The Norman Yoke: How the Norman Ascendancy still rule England

Anomie: Anarchy in the 21st Century

In this week's holiday spectacular we discuss the continuing power and sway of the English aristocracy in the UK and their links to the Norman conquest of 1066. Before the arrival of Duke William "The Basterd" England was a society of many landlowners and a tradition of elective kingship, the conquest changed that forever as William granted 95% of the land in England to a new foreign Norman aristocracy who imposed draconian taxes collected through the 1000 motte and Bailey castles and eradicated the native Anglo-Saxon elite. Any rebellions were brutally crushed such as the Harrying of the North that resulting in the deaths of over 100,000 people through man made famine. The colonisation of England was so complete that even today almost a millennium later 50% of English land is still owned by the descendants of those Norman invaders and in many ways the habits and behaviours they brought with them are still those of the English aristocracy.

Please find below links to the sources we used for this podcast:

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/sep/07/how-the-aristocracy-preserved-their-power

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/apr/17/who-owns-england-thousand-secret-landowners-author

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/apr/03/social-mobility-britain-aristocracy

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-norman-yoke/id463700741?i=1000359570790

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/dec/17/high-house-prices-inequality-normans

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6cJs1fYCOy5VQ6ap0r8rtD?si=Gr-_NSD_T-WzcG48WPoJlg

https://youtu.be/RvJxw-SFMF0

https://youtu.be/lwL3MTA-y0o