1066 the year of the conquest

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1066: The Year of the Conquest
The book 1066: The Year of the Conquest, written by David Howarth, tells the story of how England was governed, organized, and how the common man lived during this century. It very accurately depicts the daily life of the medieval English town. There is also great insight of the influence the Normans had over England and how they forever changed the culture of the country.
The Normans defeated the English under the rule of William the Conqueror in the year 1066 at the Battle of Hastings. William’s conquest can easily be viewed as one of good fortune rather than one of strong military tactics. King Harold of England did not appear to have taken William as seriously as he should have. For example, William caught English spies viewing his army and rather than punishing them, he sent them back to Harold with a clear message. William’s message to Harold was that he “need not waste his money paying spies because William would be in England before the year was out to show him the strength of the Norman army (105).” Harold was naïve to this because he not only knew William was coming but through his spies he knew what kind of troops he was bringing. Harold only used an army of foot soldiers, failing to summon a mounted army like the Normans possessed. Another fortune of William is that the Normans were not seafaring people and the fact that he crossed the English Channel with horses and knights is almost more of a miracle than a prestigious feat.
The Normans and the English had very different cultures during that time. The Normans were more warlike than the English and apparently loved fighting. This was partially due to the fact that no Norman lord could survive unless he was “willing to fight off other predatory lords (61).” Every lord in Normandy had their own castles, which were designed to provide protection from attacks. The Normans also had access to chivalry, which had not...