. A short history of England and the British Empire. e for his of homage,kingdom met with a respectful but firm refusal; x and on thispoint, too, the pope thought it wiser not to insist. 56. William I as King. William the Conqueror governedEngland for twenty years, a period of great sorrow to theEnglish, and, still, a period that was not without notablebenefits to the land. The merits of Williams rule lay in hisstriving after efficient government and in the even-handedjustice that he dealt out to all his subjects. In his day thelife and property of loyal Englishmen were as character ofsafe as
. A short history of England and the British Empire. e for his of homage,kingdom met with a respectful but firm refusal; x and on thispoint, too, the pope thought it wiser not to insist. 56. William I as King. William the Conqueror governedEngland for twenty years, a period of great sorrow to theEnglish, and, still, a period that was not without notablebenefits to the land. The merits of Williams rule lay in hisstriving after efficient government and in the even-handedjustice that he dealt out to all his subjects. In his day thelife and property of loyal Englishmen were as character ofsafe as the crude police machinery of the age could Wllham Lmake them. The Chronicle tells us that he was a very wise 1 Cheyney, No. 65. 66 ENGLAND UNDER NORMAN RULE man and very powerful; more dignified and strong than anyof his predecessors were. He was mild to the good men wholoved God; and over all measure severe to the men who gain-said his will. ... So also was he a very stark and cruel man,so that no one durst do anything against his will. His great. The Tower of London The tall rectangular building within the enclosing walls is the White Tower,which was built by the Normans in 1078. passion was the chase: As greatly did he love the tall deeras if he were their father. He also loved wealth and is accusedof driving hard But in his way William the Con-queror did much to consolidate the English nationality: hecrushed out all provincial aspirations after self-rule. Thiswas a benefit to the English race, but it was a benefit that wasdearly bought. When William died (1087), his Continental dominions, Nor-mandy and Maine, which were held as a fief from the Frenchking passed according to feudal law to his first-born, the weak 1 Cheyney, No. 63; Innes, I, 51-54; Kendall, No. 16. CUMBERLAND, WALES, AND NORMANDY 67 and undutiful Robert, who had at one time even been guiltyof stirring up rebellion against his father. Eng- Accession ofland was in theory an elective monarchy; and W
Size: 1966px × 1271px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidshorthistory, bookyear1915
