In “Norman Walks: Sussex: The Invasion Walk,” historian Dan Snow embarks on a fascinating journey through time and terrain. His quest begins at the iconic Beachy Head, where nearly a millennium ago, Saxon lookouts might have spotted a formidable fleet approaching the English Channel. The year 1066 stands as perhaps the most pivotal date in British history.
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The Normans episode 2 – Conquest: In the second of this three-part series, Professor Robert Bartlett explores the impact of the Norman conquest of Britain and Ireland. Bartlett shows how William the Conqueror imposed a new aristocracy, savagely cut down opposition and built scores of castles and cathedrals to intimidate and control. He also commissioned the Domesday Book, the greatest national survey of England that had ever been attempted. England adapted to its new masters and both the language and culture were transformed as the Normans and the English intermarried. Bartlett shows how the political and cultural landscape
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The Normans episode 1 – Men from the North: In the first episode of a three-part series, Professor Robert Bartlett explores how the Normans developed from a band of marauding Vikings into the formidable warriors who conquered England in 1066. He tells how the Normans established their new province of Normandy -‘land of the northmen’ – in northern France. They went on to build some of the finest churches in Europe and turned into an unstoppable force of Christian knights and warriors, whose legacy is all around us to this day. Under the leadership of Duke William, the
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Europe’s Last Warrior Kings: the year is 1066. The place is England. King Edward the Confessor has just died and with no true heir to succeed him, three power-hungry warlords set their eyes on the crown. In the coming months, the country will endure three invasions that will end a chapter in Viking history and change the shape of England and Europe forever. Revisit the remarkable year when a real-life drama played out, one full of political schemes, family betrayals, and bloody invasions that culminated in the epic Battle of Hastings. Europe’s Last Warrior Kings Part 1
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