| Around
1000 AD, some of the Vikings who
had been raiding France got permission from the French king to settle
down and live in France instead. They were supposed to help protect France against other Vikings (as the Visigoths had done before). These settlers were called the Normans (which is short for North-Men, because they came from the North). The part of France where they lived is called Normandy, the land of the North-Men, even today. Animated version of the Bayeux tapestry showing the invasion of England After a while, though, the children and grandchildren of these Vikings were tired of just living in Normandy and farming, and wanted some adventure and a chance to get rich. In 1066 AD, one of these men, William, decided to attack England and try to conquer it from the Anglo-Saxons. Williams's mother had not been married to his father when he was born, but William still inherited his father's property and his title of Duke of Normandy. People called him William the Bastard (that means that his parents were not married). He wanted to do something big and adventurous, and when the King of England died without leaving a son, William thought he saw a chance to take over England. William thought if he conquered England he might become rich. A lot of his friends agreed with him. So they sailed across the English Channel in a lot of small boats, and when they got there they did beat the Anglo-Saxons in the battle of Hastings. The Anglo-Saxon king, Harold, was shot in the eye with an arrow and died. William (who was now called William the Conqueror) became the new king of England. He was crowned in Westminster Abbey one year later. He built the Tower of London to live in, to keep himself and his family safe. William and all his friends spoke French, but the English people spoke Saxon. So for a long time there were two languages spoken in England. 21 years after his victory at Hastings , he died in a riding accident when he fell from his horse. |
