jjares reviewed The Normans: A Captivating Guide to the Norman Conquest and William the Conqueror on + 3255 more book reviews
THE NORMAN CONQUEST --
This is a clear presentation of the important characters, prior, during, and after the Norman Conquest. Before this book, I vaguely knew what happened in England in 1066. However, the story is far more complicated than I dreamed.
What I didn't understand before reading this book, is that there were three people fighting over England in 1066. King Harold II (a Saxon) replaced Edward the Confessor (also a Saxon) in 1066. King Harald of Norway (a Viking) fought King Harold II (the ruler of England) in September 1066. Harold II killed King Harald of Norway plus his own brother, Tostig (who fought against his brother, Harold II). At that time, when a leader was killed, the soldiers removed themselves from the battlefield because they no longer had a reason to fight.
Less than a month later, William I (a Norman), fought for the kingship of England against (the current) King Harold II (a Saxon). During the Battle of Hastings, Harold II died in battle, along with two of his brothers and many of his nobles. Although their leader was dead, the Anglo-Saxons were not happy with their new king. The only way he could subdue them was with a scorched-earth policy that destroyed everything the Anglo-Saxons owned.
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR --
This book tells the Norman Conquest through the lens of William's life and leadership. Before reaching his majority, William showed that he was an accomplished leader by reining in his foes, making reasoned judgments, gifting to churches, forgiving his enemies, and appointing good officials. William was a descendant of Rollo and was Duke of Normandy from 1035.
Before William's Norman Conquest, he was busy defending lands because there were many princes and nobles with dreams of ruling. However, William had a secure control of Normandy by 1060, following his long struggle to stabilize his leadership.
One factor that came into play during this time was the inbreeding of the royals in Europe. Royalty was a very small club and they were all interrelated in some way -- and in some cases, they were related in complicated family relationships. Thus, when the English throne came up, there were many men with just cause to think they were eligible to claim the crown.
Please note: this book concentrates on William's leadership style (it was particularly gory; let's just say he didn't believe in taking prisoners) and explains the outcome of the Norman invasion of England.
The book goes on to explain some of the most important ways William changed England. I was surprised to learn that William killed thousands of his English subjects. He treated rebellion with a scorched-earth policy, destroying everything in his path. However, with his strong leadership, he combined the Anglo-Saxons with the Normans, which created a new identity of English. William holds the record as the last foreign power to invade Great Britain and maintain control of the entire country.
This is a clear presentation of the important characters, prior, during, and after the Norman Conquest. Before this book, I vaguely knew what happened in England in 1066. However, the story is far more complicated than I dreamed.
What I didn't understand before reading this book, is that there were three people fighting over England in 1066. King Harold II (a Saxon) replaced Edward the Confessor (also a Saxon) in 1066. King Harald of Norway (a Viking) fought King Harold II (the ruler of England) in September 1066. Harold II killed King Harald of Norway plus his own brother, Tostig (who fought against his brother, Harold II). At that time, when a leader was killed, the soldiers removed themselves from the battlefield because they no longer had a reason to fight.
Less than a month later, William I (a Norman), fought for the kingship of England against (the current) King Harold II (a Saxon). During the Battle of Hastings, Harold II died in battle, along with two of his brothers and many of his nobles. Although their leader was dead, the Anglo-Saxons were not happy with their new king. The only way he could subdue them was with a scorched-earth policy that destroyed everything the Anglo-Saxons owned.
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR --
This book tells the Norman Conquest through the lens of William's life and leadership. Before reaching his majority, William showed that he was an accomplished leader by reining in his foes, making reasoned judgments, gifting to churches, forgiving his enemies, and appointing good officials. William was a descendant of Rollo and was Duke of Normandy from 1035.
Before William's Norman Conquest, he was busy defending lands because there were many princes and nobles with dreams of ruling. However, William had a secure control of Normandy by 1060, following his long struggle to stabilize his leadership.
One factor that came into play during this time was the inbreeding of the royals in Europe. Royalty was a very small club and they were all interrelated in some way -- and in some cases, they were related in complicated family relationships. Thus, when the English throne came up, there were many men with just cause to think they were eligible to claim the crown.
Please note: this book concentrates on William's leadership style (it was particularly gory; let's just say he didn't believe in taking prisoners) and explains the outcome of the Norman invasion of England.
The book goes on to explain some of the most important ways William changed England. I was surprised to learn that William killed thousands of his English subjects. He treated rebellion with a scorched-earth policy, destroying everything in his path. However, with his strong leadership, he combined the Anglo-Saxons with the Normans, which created a new identity of English. William holds the record as the last foreign power to invade Great Britain and maintain control of the entire country.
