1066, for England, was a year marked by pain and turning point. For the "illegitimate son" William, it was a year of fighting for the world as a Norman leader. William's father was said to have been a tanner, so William's enemies accused his mother of always smelling like leather

066, for England, was a year marked by pain and transition. For the "illegitimate son" William , it was a year of fighting for the world as a Norman leader.

William's father was said to be a tanner, so William's enemies accused his mother of always smelling like leather. Of course, this joke was not funny, and the people who told these jokes were quartered by William.

After William's father inherited the dukedom, he was also fortunate enough to be established as the heir to the dukedom. William was only 7 years old at the time. He should have had a childhood like any other child, but he experienced conspiracy, disputes and murder prematurely.

Some of his guards were stabbed to death, and some had their throats cut. In such an environment, it is not surprising that William grew into a cold-blooded and ruthless king.

He said, "The education I have experienced since I was a child is war." Therefore, it does not seem surprising that he won the famous Battle of Hastings in 1066.

So, what happened in England around 1066? NormansDuke William led the army to defeat the English soldiers. Was it an accident?

Both answers can be found in the book "1066 - England before and after the Norman Conquest" by the British writer Ed West. The author wrote this book after studying historical books such as the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle". The writing style is simple, and he also provides some humor from time to time..

For me, who only knew how to recite foreign history according to timeline and chronology when I was in school, reading this book can quickly supplement the history of England and pick up the historical knowledge that I gave back to the teacher after the college entrance examination.

England before the Norman war was in critical condition

Any war was not started on a whim without any reason, and the same was true for the Norman conquest of England in 1066.

Before that, England, although under the rule of the Wessex family, gradually became a wealthy country. The courts, county and taxation systems were largely established, and the literary field flourished.

Some ancient sayings also originated from that era, such as "If you don't go out in the morning glow, you can travel thousands of miles in the sunset."

However, the premise of these existence is that you can get enough food. At that time, famines were frequent and people died of starvation. The harsh reality at that time was recorded in the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle":

html "A major famine occurred" in 1975, "This year was a serious famine year" in 976, and "An unprecedented famine occurred this year" in 1005. People have experienced worse than this."

• Hunger and normalized poverty, the sorrow of voluntarily giving up freedom and selling oneself into slavery. Life is so difficult that "surviving" has become the most noble dream. This is one reason for war.
• Secondly, King Ethelred, who had done nothing before, suddenly lost his patience and ordered the English soldiers to launch a massacre of Danish immigrants. It was known in history as the "St. Blaise's Day Massacre". Many unarmed women and children also was killed. This led to a counterattack by the Danish King Swayne the Mustache, a violent Viking. The beaten England was even more precarious at this time and could not withstand the subsequent war in 1066.
• Thirdly, of course, it is inseparable from "exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes." The new king announced the levy of four times the tax and violently dealt with the anti-tax uprising that occurred in 1041.

Many reasons came together, and the Norman Conquest became a major event in 1066 that had an impact on English even today.

William of Normandy, this was an extremely self-disciplined Norman

After reading the book "1066 - England before and after the Norman Conquest", I have a better understanding of William the Conqueror.

Because he was an illegitimate child, his wife initially refused to marry him. To this end, William rode 250 miles through the swamps, met his fiancée Matilda, threw her to the ground and "teared her clothes with spurs" before going to the castle to meet her father.

This move conquered Matilda. She felt that this man was very courageous and dared to take risks, otherwise it would be impossible for him to go to her father's territory alone to bully her. It sounds like a bit of "Stockholm Syndrome".

In fact, Matilda was also lucky to have chosen the right person. In that era of polygamy, William was always loyal to his wife Matilda and had no other lovers, which was rare.

Not only that, in that era when drinking was common and even alcoholism was common, Duke William did not drink at all.

Moreover, his diplomatic skills were also very good. He let the envoys convince the Pope that there were many problems in the church in England. Having the support of the church is the most powerful advantage.

Of course, in terms of war, the Normans are inseparable from their strong combat capabilities, especially in terms of cavalry and archers, the Normans are the best.

In the 11th century, the Normans had bred the most powerful "war horses" in the world, which were much taller than ordinary horses.

They also invented a kite-shaped shield, which was more suitable for immediate combat than the traditional round shield.

What are some of the habits that England experienced in the Norman era still use today?

The development of England in the Norman era to the present still retains some of the characteristics of 1000 AD in terms of law and culture.

Although the Norman invasion caused English to be replaced by French and Latin for three centuries, English still survived. However, there are some differences in the English language.

However, almost all words related to government and justice come from the Normans, such as prison (prison), justice (justice), jury (jury), etc. There are also titles and other languages ​​that symbolize royal power also come from Norman French, such as monarch (sovereign), prince (prince), duke (duke), etc.

In addition, after reading this book, I finally understand why in "Harry Potter", the good guys are named Potter, while the bad guys in movies and TV series all use surnames such as Voldemort.

The heroes all have the Anglo-Saxon style surnames "Potter" and "Weasley", and the villains have the Norman style surnames "Voldemort" and " Malfoy ", the author said, " It’s the epitome of abjection versus privilege.”

Conclusion

The book "1066 - England before and after the Norman Conquest" is a reading in the "One-hour History of England Series". The text is not difficult and obscure. Following the timeline, it attracted us to understand the epoch-making year 1066—— A battle for the throne, two invasions, and the endless struggle between the three clans.

After the bloody storm, times create heroes. William has removed the shackles of "illegitimate son". Perhaps, this has never been something that can lock him.