When did the Normans lose control of England?

Answer 1

In my estimation, a lot of them are still in charge. William the Conqueror consolidated his control of England by settling a new, Norman nobility on the land, displacing its former Saxon lords. They built castles, abbeys, monasteries and then, in 1085, he catalogued the lot, right down to the smallest peasant holding (The Domesday Book). When William died, his lands were divided. Robert, his eldest, got Normandy, and his second son, William, became King of England. Throughout history, various monarchs have managed to upset the Lords of the Land, resulting in curtailment of royal power (eg: King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215, and Charles I was executed in 1649 resulting in a brief spell of republic). However, throughout these disturbances, the descendants of the Norman Lords retained their holdings and their places in the law making processes. Their personal and political power ensured that, despite improvements in the lot of those who served them, they remained in charge.

The aftermath of the 17th century political struggles saw two groups emerge. The Landed Gentry avowed fidelity to The King and formed a group called the Tories. Another group, favouring the advancement of trade and parliamentarism, called themselves the Whigs. These existed only in Parliament itself, and were firmly based on self-interest.

However, the advancement of the Industrial Revolution churned things up for the Tories, who were led by the Duke of Wellington. The French Revolution unnerved those in power. The party was in disarray. It was rescued by Robert Peel, who advocated traditionalism (with the familiarity of comfy slippers) over radicalism (the scary unknown). This appealed to those whose economic stake was planted firmly in the land, rather than in trade (the Landed Gentry and their workforce) and the Conservative Party was born. All went well for the Norman's descendants, until the Corn Laws were repealed, favouring trade and industry over agricultural tariff protection. The party split, depending on the financial interests of those involved, many moving towards the Whigs. But they were saved again, this time by Benjamin Disraeli.

Disraeli cleverly exposited how the interests of the privileged classes also served those of the ordinary men whose votes they needed to stay in power. He stoked up a sense of British superiority over the Empire and the Social reforms meant that the Conservatives received support from ordinary Working Class men for the first time. However, after Disraeli's death, the traditionalists reasserted themselves, attempting to re-establish their previous dominance and losing popular support. This might have been their downfall, except for Gladstone's obsession with solving the Irish Question, which upset a lot of Whigs who defected to the Conservatives. The Whigs became the Liberals, and Parliamentary Reform made it far more difficult to gain election through bribery and corruption.

But through all this, the land was still in the hands of a few who were largely descended from William the Conqueror's Norman nobles. This was upset by the onset of the First World War. Many nobles lost their sons, and fewer and fewer of the working classes were prepared to take a post in domestic servitude, which was seen as "skivvying". Farm workers became urban city workers and lands became uneconomic. The Normans were losing some of their control after 900 years.

But some reformed and survived, with the use of modern farming methods and employing talented managers. Others downsized their holdings, retaining their wealth. Another war brought further social changed and the emergence, for the first time, of a political party that seemed to favour the workers over those controlling the money. This hurt the industrialists more than the country gentry, whose remaining workforce were largely loyal to their masters.

So, at the beginning of the 21st century, I would argue that there are still vestiges of Norman power controlling the country. Look at the schools attended by Conservative ministers. At the time of writing, 9 Tory cabinet ministers (including the PM) were privately educated, and 3 LibDem ministers, with only 5 going to Grammar schools and 5 from Comprehensive Secondary Schools. Many of these can trace their roots back to Norman landed gentry.