The History of the Norman Conquest of England, Its Causes and Its Results

This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design. Edward A. Freeman's history opens on the fateful first movements of 1066, when the sickness and death of King Eadward the Confessor set England's succession in turmoil. Harold's swift election and coronation emerge as a necessary act of national survival, even as Freeman dwells on the grief, ritual, and later reverence that surrounded Eadward's memory. From there, the narrative broadens to William of Normandy's rise: his marriage to Matilda, his alliance with the Church, and his hard-won power forged through war, diplomacy, and struggles against French and Angevin rivals. The story then races through the year's mounting crises—Tostig's rebellion, Hardrada's invasion, Fulford, Stamfordbridge, and William's landing at Pevensey—before culminating in Hastings, where the shield wall, feigned retreats, and Harold's death transform England forever. In the aftermath, the young Ætheling Eadgar is raised up, but defections by Eadwine and Morkere shatter resistance. William secures Kent, Canterbury, Dover, and Winchester through intimidation, clemency, and political calculation, leaving London as the last great center of defiance and the conquest poised to complete itself.