The Normans
The Duke of Normandy, known as William the Conqueror, was crowned King William I of England in London on Christmas Day, 1066, establishing a new Anglo-Norman state. England became a strong, centralised country under military rule. The Normans built castles all over England to control England better. William was a harsh ruler: he destroyed many villages to make sure the English people did not rebel. Norman power was absolute, and the language of the new rulers, Norman French, had a lasting effect on English. Since 1066, England has never been invaded.
1 Britain was invaded by many different peoples in early times. Has your country ever been invaded? If yes, when?
2 How did each invasion change Britain?
Michael Vaughan-Rees, Geraldine Sweeney, Picot Cassidy: In Britain. 21st Century Edition, Cornelsen Verlag, 2000, page 9