Aug 20, 2016 the history books refer to william the conqueror as jovial and generous, among other surprising qualities recorded in an 11thcentury latin text written after the kings funeral. On this day in 1066, william the conqueror led his forces to defeat king harold ii of england. Melvyn bragg and his guests discuss the domesday book, a vast survey of. This is my first baxter book and i hope there is at least one more to continue this story. The only uptodate biography, written by the world expert on. Exon domesday was almost certainly presented to william the conqueror at a. Domesday book was ordered by william the conqueror william i in 1085. Peverel, ranulf married former mistress of william i. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Aug 07, 2007 stephen baxter is a trained engineer with a degree in mathematics from cambridge and a doctorate in aeroengineering research from southampton university. Three days from home kindle edition by baxter, william. He also finds out the real reason it was commissioned by william the conqueror in 1086. The counts took their name from the town of eu in normandy. Set in the universe of the long war by terry pratchett and stephen baxter.
It began in 1085, when william the conqueror, then in his 20th year as king william i of england. Feb 22, 2007 stephen baxter is a trained engineer with degrees from cambridge mathematics and southampton universities doctorate in aeroengineering research. In 1085, william the conqueror faced the greatest crisis of his life and reign. Its main purpose was to assess the wealth of england to aid the system of taxation. Elisabeth van houts, david bates and stephen baxter.
The site enables users to list, map and quantify the estates of all the landholders named in william the conqueror s great domesday survey of 1086 at the click of a button. Rollos power was inherited first by william, nicknamed longsword d. In january 1066, the death of the childless king edward the confessor resulted in a struggle for succession to the english throne. William the conqueror commissioned domesday book to record who owned. He was a great a man who dominated england in middle ages, but vast sums of money were needed to rule such enormous lands. Aug 09, 2010 so said an academic who has used the domesday book to trace the rise and rise of william the conqueror s barons. Domesday book is the product of an extraordinary survey of england commissioned by king william the conqueror in 1085. If ownership of property was disputed, whatever was recorded in domesday was the final word on the matter. It was intended to list all the taxable property to make a more accurate inventory.
The entire order of happenings seemed very believable and kept me glued to my seat way beyond my bed time. Apr 17, 2014 joining melvyn bragg to discuss domesday book, the circumstances of its creation, the processes of the survey that supplied the information, its contents and its lasting impact, were three eminent scholars of the norman conquest. Exon domesday was almost certainly presented to william the conqueror at a meeting of his barons at old sarum on 1 august 1086. The domesday book was used by william the conqueror to answers. Stephen baxter is a trained engineer with a degree in mathematics from cambridge and a doctorate in aeroengineering research from southampton university. Conqueror times tapestry 2 stephen baxter download. Conqueror is a science fiction novel by british writer stephen baxter, the second in his alternate history series times tapestry synopsis. On the 14th october 1066, william and harolds armies met at the battle of hastings. When harold was made king on the death of edward, william sailed from normandy in france, where he was duke, with an army of 7000 men. Steeped in blood and violence this was also a time of artistic endeavour, a time of nation building and lawgiving. His hold was secure on normandy by 1060, following a long struggle to establish his throne, and he launched the norman.
The doomsday book is considered as the treasure of medieval england and was used by william the conqueror to dominate medieval england. The novel begins in ad 607 and ends in ad 1066 after the battle of hastings. Peverel, william perhaps illegitimate son of william i by his mistress. Prof stephen baxter on bbc radio 4 st peters college. Domesday book reveals the rise of a norman abramovich after.
The domesday survey and domesday book have generally been seen as the culmination of the norman conquest, and show the results of a great investigation, commissioned by william the conqueror, of. The domesday book synonyms, the domesday book pronunciation, the domesday book translation, english dictionary definition of the domesday book. During the lifetimes of william the conqueror and his sons, royal officials described it using. Exeter cathedral possesses one of the most important manuscripts from medieval england. The domesday book was a survey of england and wales. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading three days from home. The ancestor in common with william and me is the ninth century norwegian viking, eystein glumra ivarsson. Aug 14, 2010 in 1085, william the conqueror faced the greatest crisis of his life and reign. Domesday tv with stephen baxter a corner of tenthcentury. Prof baxter, who is a worldleading expert on domesday book, the survey of england carried out by william the conqueror in 1086, was on the. William the conqueror did not commission domesday book.
So said an academic who has used the domesday book to trace the rise and rise of william the conquerors barons. Compiled with the assistance of dr stephen baxter of kings college, london. The level of detail sought by the men carrying out the inquest was remarkable, even. William conquered england and its church 9011200 church. Based on the long mars by terry pratchett and stephen baxter. The domesday book was commissioned by william the conqueror. Aug 10, 2010 domesday book is the product of an extraordinary survey of england commissioned by king william the conqueror in 1085. However, william, then duke of normandy, had claimed he was the.
