History: Anglo-Saxon & Norman England 1066-1100

We will start by considering why there was a succession crisis in England in 1066 and the cases of the different claimants to the throne left vacant by the death of Edward the Confessor and the lack of a direct heir. We will move on to consider the nature and impact of the Norman invasion spending some time considering how Harold Godwinson contrived to lose the Kingdom at Hastings in 1066. We will ask ourselves how William established control after Hastings and consider the role of Castles in particular. We will also discuss the various resistance efforts and rebellions by the Anglo Saxons through the first decade or so of William’s rule. We will examine the nature of William’s royal power including the Feudal System, land and the law, the Nobility, the Church, the role of the Sheriff and Forest Law. An extension of this discussion but so significant it merits a session to itself, is our discussion of Domesday Book and what it tells us about England by 1087.

We finish with the end William’s reign and the troubled succession that followed, closing with a consideration of three momentous decades in English History and reflections on their impact and legacy down to our own times.