Norman Conquest of England Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Norman Conquest of England - Research Paper Example Cnut had become the King of England in 1016 thereby returning Emma to her previous position. Emma’s Children however remained in Normandy where they awaited their return to England. They made several unsuccessful attempts to enter the nation with one attempt leading to the death of one of them, Alfred, in 1036. The last remaining son of Aethelred was recalled to England by his half brother Harthacnut, son of Cnut and Emma. However, Harthacnut died within a year and Edward took the throne becoming King of all England. Edward took Edith, daughter of the prominent Earl Godwin, as his wife bringing her family into a more dominant position. Earl Godwin had risen to power during King Cnut’s reign mainly due to his extensive wealth and his marriage to the King’s sister in law. The Earl had so much wealth that he became the most powerful earl of England. King Edward took several Norman advisers into his court and eventually named one of them, Bishop Robert, the Archbisho p of Canterbury against the wishes of his citizens who wanted one of Godwin’s kinsmen to take the position. Due to this act, Earl Godwin and his sons, Tostig and Harold, went into exile due to their fierce opposition of the King’s choices. The King faced a strong Godwinian alliance and due to this, he banished his wife from the court into a nunnery. Earl Godwin eventually returned to England and together with Flemish support, he was able to convince the King to get rid of the Norman influence and to take back his wife. King Edward and his wife were unable to bear children and thus he had no heir. He was thus required to find a successor in which the King made promises to several candidates including Edward, grandson of King Aethelred. The grandson... The paper tells that the Norman Invasion and the Battle of Hastings were very important events in English history. The Norman invasion brought with it many changes that acted as a turning point of English politics and Culture. King William attempts to maintain control on England forced several changes to the country that shaped the way it operated for a very long time. William attained control over the country by systematically confiscating land belonging to English landowners and giving it to his supporters or keeping it to himself. He confiscated all land and used his armies to ensure that all Englishmen were aware that he had complete dominion over all the lands. Williams also forced English women to marry Normans in order to control inheritance of land. The Norman invasion also led to English emigration. Many people fled the country due to the war and oppression and took refuge in neighboring countries such as Scotland and Ireland. This outflow of people led to the spread of Engl ish customs to other parts of Europe. The Invasion also led to the mixing of Norman and English cultures in Europe. Old English was displaced by the introduction of Anglo-Norman, a dialect of French. French words and names began being used in the country and soon were part of the English language. English grammatical structures were also heavily influences by the Norman influences leading to the development of a new dialect that eventually led to Middle English which eventually formed the modern language.