It in fact comprises two volumes, now preserved at the national archives. Stephen baxter, youve captured my attention as a great yarn teller. Stephen baxter im stephen baxter, and im a medieval historian at kings. The normans, episode 4, domesday alexander street, a proquest. Its repercussions on the church in england were enormous, going far beyond the stone architecture of the. The written record of a census and survey of english landowners and their property made by order of william the conqueror in. This book contains information about who owned what throughout the country. Whatever was recorded in domesday book was legally binding. The domesday book was used by william the conqueror to. William the conqueror won the throne in this battle. The only uptodate biography, written by the world expert on william the conqueror. William i 10661087 was a distant relative of edward the confessor and claimed that edward had promised him the throne of england. Baxter is the winner of the british science fiction award and the locus award, as well as being a nominee for an arthur c.
The history books refer to william the conqueror as jovial and generous, among other surprising qualities recorded in an 11thcentury latin text written after the kings funeral. He was a descendant of rollo and was duke of normandy from 1035 onward. Sutherland the domesday book is closely related to william the conqueror or william the bastard, king of england and duke of normandy, ca. Commissioned by william the conqueror in 1085, it is, in essence, a kingdomwide record of who held what estates and other assets in england and how much they were all worth. Stephen baxter, university of oxford, history department, faculty member. Joining melvyn bragg to discuss domesday book, the circumstances of its creation, the processes of the survey that supplied the information, its contents and its lasting impact, were three eminent scholars of the norman conquest. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study. William the conqueror created the domesday book, to keep a record of all the land in england, when the danish army were going to invade england. Conqueror is a science fiction novel by british writer stephen baxter, the second in his alternate history series times tapestry. William the conqueror won the throne in this battle domesday book created to survey people on their life under william the conqueror s reign, later used as a taxation guide. In this programme on the domesday book, dr stephen baxter, medieval historian at kings college, london, reveals the human and political drama that lies within the parchment of englands earliest. Stephen baxter is a trained engineer with degrees from cambridge mathematics and southampton universities doctorate in aeroengineering research.
Why did william the conqueror make the domesday book answers. Domesday book reveals the rise of a norman abramovich. William the conqueror was able to obtain more taxes because. The key to the conquerors great survey stephen baxter. Cecelia holland remarks, hastings deserves its reputation as the greatest battle in english history, and a major turning point in the history of the. The second novel in a thrilling alternatehistory seriesfrom national bestselling author stephen baxter. Conqueror times tapestry 2 stephen baxter download bok. Stephen baxter considers the big questions about this pivotal work. Little domesday book ldb, which covers norfolk, suffolk. The domesday book, completed in 1086, was a great survey of england when it was a colony of normandy undertaken on the orders of englands king william i, or william the conqueror as he arrogantly preferred to be known he was previously known as william the bastard. It was a gigantic survey of every town and village in england and described in detail which barons owned which tracts of.
The key to the conquerors great survey stephen baxter exeter cathedral possesses one of the most important manuscripts from medieval england. Domesday book records the results of a survey of england which was commissioned by william the conqueror in christmas 1085 and conducted in 1086. Domesday book states that william gave this castle and the area it controlled to the count of eu, a church benefactor and advisor to the king. Armed with domesday book, king william could threaten to.
The information collected during the survey was written up in a fair copy, later known as domesday book, which in fact comprises two volumes. Three centuries have passed since rome fell, as the. Twenty years after the battle of hastings, william the conqueror sent officials. Domesday database launched online university of cambridge. Stephen baxter with a replica of the domesday book at kings. Its core is the immediate source of that magnificent abbreviation the domesday book great domesday, for the fivesouthwestern counties. The domesday book definition of the domesday book by the. The site enables users to list, map and quantify the estates of all the landholders named in william the conquerors great domesday survey of 1086 at the click of a button. The key to the conqueror s great survey stephen baxter exeter cathedral possesses one of the most important manuscripts from medieval england. In this programme on the domesday book, dr stephen baxter, medieval historian at kings college, london, reveals the human and political drama that lies within the parchment of englands earliest surviving public record. Survey of much of england and parts of wales by order of king william the conqueror. The doomsday book was used by william the conqueror to create a system of taxation for england.
Stephen baxter reader in medieval history at kings college. Domesday book and the transformation of english landed society 10661086 stephen baxter and chris lewis introduction what effect did the norman conquest have on english landed society. When william was born in 102728, robert was count of hiesmois. For the next 20 years he and his norman followers colonised england but then, in the 1080s, williams position as king began to look vulnerable. The representation of lordship and land tenure in domesday bookmore. This, of course, came two decades after his famous invasion and conquest of 1066. Today marks the 950th anniversary of the battle of hastings. Visitors can find out who owned their town or village, create maps and tables of the estates held by the same lords elsewhere in england, and examine the scale of the. Little domesday book ldb, which covers norfolk, suffolk and essex. The tower of londons origins at the beginning of william the conquerors reign were modest. William the conqueror, born 1027, died september 9, 1087, is my seventh cousin, 26 times removed.
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