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The Norman Conquest
- The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England
- Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
- Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins
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The Norman Conquest
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Editor reviews
Historian Marc Morris presents an enjoyable and modern account of the Norman invasion that created the foundation for the English nation. Beginning with the Saxon kings and the constant conflicts besetting England as she fell prey to both Vikings and Normans, Morris lays bare the intrigues and betrayals that marked the Anglo-Saxons' rule. With his silken voice and impeccable timing, narrator Frazer Douglas recounts these events with great familiarity and relish. Morris sets the stage for William the Conqueror's invasion and shows how his hopes for a united Anglo-Norman realm were dashed by rebellions, Viking invasions, and the demands of his fellow conquerors. Listeners will be entertained by this rambunctious look at the most important period of English history.
Summary
A riveting and authoritative history of the single most important event in English history: The Norman Conquest.
An upstart French duke who sets out to conquer the most powerful and unified kingdom in Christendom. An invasion force on a scale not seen since the days of the Romans. One of the bloodiest and most decisive battles ever fought.
This new history explains why the Norman Conquest was the most significant cultural and military episode in English history. Assessing the original evidence at every turn, Marc Morris goes beyond the familiar outline to explain why England was at once so powerful and yet so vulnerable to William the Conqueror’s attack; why the Normans, in some respects less sophisticated, possessed the military cutting edge; how William’s hopes of a united Anglo-Norman realm unraveled, dashed by English rebellions, Viking invasions, and the insatiable demands of his fellow conquerors.
This is a tale of powerful drama, repression, and seismic social change: the Battle of Hastings itself; the sudden introduction of castles and the massive rebuilding of every major church; the total destruction of an ancient ruling class. Language, law, architecture, and even attitudes toward life itself were altered forever by the coming of the Normans.
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What listeners say about The Norman Conquest
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mark Holmes
- 11-11-13
Thorough and entertaining
Would you consider the audio edition of The Norman Conquest to be better than the print version?
This is an excellent overview of the Norman Conquest, from it's pre-history in the early 11th Century to it's lasting legacy through British History. Morris will be criticised for being pro-Norman, but he does illustrate quite convincingly that Harold's claim to the throne was less than dubious. He's certainly no Norman apologist when it comes to the Harrying of the North and their ruthless political (if not literal) decapitation of the Saxon nobility.
What Morris does manage to do is to incorporate the source material effectively into the narrative. As such, he provides an insight into the way that Historian's handle the contemporaneous accounts of the Conquest whilst turning their author's into characters in their own right.
What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?
Frazer Douglas' reading is slightly odd. He has a tendency to ponderous hesitancy and some of his pronunciation of place names is irritating (his rendering of Ely, the Cambridgeshire town, as EE-LIE rather than EE-LEE was particularly poor). Also, his adoption of a 'posh vicar' voice when quoting from the original source material grated after a while.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Antony
- 09-12-15
Great book but an odd narration style
Where does The Norman Conquest rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
The content was excellent, very well researched and presented the sources at much more than their face value. The critical evaluation of the evidence really added a lot to this book.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Edmund Ironside, the evidence suggests that he was a brave and strong leader but the hand he was dealt was spectacularly unlucky
What didn’t you like about Frazer Douglas’s performance?
The intonations were all wrong, giving the emphasis in the wrong places. He also paused mid-sentence and then resumed as if he were starting a new sentence. Some of the names and words were pronounced in a strange way. It took some getting used to at first but this did not detract from the excellent content.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No real emotional reaction just a series of "what if" pontifications
Any additional comments?
Great book, I'll seek out more by the same author
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 20-06-20
Most annoying, reader ever
Odd pauses, mid-sentence along with horrible mispronunciations of some names made this a disappointing listen.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lauren of Normandy
- 22-05-17
gripping!
was gripped. found it hard to leave it when I had to do everyday things.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Keith
- 16-06-18
Really engrossing story/narrative
Really engrossing narrative of this transformational period of history. May well change your preconceptions. It did mine.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Marie
- 20-02-16
Bad King John
Did not enjoy the reader! Managed to listen to a well written book in half hour slots.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- L C
- 10-11-21
Great telling of the Norman's in England
The narrator has a style that you might not like but I've heard worse. He can't pronounce some words and names properly; has a repetitive rhythm and a strange voice when he quotes people. Otherwise an interesting listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- geraint baker
- 13-03-17
really good read
I first read the book king John by Marc morris and had to get this one straight after reading it. just like the first this book was very well written and very informative and I would recommend to any history fan
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sam Jones
- 23-11-18
Heavy going but worth it for the detail.
Not the easiest book which isn't helped by the choice of narrator. A good detailed account of The Conquerer heavily using the words of The Chroniclers to navigate to a good and accurate view of his life. If like me you find medieval political evolution and some good old fashioned wars then you will love this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- steve
- 25-01-22
fascinating.
really interesting. well reas except the reader doesn't know how to pronounce many of the names!
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