A powerful and evocative portrait of the Norman Conquest of Europe,
revealing the permanent cultural and political legacy that resulted in
their ascendency.
The Norman's conquering of the known world was a phenomenon unlike
anything Europe had seen up to that point in history.
They emerged early in the tenth century but had disappeared from world
affairs by the mid-thirteenth century. Yet in that time they had
conquered England, Ireland, much of Wales and parts of Scotland. They
also founded a new Mediterranean kingdom in southern Italy and Sicily,
as well as a Crusader state in the Holy Land and in North Africa.
Moreover, they had an extraordinary ability to adapt as time and place
dictated, taking on the role of Norse invaders to Frankish crusaders,
from Byzantine overlords to feudal monarchs.
Drawing on archaeological and historical evidence, Trevor Rowley offers
a comprehensive picture of the Normans and argues that despite the short
time span of Norman ascendancy, it is clear that they were responsible
for a permanent cultural and political legacy.