Conquest and Colonisation: The Normans in Britain, 1066-1100(British History in Perspective)

The Norman Conquest of 1066 - often described as the last successful foreign invasion of England - is one of the most famous and significant events in English history. William the Conqueror's narrow victory at Hastings was the prelude to the settlement of an alien aristocracy and culutre that ulimately affected not only England, but much of Wales and Scotland. Its impact has been a matter of heated controversy since the seventeenth century: was the Conquest merely a continuation under new leadership of established patterns of government and society, or did it result in a cataclysmic change? Certainly, the close ties thus established between Normandy and England were to influence Anglo-French relations throughout the Middle Ages, while the emergence of a new dominant establishment culture was indicated not only in 'high politics' but in such areas as language and architecture. Norman colonization was a long process, hardly complete by 1100, by which time there was already strong signs of assimilation between colonists and natives, and a literature stressing a coherent and integrated Anglo-Norman state. This book, now in a revised edition, provides an analysis of the political context and realisation of the Conquest. Golding examines the dynamics of colonisation and explores the effect of the Norman settlement in a number of key areas including government, military organisation and the Church.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgements Maps The Sources Prelude to the Conquest The Norman Conquest, 1066-1100 Settlement and Colonisation Governing the Conquered Military Organisation A Colonial Church? Anglo-Norman England Notes Select Bibliography Index

About the Author :
BRIAN GOLDING is Reader in History at the University of Southampton.

Review :
'A very good survey, whose clarity is much appreciated by students.' - Professor David Bates, University of Glasgow '...an ideal survey for an undergraduate audience...' - Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History Reviews of the first edition: 'Brian Golding's Conquest and Colonisation provides a valuable map of the terrain, including Wales and Scotland as well as England and Normandy ... it is (a book) which can be read with great profit both by specialists and by undergraduates, to whom it will come as a particular boon.' - Ann Williams, English Historical Review 'Mr Golding's scholarly work sheds a welcome shaft of sense and realism on these formative years.' - The Cornish Banner