The History of England

61

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(Nov. 12.) Death of Canute: Harold his Son succeeds 63

Ineffectual Attempts of Etheldred's Sons, Edward and

Alfred treacherous Murder of the latter

Hardicanute, Son of Harold

63

Edward, Ethelred's Son, succeeds on the Death of Hardi-

canute, without Opposition, after Twenty-seven Years

of Exile

Influence of Godwin, Earl of Kent

His Influence afterwards eclipsed by that of the Normans,

Friends of Edward during his Exile

66

1051.

1066.

William, Duke of Normandy, visits Edward

(Jan. 4.) Death of Edward: his Character:

67

"A royal

Harold, Son of Godwin, crowned by the Saxon Chiefs :
he is opposed by his Brother Tostig

(Sept. 25.) The Army of Tostig defeated

(Sept. 28.) William, Duke of Normandy, lands in Sussex 71

View of the Saxon Institutions.

Antiquaries have adapted their Representations of our

ancient Constitution to their own particular Views; both

Parties agreeing in the fundamental Error of supposing

it a mature System

Governments are not framed by a Model: occasional Acts

harden into Usages, and Usages govern Men long before

they are embodied in written Laws

The Saxon Kings: the Wittenagemote

Prelates, Earls, Thanes

Shire-gemote, or Folk-mote

Inferior Classes; Freemen and Slaves, Ceorles, Villains:

Manumission

Numbers of the respective Classes: Doomsday-book

Pecuniary Punishment of Crimes: graduated Were for

the Murder of Persons of different Rank

Saxon Origin of our Titles of Rank, and of the English

Language

28

663.

Close Connection of Language with Thought and Feel-

ing

81

82

Saxon Writers: Venerable Bede born, A. D. 663, died 735 83

To him we owe all English History from the Landing of

the Saxons till his own Time

CHAP. III.

FROM THE NORMAN INVASION TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF A
CONSTITUTION, AND THE FORMATION OF

PARLIAMENTARY

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

Page

89

A.D.

William Duke of Normandy; the Establishment, by his

Ancestor Rollo, of a Scandinavian State in Neustria

Some expelled Norwegians founded a Republic in Iceland

in the ninth Century, where Literature and Liberty

converted these Barbarians for two Centuries into a

civilised People

90

912.

Neustria ceded to Rollo, Son of the Earl of Orkney, by

Charles the Simple

90

1035.

William the Conqueror, fifth Duke of Normandy in lineal
Descent from him

1066.

1067.
1068.

Assertion of William that Edward had bequeathed the
Crown to him; no hereditary Right in either William
or Harold

-

Harold had sworn to support William's Claim

Pope Hildebrand founds, on this Circumstance, a Bull in

favour of William and excommunicating Harold; and,

by thus assuming the Disposal of a Kingdom, completes

the Papal Usurpations

(28th of September) William lands at Pevensey in Sussex 97

(14th of October) Battle of Hastings; Death of Harold
(December) Coronation of William; his contemptuous
Compassion towards Edgar, who had been for some time
acknowledged as King

After re-establishing Peter's Pence as an Acknowledge-
ment for the Favour of the Pope, he returns to Nor-
mandy

(December) he returns to suppress an Insurrection

Doubtful Struggles in the North and West

Edgar Atheling acknowledged King in the North, aided

by a Danish Army; William defeats the Allies, and

commits atrocious Devastations

He distributes the Lands of the conquered to his Followers 105

Many Saxons fly from England; Hereward fortifies a
Camp in the Isle of Ely

During a blockade, the Monks of Ely betray him

The Saxon Primate deposed; Lanfranc Archbishop

William returns to Normandy; another ineffectual Effort

Review of the Causes which contributed to the Success of

William

William goes to Normandy to suppress the Revolt of his

Son Robert; personal Combat of the Father and Son,

unknown to each other

113

(9th of September) Death of William; his Character 111, 112
Two legal Revolutions completed in this Reign, the Separ-
ation of the Ecclesiastical from the Civil Judicature, and
the Consummation of the Feudal System

Without the former, it is probable that the Spiritual

Power would have been predominant over every other 114

With regard to the Feudal System, the most reasonable

Supposition is, that it was gradually prepared in Anglo-

Saxon Times, and finished by the Norman Invaders

Character of the Feudal System

WILLIAM IL

- 114

115-117

1087.

1100.

1087-1110.

(26th of September) proclaimed and crowned at West-

minster

- 117

In resisting his Brother Robert, he is obliged to seek the

Aid of the English, which opens the Way for Concessions

to them

-

. 118

His Government an Union of Rapacity with Prodigality 119

(August) his Death in the New Forest, by an Arrow shot

by Sir Walter Tyrrell glancing against a Tree

Commencement of the Crusades during his Reign; Peter

the Hermit

Strange Union of religious with other Motives apparently

discordant, which prompted them

€ 119

Were the Crusades just? It was a Defence of an Exercise
of Religion older than the Mahometan Power

It is no valid Objection to a just Motive, that Ambition

may easily convert it into a Pretext

124

125

1100.

Wars to impose Religion are the most execrable Violation
of human Rights; Wars to defend it, their most sacred
Exercise

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(August) Crowned at Westminster, after a faint Resist-

ance from the Adherents of Robert, then on his Return

from Palestine

Attempts to conciliate the English by promising to restore

the Laws of Edward, and by marrying Maud, a Princess

of Saxon blood

126

- 127

Robert lands at Portsmouth; Normandy ceded to him by
Henry, on condition of retaining England; treacherous

A.D.

1119.

1124.

Breach of this Treaty by Henry, who reconquers Nor-

mandy; and Robert lingers out a long Life in a cruel

Imprisonment

An Attempt made by Louis VI. on Behalf of William, Son

of Robert, defeated at the Battle of Brenneville

Another Revolt, with the same Object, defeated

Louis bestows Flanders and other Provinces on William ;

his Death

Henry's Cruelties and Exactions mingled with occasional

Generosity, the Offspring of Chivalry, but exercised only

towards the noble and beautiful; it stooped not to com-

mon-place Justice and good Faith

Marriage of Henry's Daughter, Maud, with Geoffrey Plan-

(1st of December) Death of Henry

Henry causes a general Council to take an Oath of Fealty

to Maud and her Infant Son

1136.

1138.

1139.
1141.

STEPHEN.

1135-1154.

Stephen, second Son of Stephen Earl of Blois, by Adela,
Daughter of William the Conqueror, pretends that
Henry declared him Successor

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He issues a Charter promising Observance of the Laws of

Edward

-

Confused Alternation of Anarchy and Tyranny during his

Reign

Revolt of Baldwin, Earl of Exeter, and Irruption of David
of Scotland in favour of Maud

Another Attempt by David; Battle of the Standard, in

which he is defeated

. 133

Maud comes to England, assisted by Robert of Gloucester 136

Maud defeats Stephen near Lincoln; Stephen sent in

Irons to Bristol; Maud offends the Citizens of London

by refusing Redress of Grievances, and is obliged to fly to

Oxford; her Army defeated and Robert made Prisoner,

but exchanged for Stephen

-

137

1142-1147. Incessant Warfare between the two Claimants; Maud at
length returns to Normandy, which her father has
wrested from Stephen; Death of Robert
1149. Henry Fitz-Empress comes to England; his Marriage
with Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine
Treaty of Winchester, securing the Crown to Stephen for
Life, and the Succession to Henry