2. BACKGROUND
INFORMATION
William of Normandy conquered a kingdom that resisted Viking
invasion for years on end.
English Army of King Herold II vs. Army of William of
Normandy
English had a strong stance to keep the Normans away.
Threw stones and javelins while the Normans tried to run up the
hill
3. CONT.
William sent his cavalry sooner than he should have
The left flank retreated and was followed by the remaining two
divisions.
Rumor got around that William was dead and he took off his
helmet to prove otherwise
This boosted Norman morale and was the turning point in battle
4. CONT.
Many believe that King Herold was struck in the eye with an arrow
Others believe that he was killed by the sword.
Battle of Hastings was the longest and most brutal battle in
English History
5. INFLUENCE IN LANGUAGE
Modern English is very different from the English that was spoken
before the conquest.
It comes from the combination of the updated West Saxon-Old
English, and the most common form of Norman French.
6. OLD ENGLISH
Old English was generated from the West Germanic language.
After the Viking wars, and a settlement of many Old Norse speakers, or
North Germanic speakers, simplifying grammar and the intro to new words
had already started.
With the West and North Germanic languages combining, there were four
major dialects including: Northumbrian, Mercian, West Saxon, and Kentish.
Soon the kings of Wessex, or the West Saxon, became kings of all England
and West Saxon language gradually took over Old English.
7. NORMAN FRENCH
The area west of the Roman Empire spoke Latin. But the Latin
was not the regular, higher form used by scholars and churches.
It was more common, known as Vulgar Latin used by soldiers and
the market. The French used a large amount of the language used by
the Gauls, who originally occupied the land.
The two major parts of French are: the Langue d’oil from the
North, and the Langue d’oc in the South.
8. MODERN ENGLISH
Modern English is the combination of both of those languages, and
by about 1100, it was soon classified as the ‘new’ English.
So when the Norse invaded they brought a language from the same
linguistic family. The languages were both so similar that some of the
words had supplemented others before the fighting even stopped.
The Norse, as the new ruling class, with the new society developments,
England's new culture and language was much different from before they
invaded in 1066.
