What happened when the Normans invaded England?

Answer 1

Basically, they conquered the native Saxons and occupied the country, opening a new chapter in English history. The English army under King Harold was defeated at The Battle of Hastings in 1066, attempting to resist the invasion lead by William the Conqeror. Harold was killed in action, and the Saxon infantry routed. This led to William taking over as the victorious ruler of England, being crowned King in Westminster Abbey and establishing a ruling class of Norman barons and lords who took over the running of the nation's infrastructure and imposed new agricultural, legal and economic systems. The Saxons became a governed underclass (much as the Celts had, in turn, become under them) and were treated as inferiors by their Norman overlords- for many generations the Normans were very much the 'master race', and treated the Saxons with utter contempt, taxing them heavily and imposing dictatorial laws that carried harsh penalties (in modern parlance, they would be described as Fascist). However, the Norman victory at Hastings did not secure them absolute victory- guerrilla resistance against their rule continued in the North of England under the leadership of Saxon aristocrats and warlords for many years. Scotland was not conquered at all other than some parts of the border regions, and Wales held out for many decades (even then it was never completely conquered, Norman incursion being confined mostly to the far South). As the Centuries went by, Norman rule became more moderate, and began treating the conquered Saxons with more respect and more as equals- they were allowed to hold key positions in Government, and there was much inter-marrying between the two. This led to the distinction between Norman and Saxon becoming blurred, and to the creation of a new breed of 'English' who were neither one race or the other. The Royal house established by William the Conqueror (the Plantagenets) soon came to see themselves as English and not of French origin, and became champions of the interests and culture of England.

Answer 2

they settled in the welsh area and in the Irish area but prety much everywhere