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After he won the Battle of Hastings, William thought the Saxons would stop fighting. However, the Saxons said Edgar Atheling was the new king.

William Becomes King

William led his army to London. He defeated a Saxon army south of London at Southwark, but the Saxons stopped him from entering London. So William marched to the west of London. He crossed the River Thames at Wallingford and he fought several small battles against the Saxons. Eventually, the Saxons stopped fighting. The Saxons met William at Berkhamstead. William became king on 25th December 1066. He was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

The Harrying of the North

However, many Saxons did not want William as king. They continued to fight the Normans for several years. The Saxons fought the Normans in the North of England in 1069. Edgar Atheling led the Saxons. The Scots joined the Saxons. William eventually defeated the Saxons. Then the Normans burned many farms and villages, killed they farm animals and they destroyed the land. About 100,000 people died, most of them from starvation. This was called the Harrying of the North.

Castles and the Domesday Book

To control England, William gave land to his friends. He also built many castles. These castles included The Tower of London. He also wanted to know more about his new kingdom. So he sent people to find out. They found out who had property and land. They wrote the Domesday Book. The Domesday Book was published in 1086.

Effects of the Norman Conquest

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The Norman Conquest changed England. It strengthened ties between England and France, and weakened ties between England and Scandinavia. The king was stronger because William had all the land. William created the Feudal System. It changed the English language and English culture. The people of England were now ruled by the Normans. England has never been successfully invaded since 1066.!

CLIL360 2014 All rights reserved. May be photocopied for use in the classroom. Images are from Wikimedia Commons and are in public domain unless stated. Map of Norman Conquest by Amitchell125 and Graham Hale licensed under CC BY 3.0.