1066: The Year that Changed Everything

Released: 2021-08-09

Runtime: 33 minutes

Episode Overview

What makes 1066 such a pivotal year in the history of Western civilization? How has the meaning of the Norman Conquest been debated and interpreted over time? And how did two weddings-between the English king Aethelred and the duke of Normandy's sister, Emma, and then, after the death of Aethelred, Emma's marriage to the Danish king Cnut-lay the groundwork for this tumultuous moment? Find out in this lecture that provides crucial information for grasping the Norman Conquest.

Series Overview

With 1066, Professor Jennifer Paxton's exciting and historically rich six-lecture course, experience for yourself the drama of this dynamic year in medieval history-centering on the Norman Conquest of England that would dramatically reshape both English and Western history. Taking you from the shores of Scandinavia and France to the battlefields of the English countryside, this course plunges you into a world of fierce Viking warriors, powerful noble families, politically charged marriages, tense succession crises, epic military invasions, and more.