Edward A. Freeman's sweeping history of the Norman Conquest begins not with Hastings, but with the long political and national struggle that made 1066 possible. Recast and expanded with new research, corrected details, revised maps, and a sharpened critical method, the book challenges readers to test chronicles, legends, and later summaries against the original authorities. Freeman writes with particular force against critics of his treatment of Godwine, Harold, and Ælfred, arguing that early English history must be read through careful comparison of sources rather than inherited assumptions. The narrative traces England's formation from the early settlements through Christian conversion, inter-kingdom rivalry, and the rise of Wessex under Ecgberht, Æthelwulf, Alfred, and the later kings who consolidated England. It explores the Old-English constitution, kingship, the Witenagemót, and the imperial supremacy claimed by West-Saxon rulers over neighboring lands. Alongside this stands a comparative view of England, Normandy, and the Danes, showing how related peoples developed differently. Rich in names, arguments, and political analysis, the book presents the Norman Conquest as an event rooted in centuries of contested power, identity, and law. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.

À propos de l'auteur

Freeman, Edward A.

Edward Augustus Freeman was a 19th-century English historian, essayist, and public intellectual whose life was shaped by a deep devotion to the study of the past and to the idea that history could illuminate the working of nations and institutions. Born in 1823 and educated at Oxford, he became one of the most influential historical writers of his age, holding academic posts and producing a formidable body of scholarship that helped define the standards of Victorian historical writing. He is best remembered for his sweeping studies of medieval England and Europe, especially his monumental account of the Norman Conquest, along with essays and lectures that brought constitutional history, comparative politics, and the development of peoples into sharp focus. Freeman wrote with conviction about continuity, liberty, and the long growth of English institutions, and his work often reflects a belief that the past should be read as a living record of political identity and national character. Though some of his views are now dated, his insistence on careful evidence, broad comparison, and the importance of historical context remains valuable today, especially for readers interested in how power, law, and culture shape societies over time. His legacy endures in the seriousness with which he treated history as both scholarship and public argument, and he will especially appeal to readers who enjoy richly detailed historical analysis, medieval England, and the big questions of how nations come to be.