Conquered England: Kingship, Succession, and Tenure 1066-1166 [Hardcover]

George Garnett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 29, 2007 | ISBN-10: 019820793X | ISBN-13: 978-0198207931

Conquered England argues that Duke William of Normandy's claim to succeed Edward the Confessor on the throne of England profoundly influenced not only the practice of royal succession, but also played a large part in creating a novel structure of land tenure, dependent on the king. In these two fundamental respects, the attempt made in the aftermath of the Conquest to demonstrate seamless continuity with Anglo-Saxon England severed almost all continuity. A paradoxical result was a society in which instability in succession at the top exacerbated instability lower down. The first serious attempt to address these problems began when arrangements were made, in 1153, for the succession to King Stephen. Henry II duly succeeded him, but claimed rather to have succeeded his grandfather, Henry I, Stephen's predecessor. Henry II's attempts to demonstrate continuity with his grandfather were modelled on William the Conqueror's treatment of Edward the Confessor. Just as William's fabricated history had been the foundation for the tenurial settlement recorded in the Domesday Book, so Henry II's, in a different way, underpinned the early common law procedures which began to undermine aspects of that settlement. The official history of the Conquest played a crucial role not only in creating a new society, but in the development of that society.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This subtle, sophisticated work of mature scholarship is thoroughly grounded on a meticulous perusal of virtually all relevant conquest sources.... Highly original and thoroughly persuasive."--Sally N. Vaughn, Speculum

About the Author

George Garnett is a Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at St Hugh's College, Oxford.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 420 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019820793X
• ISBN-13: 978-0198207931
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,984,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Conquest and Consequences, May 13, 2008

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This review is from: Conquered England: Kingship, Succession, and Tenure 1066-1166 (Hardcover)

This book contains a thorough examination of the justification for the Norman conquest of England in 1066 as well as for the far reaching consequences of that justification in the proceeding century. It is aimed at an academic audience or the well-read non-specialist who wishes to delve into these matters deeply, especially from a legal and socio-political perspective.

The first portion of the book discusses the justification for the conquest which was fabricated by the Normans after the invasion of 1066 went spectacularly right and they suddenly found themselves masters of a whole new country. The author then discusses how this justification meant that legally, the Normans claimed that William had inherited the whole kingdom as his own. Thus the Domesday Book was more or less a massive charter showing that every land owner in England held their plot as tenants of the king. This dependency on the king for tenure led to instability throughout the political system and particularly led to great uncertainty any time the succession was at issue.

Whilst the book is erudite and scholarly, it remains accessible. This in the main due to the author's very readable style, which consists of using short pithy sentences and a dash of humour here and there. As one would expect for an academic work of this type, it is heavily footnoted thus giving plenty of scope for the interested scholar to carry out further investigation.