Product Description

Historians have long debated the significance of the Norman Conquest. Did it mark the imposition of an alien and repressive regime on "free Englishmen"? Or did England benefit from the uniting of two separate and disparate cultures and civilizations? Marjorie Chibnall, one of the leading historians of the period, here addresses these issues.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #495550 in Books
• Published on: 1987-05-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
"Marjorie Chibnall has produced a concise conspectus which makes twenty years of historical research both accessible and intelligible to the general reader." Times Literary Supplement

"Essential reading for anyone studying the period ... throughout its length the book beams powerful shafts of light on many aspects of Anglo–Norman England." History

"This volume will be an ideal introduction for students; its examples will refresh many a jaded lecture course; and for specialists it will be a continuing point of reference." History and Archaeology

"This outstanding work is now reissued in the full–colour livery of the Blackwell series." A History of Medieval Britain

From the Back Cover
This book is the first comprehensive account for twenty years of the interaction between English and Norman traditions and institutions following the Conquest.

The first century of Anglo–Norman feudalism saw the ‘rise of administrative kingship’ under William, his sons, and Stephen and Henry Plantagenet. At the same time the Norman lords came to treat old English traditions as part of their heritage, and the fighting knights of the invading armies took the first steps towards becoming knights of the shire. In examining how these changes occurred, Marjorie Chibnall shows how reform movements in the western church, increasing literacy in government, population growth and changing patterns of trade all played their part in shaping the Anglo–Norman realm.

About the Author
Marjorie Chibnall is a Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge. Her previous publications include The World of Orderic Vitalis (1984) and The Empress Matilda (Blackwell 1991, paperback edition 1993)