The Normans descended from Norse Vikings and Frankish conquerors. In 1066, William the Conqueror, a Norman, led the Norman conquest of England and became King William I. The Normans brought changes to England like replacing the native English ruling class with a French-speaking Norman nobility and clergy. They also transformed the English language by introducing many French words. Norman rule had a significant impact on English culture, government, and language.

1. Normans
in
England

2. Introduction
The Normans (in French: Normands)
Descended from Norse Viking
Frankish
conquerors of and
Gallo-Roman stock.
 Normans and the Anglo-Saxons
came from the same basic stock.
 They were each Scandinavian
immigrants
 English and Norman social
structures were very similar

3. William of Normandy was crowned William I (William the
Conqueror) in Westminster Abbey, the burial place of
Edward the Confessor, the king from whom William derived
his claim to the throne, on December 25th 1066.
Henry II, the first 'Plantagenet' king, accedes to
the throne, on December 19th 1154

4. William the Conqueror led to the Norman Conquest
of England In 1066
Normans largely
removed the native
ruling class, replacing
it with a foreign,
French-speaking
monarchy, aristocracy
and clerical hierarchy.
In turn, Normans brought about a transformation of
the English language and the culture of England in a
new era often referred to as Norman England.

5. Organization The hearth
The Lord owned land, which
he parceled out amongst his
followers in return for service.
The value of a man was
determined by his warlike
ability:
1. The lord led warriors; the
warrior fought for his lord.
2. They were both serviced by non-fighting tenant farmers
who owed their incomes to the lord.
3. And below them came the unfree slaves.

6. Norman Law
Ordeal

7. The Domesday Book - compiled in 1085-6 - the earliest
public record of the national archives and a legal
document that is still valid as evidence of title to land.
Drawn up on the orders
of King William I

8. There was only one Christian church in Western
Religion Europe - the Roman Catholic Church with the Pope in
Rome as Head of the Church.
The Normans brought to Britain a more organized and
sophisticated clergy with them.
They built solid stone churches and cathedrals, many
of which can still be seen today.
Everyone was expected to attend on Sundays. The
peasants had to stand and would not have
understood a word of the Latin services read by the
parish priest.
Baptisms and weddings were very brief. Babies were
usually baptized on the day of birth in case they died,
and weddings were quick affairs at the church door.
Funerals were far longer and more elaborate.
There was no village hall so meetings were held in the
Norwich church nave, and farming matters discussed. Manorial
Cathedral courts and sometimes even fairs were held here.

9. Clothes
Fine wool or linen clothes were
made from yarn which was spun,
woven, dyed and sewn in the lord's
castle.
The rich lord wore a tunic, with a
super tunic worn over the top.
His cloak (cape) was fastened with
a Brooch (pin).
The short hair and beard were
very Norman, and so too the
polite manner!
The lady's Muslim style veil and
wimple was a fashion brought back
from the first of the Crusades.

10. Housing
They built themselves strong, stone keeps in which to
live. Entrances were at first floor level and reached by
means of wooden steps which could be taken away if
an attack threatened.

11. Small peasants' cottages were
usually of wood.
The sides were made up of
rows of sticks with long
flexible twigs woven in and
out of them and then covered
with mud and dung mixed
with straw - this was called
wattle and daub.
The roofs were thatched with
straw or reeds.
There was very little furniture inside - perhaps a stool, a
trestle table, a bench and a chest. In one corner may be
a few cooking pots and dishes.

12. The blacksmith played a vital
Industry role in village life.
 He made metal parts for
plough, rims for wheels and
hand tools for farming. He
forged armor and weapons
for war.
 The iron he used came from
furnace sites set in the
depths of forests.
 Industry was small scale and
found in the heart of the
country.

13. Conclusion
A huge body of French words were ultimately to
become part of the English vocabulary, many of these
continuing side by side with their English equivalent,
such as "sacred" and "holy", "legal" and "lawful,"
"stench" and "aroma," etc. Many French words replaced
English ones, so that before the end of the 14th century
Chaucer was able to use a vast store of new words such
as "courage" in place of "heartness," and so on. English
became vastly enriched, more cosmopolitan, sharing its
Teutonic and Romance traditions.
Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/normans/
http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/kids/aston/changingtimes/norman/htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_conquest_of_England
http://www.britannia.com/history/narmedhist.html