Norman Conquest

The Norman Conquest is the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy, subsequently King William I. The conquest was effectively completed by William's victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and this is regarded as an important landmark, the start of English history as we know it.

It may be noted that the conquest of Wales by the Normans was completed piecemeal and not finalised until 1282, during the reign of King Edward I. The same king, though he subdued Scotland, cannot be said to have truly conquered it, as it remained an independent kingdom until 1603.

The Norman conquerors at first spoke a different language and remained ethnically distinct from the native population of England. However, over the centuries, the two racial groups merged and are no longer distinguishable.

There is a series of plays by Alan Ayckbourn entitled The Norman Conquests[?]. The subject matter has nothing to do with the Norman conquest of England.