Product Description

An account of the life of William the Conqueror. David Douglas provides an analysis of the Norman impact upon England and a biography of the spectacular ruler. This reissue contains a new foreword by Professor Frank Barlow.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79470 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Customer Reviews

Excellent, comprehensive - the standard text
Recently there has been an abundance of popular history books concerning 1066 and the Norman Conquest of England. Even so, "William the Conqueror" by David C. Douglas remains the standard text on this medieval ruler and on the years which spanned the Conquest, despite being first published almost 40 years ago. Though large (it weighs in at over 450 pages) this is by no means simply a dry academic work. Douglas' easy and fluid style of writing makes this ideal both for the student and for the more casual reader.

Douglas begins in the Prologue by detailing the questions surrounding the Conqueror's achievements and the sources available to the historian. He then goes on to set the scene, describing the historical geography of Normandy and then the history of the duchy from its creation in AD 911 up to William's birth in 1027, before launching into his biography of the famous Duke himself. While this biography is broadly chronological, following William's career through his minority and then over his various campaigns, it is also divided into themes. In separate chapters Douglas explores the nature of William's rule and administration, pre-Conquest relations between Normandy and England, and his revival of the Church, among other topics. In this way he provides a very comprehensive study.

The extensive index is extremely useful, as is the timeline of the Conqueror's life. Two maps of England and Normandy provide context, and the six Appendices add further depth, covering a variety of topics - from chronologies of William's campaigns, including 1066, to the use of poisoning as a political weapon in eleventh-century Normandy! Unfortunately for the interested reader looking to follow up on material in this book, the bibliography doesn't lists any works later than 1964, the date of this book's original publication. This makes it quite difficult to get a handle on the more recent historiography being conducted in this large subject. For more up-to-date treatments of the Conquest the reader might therefore prefer David R. Bates' book of the same title or Brian Golding's "Conquest and Colonisation". At the same time a very useful counterpart to Douglas is Frank Barlow's "The Godwins", providing the English perspective on the years leading up to 1066.

Nonetheless, Douglas' work is a tremendously useful first port-of-call for anyone interested in the Norman Conquest.

Excellently researched
A very well researched book, which not only focuses on the life of its subject, but also examines the military, administrative and ecclesiastical changes in Normandy and England under his rule. It does get a bit dry in places as it analyses some of these themes, but this is undoubtedly an impressive piece of objective scholarship.

William the Conqueror-DAvid Douglas
One of the better books about Willy boy. Very good service from the supplier, prompt delivery.