The Death of Anglo-Saxon England

Perhaps the best-known fact of English history is the Norman Conquest of 1066, which dispossessed the Anglo-Saxon royal house, marginalized English cultural values and began the near total exclusion of English figures from influence in the realm. The events of that year form the end-point of this study which focuses on royal succession and the descent of the crown during the last century of the Anglo-Saxon period. The text examines questions of factional conflicts, external raiders and warrior kings, and attempts to explain why the English dynasty proved vulnerable to usurpation during the 11th century. Of central importance is the success of the West Saxon royal house in building up England to become the most centralized, the wealthiest and the best defended state in western Europe. The author explores the growing difficulty in retaining control of government and the Scandinavian involvement in power politics, as well as many other issues which unveil the world of high politics, intrigue and ambition in late Anglo-Saxon England.