The legacy of the Norman Invasion of England is demonstrated in the gradual evolution of English government, which in turn has influenced American government.
What started off as a very tightly controlled Norman hierarchy, with William the Conqueror as the source of government power, eventually became one of the most progressive forms of government in the world. The English Parliament and its bicameral legislature (House of Lords & House of Commons) gradually gained the upper hand over the royalty; historians often point to the 1215 Magna Carta as the first step on the road to a republican democracy.
The Normans should be recognized for starting England on the path to becoming the most modern and stable nation by the 1300s, though it was at great cost to the Anglo-Saxons at the time.
What started off as a very tightly controlled Norman hierarchy, with William the Conqueror as the source of government power, eventually became one of the most progressive forms of government in the world. The English Parliament and its bicameral legislature (House of Lords & House of Commons) gradually gained the upper hand over the royalty; historians often point to the 1215 Magna Carta as the first step on the road to a republican democracy.
The Normans should be recognized for starting England on the path to becoming the most modern and stable nation by the 1300s, though it was at great cost to the Anglo-Saxons at the time.