Western Civilization

office of sheriff. William took a census and more fully

developed the system of taxation and royal courts

begun by the Anglo-Saxon kings of the tenth and elev-

enth centuries. All in all, William of Normandy created

a strong, centralized monarchy.

The Norman conquest of England had other reper-

cussions as well. Because the new king of England was

still the duke of Normandy, he was both a king (of

England) and at the same time a vassal to a king (of

France), but a vassal who was now far more powerful

than his lord. This connection with France kept Eng-

land heavily involved in continental affairs through-

out the High Middle Ages.

HENRY II In the twelfth century, the power of the Eng-

lish monarchy was greatly expanded during the reign of

Henry II (1154–1189), the founder of the Plantagenet

(plan-TAJ-uh-net) dynasty. The king was particularly

successful in strengthening the power of the royal

courts. Henry increased the number of criminal cases

tried in the king’s court and also devised ways of taking

property cases from local courts to the royal courts.

Henry’s goals were clear: expanding the jurisdiction of

royal courts extended the king’s power and, of course,

brought revenues into his coffers. Moreover, because

the royal courts were now found throughout England, a

body ofcommon law(law that was common to the

whole kingdom) began to replace the local law codes,

which differed from place to place.

Henry was less successful at imposing royal control

over the church. The king claimed the right to punish

clergymen in royal courts, but Thomasa Becket, arch-

bishop of Canterbury and therefore the highest-ranking

English cleric, claimed that only church courts could try

clerics. Attempts at compromise failed, and in 1170 the

angry king publicly expressed the desire to be rid of

Norman Conquest of

England.The Bayeux

(bah-YUHorbah-YUR)

tapestry, a wall hanging of

woolen embroidery on a

linen backing, was made

by English needlewomen

before 1082 for Bayeux

Cathedral. It depicts

scenes from the Norman

invasion of England. The

first segment shows the

Norman fleet beginning its

journey to England. The

second segment shows the

Norman cavalry charging

the shield wall of the

Saxon infantry during the

Battle of Hastings.

DEA/M. Seemuller/Getty Images

Muse

e de la Tapisserie, Bayeux/With special authorisation of the city

of Bayeux/The Bridgeman Art Library

The Emergence and Growth of European Kingdoms, 1000–1300 223

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