Norman Conquest (English History Week)

• Geschiedenis
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1

Norman Conquest of England

Reenactment of the Battle of Hastings

Goals for this lesson

At the end of this lesson you...

• know how vikings influenced England.
• understand how the death of a monarch can result in a full scale war.
• can explain how England became a Norman kingdom in 1066.
• Understand how this new kingdom was governed.

Where did vikings originally come from?

1. Iberia (Spain and Portugal)
2. Iceland
3. Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Denmark)
4. Germania (Germany)

8th-11th century

Fill in this statement: I know ... about vikings.

nothing

something

a lot

Viking = seafaring raiders

Many 'vikings' were actually called 'Danes' or 'Normans'

886 AD

Danelaw

927 AD

Kingdom of England

Who would take over as a ruler if a king dies?

Hereditary

• The eldest son of a monarch would be the heir to the throne.
• Heir = opvolger. 
• At this time, daughters usually would not become queen.

Who is the first heir to the thrown in the Kingdom of the Netherlands?

But what if a king dies, and has no apparent heirs?

It's 1066 - king Edward the Confessor dies

He has no sons and there is no close family that could be crowned

Who would become king now?

But what if a king dies, and he has no apparent heirs?

There are three men who think they deserve the crown... Let's meet them:

Harold Godwinson

Harold was an earl, a nobleman, under Edward the Confessor. He was Anglo-Saxon, part of a tribe that had ruled over England for a really long time. He had fought against the vikings, who were also called the Normans, who were a constant threat to England. He was the favorite heir according to the English king's council, his most important advice givers.

Harald Hardrada

Harald Hardrada was a viking king of Norway. His claim to the throne was because his predecessor (=voorganger, the king before him) had a deal with Edward the Confessor's predecessor. The deal being that if the king died without any children, he could claim the English throne. The previous English king died without children, but named his half-brother Edward has his heir. When Edward also died without any children, Harald was the new king of Norway. His opinion was that the previous deal still stood, and he had the right to the English throne.

William of Normandy

William of Normandy was the duke of Normandy. He was of viking/Norman descent, but his ancestors had been the French king's vassals for a long time. The French region Normandy has been named for this. He therefore knew the feudal system really well. His grandmother had been the great-aunt of Edward the Confessor. Before Edward's death, he was supposedly told he was the heir to the throne because of this relation.

Who do you think has the most right to the English throne?

Harold Godwinson

Harald Hardrada

William of Normandy

Harold Godwinson

• Named king by the English.
• He was Anglo-Saxon.
• It came to a confrontation with Harald Hardrada (King of Norway) on 25 September 1066 at the battle of Stamford Bridge.

Harald

Hardrada

William of Normandy

• Duke (hertog) of Normandy since 1035.
• Wanted to claim the English Crown in 1066.

Falaise castle (now in France) home to William of Normandy

Battle of Hastings

• 14 October 1066.
• Normans attacked from Normandy and won the battle against Harold.
•  William of Normandy became the first Norman king of England.

King Harold

Christmas Day 1066

Put these events in the correct order from first to last.

1

2

3

William becomes king of England

Edward the Confessor dies

Battle of Hastings

Domesday Book

(1086)

Introduction of the feudal system in England by king William the Conqueror.

Society divided into four layers:

1. King (William)
2. Barons and bishops (Normans)
3. Knights 
4. Peasants (free farmers and serfs)

French words in English

William the Conqueror only spoke French in an English country. This influenced the English language over time.

When animals were in the stable or on the farm, they kept their Old English names: pig, cow, sheep and calf. These sound similar to the Dutch words.

But when they were cooked and brought to the table, an English version of the French word was used: pork (porc), beef (beouf), mutton (mouton) and veal (veau).

Why would this be? Who are these English people speaking French?

Some other French-sounding words

• Voyage instead of trip
• Royal instead of Kingly
• Monarchy instead of Kingship
• Odour instead of stench/smell
• Flower (fleur) instead of blossom
• Chamber instead of room
• Mansion instead of house (they only needed a new word for the fancy ones!)

French words in English

French words that are still in English are usually words that were spoken by the nobility, because William the Conqueror only forced them to speak it. Over time, normal Britons also started using the words.

How do we know so much about these events?

Bayeux Tapestry = Tapijt van Bayeux

This tapestry is 50 cm tall and almost 70 m long

www.bayeuxmuseum.com

Assignment Norman Castles

Homework for next lesson at the 7th of May

Choose one Norman castle from the A to Z of Norman Castles website and make a single slide in PowerPoint about that castle. Can't be the same as someone else! There are 90! 

Your slide needs the following information

• Photo (of the castle).
• Year it was built
• Place it was built
• Who built it
• Name of the castle
• One interesting fact

send it to me before the 6th of May

www.essentially-england.com

Goals for this lesson

At the end of this lesson you...

• know how vikings influenced England.
• understand how the death of a monarch can result in a full scale war.
• can explain how England became a Norman kingdom in 1066.
• Understand how this new kingdom was governed.

How do you feel about this lesson?

😒🙁😐🙂😃