What is the background of the Norman Conquest
When it comes to World War I, which has a far-reaching impact on British history, it will be mentioned. To a certain extent, it promoted social integration and promoted the formation of a centralized feudal country, which is of great significance. What is the background of this war?
Britain is located in the Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of the European continent and consists of the British Isles. It hangs outside the European continent, but the impact of external forces from the mainland has brought it into the historical process of European society. Around A.D., the Roman legions commanded by Caesar set sail, and Britain began to be incorporated into the process of western civilization.
Since then, some Germanic tribes (collectively known as Anglo-Saxons) from the European continent have settled in the British Isles, opening a new period of British historical development, that is, the period of gradual formation and feudalism of nation-states.
After the 8th century AD, the Normans living in Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea began to expand outward. In 787, the Normans invaded Britain for the first time, France around 8 years ago, and then Ireland. In the middle of the 9th century, the Normans invaded the northeast of England and established their own kingdom.
in 911 ad, Norman leader Laurent invaded part of French territory and established the principality of Normandy.
In p>12, King Ethel Reid of England married Emma, the sister of the Duke of Normandy. In 113, King Sven of Denmark conquered the whole England, and Ethel Reid fled to Normandy with his wife and children. The kingdom of the Danes soon declined, and the throne was suspended after the death of Knut II. The English nobles elected Prince Edward, who was exiled in Normandy, as the legal heir and crowned him in 143.
King Edward married the daughter of godwin, big noble, England, but he attached great importance to the Normans in the DPRK, which intensified the contradiction between the Norman foreign forces and the British local forces represented by godwin. In 151, King Edward forced godwin's family to flee and invited William, Duke of Normandy, to visit London. The following year, godwin and his son rallied an army to make a comeback and won the support of the British people. Embarrassed, Edward had to restore the power of the godwin family.
However, godwin, the winner, could not afford to be ill, and Harold, the eldest son, succeeded his father. Although the British local aristocratic forces defeated foreign forces and expelled Norman dignitaries from the palace, they soon fell into a life-and-death duel with William, Duke of Normandy.
William has long coveted the British throne. In 151, when he visited London, he discussed the issue of succession to the throne with his cousin, King Edward of England. Edward, who had no children, raised no objection to William's request. Harold also promised to make William king in the future. King Edward died in January 166, but Harold was appointed as the heir to the throne before his death. witenagemot, the core of British political institutions, also decided that Harold would succeed to the throne. Soon Harold was crowned king at Westminster Abbey.
It was a heavy blow to William. He decided to seize the throne by force, conquer Britain and establish his own kingdom.
In order to create a favorable situation, William sent envoys to lobby Pope Alexander II and Emperor Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire, the most influential feudal leaders at that time, and accused Harold of treachery, a usurper and a perjury. The Pope supported William's behavior and gave him a "holy flag". Henry IV also offered to help William regain the throne. The Danish king also supported William out of personal ambition. Soon William pieced together a loose alliance against Harold.
In order to relieve his worries, he made an alliance with the Flemish people in the east, conquered Brittany in the west and occupied Main in the south. All this created favorable conditions for his invasion of Britain.
in the spring of p>166, he held a feudal main meeting in the city of Tripoli to formulate a plan to attack Britain. In sharp contrast to William's active activities, Harold did nothing and was unaware of the strategic significance of William's diplomatic activities, which made him isolated and helpless in the course of the war.
in terms of strength comparison, the two sides are basically evenly matched, each with its own strengths, but Harold is not well prepared. Normandy was located in the European continent and entered the feudal society earlier than England. William was the largest feudal Lord in Normandy, with many feudal vassals, such as earl, bishop, knight, etc., and was always at William's command to go to war. William assembled an elite army of more than 6, people, and more than 5 ships needed to cross the sea were quickly built. Harold's advantage is that he waits and works on the inside.
Unfortunately, due to the low level of feudalism, the relatively backward military system and poor mobility, and the fact that the English fleet was disbanded when Edward was in office, Harold lacked the strength to attack William at sea, and the defense depth was greatly reduced.