pretty ironic given his topic here. I would recommend this but with the reservation that it’s more light entertainment than history education.

[Tim Deaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very readable overview of England from 871-1254

This book takes you on an interesting overview of England's first 300+ years as one nation. The journey starts with Alfred, who withstood the 9th century Viking flood and built the foundation his son and grandson used to create the nation. Next it carries you thru the tumult of Ethelred and Cnut. Then it climaxes with the best view I've read yet of the calamity of Hastings and the 88-year Norman dynasty that followed.

[Hazel Wilce · Rating 3 out of 5]

1066 and Before All That by Ed West

Listened on audible. Narrated by Steven Crossley

DNF at 22%

First impressions? Very positive. A very good introduction to pre-Norman Britain and the people, events and strange goings-on around that time. However as the book went on, I found the lightheartedness of the book tedious. Perfect book for a beginner’s introduction to British history or history in general - just not for me, as it turned out.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book

The author’s writing style is lively enough to make what could be a very boring read an interesting one. You may want to do a spreadsheet to keep track of the characters as well as who is related to whom! There were a couple of things that I am not sure were factually correct, but I think overall the author got things right.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a history book, it moves so fast that it's kind of hard to follow. It's more like a huge mass of stories about all kinds of weird characters in English history. A lot of fun to read, but trying to recall it all is tough. Might be nice to kind of read it along with other books on England, and in particular it's Kings and Queens. Again, a lot of fun to read!