Anglo‐Norman Empire

AbstractThe Anglo‐Saxon Kingdom of England and the Duchy of Normandy formed the territorial core of the Anglo‐Norman Empire (late 11th and 12th centuries). For a period of about 140 years after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, these distinct territories were linked by rule under the same individual or family. While administrative, financial, and legal systems maintained order in the king‐duke's absence, this empire was subject to internal discord and repeated succession crises and fell apart in the face of growing external threats. Historians have debated how workable such a vast cross‐Channel polity ever could have been, not to mention its status as an empire. Nevertheless, the Norman conquest and its aftermath created a fusion of English, Norman, British, Scandinavian, and French traditions unique to, and influential within, the rest of Europe.