The Norman Invasion of England: The History and Legacy of William the Conqueror’s Successful Campaign in 1066 [Audiobook]

For hundreds of years, the Anglo-Saxons—who had been harassing the Saxon Shore as pirates—began to settle in Britain, creating a patchwork of little kingdoms and starting a new era of English history. Several early medieval historians, writing well after the events, said the Anglo-Saxons were invited to Britain to defend the region from the northern tribes and ended up taking over. The Venerable Bede (672 or 673-735) said in his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (“Ecclesiastical History of the English People”) that in the year 449, “The British consulted what was to be done and where they should seek assistance to prevent or repel the cruel and frequent incursions of the northern nations. They all agreed with their king Vortigern to call over to their aid, from the parts beyond the sea, the Saxon nation…. The two first commanders are said to have been Hengist and Horsa.” However they came to control most of England, the Anglo-Saxons became the dominant power in the region for nearly 500 years, and the strength of their cultural influence could be felt even after William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings and became the first Norman ruler on the island.