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.
Gives an account for twenty years of the interaction between English and Norman traditions and institutions following the Conquest. This work 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.
