The Norman Conquest of 1066

1. The Norman Conquest of 1066 How a foreign bastard came to rule England

2. Timeline: Explaining the Norman Conquest 990s: Vikings use Normandy as a base to attack England 1002: Aethelred the Unready marries Emma of Normandy 1014: Aethelred flees to Normandy for his own safety 1017: Cnut marries Emma1020: Godwin becomes Earl of all Wessex 1042: Edward the Confessor becomes King of England after growing up in Normandy 1051: Godwin unsuccessfully leads opposition to Edward Jan 1066: Edward dies, Harold Godwinson, crowned king Sep 25, 1066: Harold wins Battle of Stamford Bridge Oct 14, 1066: Harold defeated by William of Normandy at Hastings

3. Discuss Campbell • If England was the most organized and well-run monarchy in Europe by the mid 900s, what caused it to fall to the Duke of Normandy 100 years later? • How did Canute secure his control over England? • What is surprising about the Viking conquest of England in 1016? • What does the Encomium Emmaesuggest about the influence of Queen Emma?

4. Aethelred the Unreadyr. 978-1016

5. Queen Emma1002-10161017-1035

6. Cnut as Pious Christian King

8. How did Cnut secure his control over England? • By marrying Emma of Normandy • By agreeing to abide by the agreement that had constrained Aethelred the Unready • By portraying himself as a devout king • By paying off those who supported his conquest • All of the above

9. How does Campbell describe the early reign of Cnut? • As the beginning of a tyrannical despot’s harsh rule over a subject people • As a period when he had to pay debts to those who helped him become king • As the destruction of English forms of government and a reworking of government on the Danish model • As a period without sources and therefore a big mystery

10. Marriage to Emma1017

11. Queen Emma1002-10161017-1035

12. CnutA king with Two Wives

13. Harold Harefoot & Harthacanut1036-1042

14. House of Wessex Reestablished

15. Wessex was the source of great wealth and power for Godwine

16. GodwineEarl of Wessex1020-1053

17. What is the unusual source that provides a pictorial history of the Norman Conquest?

18. Edward the Confessor1042-1065

19. Harold sails to Normandy 1064

21. Who were the Normans? • Viking Danes who settled in France c. 900 • Britons who settled in France c. 500 • Franks who apostacized from Christianity • Norse warriors who had a claim to the English throne

22. How were the Normans able to conquer England? • William had a somewhat legitimate right to the throne • The English were divided • The English had just fought a big battle against Vikings in the North and their forces were depleted • William got lucky with the weather • William had support from the pope

27. The Norman Conquest1066

29. Domesday Book 1086

30. Who was Harold Godwinson? • The last descendant of Alfred the Great to rule England • Edward the Confessor’s undisputed heir to the English crown • The grandson of a Englishman who went viking • The Earl of Wessex who likely usurped the throne

31. What differentiated the reigns of Cnut and Ethelred II? • Cnut ruled over a much larger territory • Cnut had two wives at the same time • Cnut unified his nobles more ably • Cnut gained more support from the Church

32. How was the reign of Aethelred II related to the Norman Conquest of 1066? A. Divisions that arose in Aethelred’s reign were still evident in 1066

33. What did Campbell emphasize as the source of Aethelred’s unpopularity? • High taxes • Military losses • Opposition to the Church • Failure to unify his most powerful lords • The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

34. Edmund Ironside & Cnut 1016

35. Discuss Campbell • What is surprising about the Viking conquest of England in 1016? • How does Campbell describe the early reign of Cnut? • What is the unusual source related to Cnut’s reign about his wife? • What did Cnut have in common with Aethelred II? • What differentiated the reigns of Cnut and Ethelred II?