From an old printENGLISH ARCHERS
From an old printENGLISH ARCHERS
From an old print
ENGLISH ARCHERS
304. England Conquered Many Times.England had been conquered by the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, and the Danes. Now she was conquered for the last time. The people who defeated her were the Normans of France. We have seen them come into France when the Normans scattered from their native lands in the north of Europe.
After Alfred died several kings ruled in England. When Harold was chosen king, the Duke of Normandy claimed the throne of England. He made this claim on the ground that the former English king had promised it to him. The Duke of Normandy has always been called William the Conqueror. He was a stern man who knew how to rule and fight. To establish his claim tothe English throne he gathered together an army, crossed the Channel, and landed at Senlac, near Hastings.
ST. CUTHBERT, A NORMAN CATHEDRAL
ST. CUTHBERT, A NORMAN CATHEDRAL
ST. CUTHBERT, A NORMAN CATHEDRAL
305. The Battle of Hastings (1066).Harold had gathered his soldiers to resist the Normans. They fought bravely, as any good soldiers do when defending their native land. "All day long they stood stubbornly together on a hilltop and beat back every attack with their swords and axes." When Harold was wounded, his men still fought on. William of Normandy now thought of a trick. He ordered his soldiers to pretend to be beaten and to retreat. This they did. The English soldiers now rushed forward to follow on their heels and cut down as many as they could. What was their dismay to see the Normans turning around and cutting down the English! When night came the English army was no more.
A NORMAN CASTLE BUILT IN 1078, NOW PART OF THE TOWER OF LONDON
A NORMAN CASTLE BUILT IN 1078, NOW PART OF THE TOWER OF LONDON
A NORMAN CASTLE BUILT IN 1078, NOW PART OF THE TOWER OF LONDON
Character of the Normans
England had staked all and had lost. Most of the country gave up. William was crowned king. He divided the land among his nobles, and England, which was democratic under the Anglo-Saxon became aristocratic under the rule of William. The Normans built the huge castles and cathedrals that dot the face of England. From their castles they lorded it over the Anglo-Saxon.But slowly this condition changed. After many years Normans and Anglo-Saxons commenced to grow friendly and their sons and daughters began to marry one another. The fusion of these two classes made the English people a more hardy and daring race than before.
How the Anglo-Saxons conquered the Normans
The local institutions which had grown up under the Anglo-Saxons now began to appear again. And in time the Normans may be said to have been conquered by the Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo-Saxon way of doing things belonged to the shire, the county, and the township. The people were called together in the different districts and practiced self-government.