Until the Norman Conquest England, because of its insular
position, had remained out of touch with Continental Europe. William the
Conqueror and his immediate successors were, however, not only rulers of
England, but also dukes of Normandy and subjects of the French kings. Hence,
the union of England with Normandy brought it at once into the full current of
European affairs. The country became for a time almost a part of France and
profited by the more advanced civilization which had arisen on French soil. The
nobility, the higher clergy, and the officers of government were Normans. The
architects of the castles and churches, the lawyers, and the men of letters
came from Normandy. Even the commercial and industrial classes were largely recruited
from across the Channel.
ENGLAND AND THE PAPACY
The Norman Conquest much increased the pope's authority
over England. The English Church, as has been shown, was the child of
Rome, but during the Anglo-Saxon period it had become more independent of the
Papacy than the churches on the Continent. William the Conqueror, whose
invasion of England took place with the pope's approval, repaid his obligation
by bringing the country into closer dependence on the Roman pontiff.
FUSION OF ENGLISH AND NORMAN
Although the Normans settled in England as conquerors, yet
after all they were near kinsmen of the English and did not long keep separate
from them. In Normandy a century and a half had been enough to turn the
Northmen into Frenchmen. So in England, at the end of a like period, the
Normans became Englishmen. Some of the qualities that have helped to make the
modern English a great people—their love of the sea and fondness for adventure,
their vigor, self-reliance, and unconquerable spirit—are doubtless derived in
good part from the Normans.
