The lifestyle of everyday people didn’t change much in the old days when their government was overthrown. Sometimes, a healthy invasion really enhanced a culture. The conquerors added their art and music and literature to the existing culture and suddenly new forms and styles emerged from the mixture. Remember, this was ages ago when the arts defined national character more than politics. As far as politics went, everyone was under a monarchy anyway. But this article particularly concerns the influence of a conquest over language.
Before the eleventh century, English was a pretty rough tongue. In the realm of literature, about the best it could do was Beowulf. Then came the Norman invasions. The Duke of Normandy stormed England in 1066 in a campaign to be known as the Norman Conquests, culminating at the Battle of Hastings. The finalé of that campaign in Hastings marked the demise of the last Anglo Saxon king, Harold II, and ushered in the reign of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy.
William the Conqueror thereby became King William I of England and brought with him the French language. Creating a new Anglo/Norman (English/French) language, William I virtually doubled the English vocabulary. Since 1066, English has evolved as the richest and most diverse language in the world. No other language approximates the vast number and variety of the words that are available to us.
The greatest paintings may be French or Italian and the greatest philosophies may be German, but because of William I, the greatest literature will always be English and American. If you love the language, take your hats off to the former Duke of Normandy and celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings on October 14.