14 ene 1066 año - Battle of hastings (the norman conquest)

Descripción:

The death of Edward the Confessor in January 1066 triggered a succession crisis, as he left no direct heir to the English throne. Three figures wanted to claim the crown: Harold Godwinson, the Earl of Wessex and Edward's brother-in-law; William, Duke of Normandy; and Harald Hardrada, King of Norway. Harold Godwinson, who was a prominent English noble and Edward's closest relative through marriage, was swiftly crowned king. However, both William and Harald Hardrada asserted that they had been promised the throne by Edward himself, leading to their rival claims.

Harald Hardrada invaded England first, but Harold Godwinson defeated him at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in September 1066. However, just weeks later, William launched his invasion, landing on the southern coast of England. Harold faced William at the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066 and was killed. This victory allowed William to conquer England, being now named William the conquerer . Additionally the Battle of Hastings was significant as Norman rule now replaced Anglo-Saxon leadership.

As a result of this, there was an almost complete replacement of the English ruling class with Norman aristocrats. There norman aristocrats brought with them their own customs, languages, and a rigid feudal system which divided the population into an upper class and lower class. There was such a strong divide that the 2 classes spoke different languages, English being the langauge of the commoners and Norman French being seen as more sophisticated and for the upper class.

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