The importance of William the Conqueror in world history cannot be overstated because, by taking over the crown of England, he changed English life forever. When the English sailed to the New World of North America, they took with them the way of life that had been handed down by a mixture of Saxons and Norman Vikings, so that the ways and cultures of the Americans were also affected by the events of 1066 when William the Conqueror took the crown from King Harold.
If fact, the Normans were known to be a wild and brave group of people who still showed the heritage from the time when the Vikings came down the Norman shores and settled in this part of what is now France.
Many years earlier, when Edward the Confessor (Duke William’s cousin) was in exile, and before he was king of England, he promised the abbot of Fecamp Abbey in Normandy that it could own lands on the south coast of England, in gratitude for being allowed to stay in Normandy. Lands near Hastings had also been given by a former English king, Cnut.
This is partly what gave the Normans claim to lands in England, but the Saxons sent the monks packing back to Normandy in 1052 because they didn’t want any Normans on their lands.
The Saxons who did this were led by the Godwinsons. But William of Normandy could use this to his advantage, claiming that he could get the abbey’s rightful lands back. That also put him in favour with the Pope (although the Pope’s price included more land if William won).
When it came to the time of the invasion, the Abbey even paid for one of the ships William used.
After the conquest was settled, William was rarely in England. It was his nobles who ran the country. But although William had given most of the land to nobles and church, he was owed taxes from much of it, and he was not sure he was getting what he was due. This is why he commanded a book of taxes to be made. It was the Domesday Book.
Of course, the arrival of the Normans brought great change, and this is why the time starting from the Battle of Hastings is called the Middle Ages, or Medieval Times.
