The Norman Conquest

The Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England
By Marc Morris
Published in 2013
464 Pages
Thibault’s Score: 4 / 5

Marc Morris is a well known popular historian who has written many books about the English Middle Ages. In The Norman Conquest, Morris gives you a month by month account of the Norman conquest of England, starting with the troubled reign of Edward the Confessor and ending his account shortly after the death of William the Conqueror.

Usually, histories this granular get tedious. However, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Note that this comes after several months of extensively studying the period, so I was able to follow all of the characters, places, and names really easily. I think that if I hadn’t spent so much time studying the period, this book wouldn’t have been very interesting.

I learned a lot. This book has a great blend of military history, economics, and social history. Considering the limitations of his sources and the granularity of the account, this was likely a difficult book to write. Morris does a good job at keeping a good pace, and walks a fine line between being informative and succinct.

There are many interesting and memorable tidbits / anecdotes.

Towards the beginning of the book, he describes the debauched Norman court and the origins of William the Conqueror. I found it interesting, how as a teenager, William manages to retake his kingdom and claim his birthright. The process by which he slowly is documented to assume command is fascinating.

I also find the chapter on the domesday book, towards the end, to be interesting. The famous land and tax survey was compiled by 30 surveyors, some assistants, and entirely written down by a single monk. Incredibly, it was finished in under two years. The sheer scale and magnitude of the efforts, considering pre industrial technology, is what is the most staggering. Also the description of the old Anglo-Saxon “geld” taxation system, in contrast with the new Norman system, was very thought provoking. Finally the impact of the many tax free zones, exemptions, and wasted parcels reminds me of parallels about the current US tax code’s complexity.

Other notable tidbits are the horrific descriptions of slavery, and its abolition by the Normans; the chivalry of William; and the horrific scenes of rape and slaughter during the actual conquest.

I would recommend this book to people interested in learning more about English history, but would caution against reading it alone. I think it would be a good accompaniment to someone who has made a playlist of podcasts or videos about the period. Otherwise, the many characters, places, and events will be very disorienting. For me it was a great history book, but it isn’t for everyone.

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