large/6138/signsofchange_1209_librivox_64kb_mp3/signsofchange_04_morris_64kb_14
large/6138/signsofchange_1209_librivox_64kb_mp3/signsofchange_04_morris_64kb
English
6138
What he did was to quarter upon England an army of feudal vassals drawn from his obedient dukedom, and to hand over to them the lordship of the land of England in return for their military service to him, the suzerain of them all. Thenceforward, it was under the rule of these foreign landlords that the people of England had to develop. WHAT HE DID WAS TO QUARTER UPON ENGLAND AN ARMY OF FEUDAL VASSALS DRAWN FROM HIS OBEDIENT DUKEDOM AND TO HAND OVER TO THEM THE LORDSHIP OF THE LAND OF ENGLAND IN RETURN FOR THEIR MILITARY SERVICE TO HIM THE SUZERAIN OF THEM ALL THENCEFORWARD IT WAS UNDER THE RULE OF THESE FOREIGN LANDLORDS THAT THE PEOPLE OF ENGLAND HAD TO DEVELOP
 or at any rate they looked on him as being such a king of England as Knut the Dane, who had also conquered the country; and probably William himself thought no otherwise; but the event was quite different; for on the one hand, not only was he a man of strong character, able, masterful, and a great soldier in the modern sense of the word, but he had at his back his wealthy dukedom of Normandy, which he had himself reduced to obedience and organized; and, on the other hand, England lay before him, unorganized, yet stubbornly rebellious to him; its very disorganization and want of a centre making it more difficult to deal with by merely overrunning it with an army levied for that purpose, and backed by a body of house-carles or guards, which would have been the method of a Scandinavian or native king in dealing with his rebellious subjects. Duke William’s necessities and instincts combined led him into a very different course of action, which determined the future destiny of the country. HE NEWLY SLAIN HAROLD OR AT ANY RATE THEY LOOKED ON HIM AS BEING SUCH A KING OF ENGLAND AS KNUTE THE DANE WHO HAD ALSO CONQUERED THE COUNTRY AND PROBABLY WILLIAM HIMSELF THOUGHT NO OTHERWISE BUT THE EVENT WAS QUITE DIFFERENT FOR ON THE ONE HAND NOT ONLY WAS HE A MAN OF STRONG CHARACTER ABLE MASTERFUL AND A GREAT SOLDIER IN THE MODERN SENSE OF THE WORD BUT HE HAD AT HIS BACK HIS WEALTHY DUKEDOM OF NORMANDY WHICH HE HAD HIMSELF REDUCED TO OBEDIENCE AND ORGANIZED AND ON THE OTHER HAND ENGLAND LAY BEFORE HIM UNORGANIZED YET STUBBORNLY REBELLIOUS TO HIM HIS VERY DISORGANIZATION AND WANT OF ASSENTRE MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH BY MERELY OVERRUNNING IT WITH AN ARMY LEVIED FOR THAT PURPOSE AND BACKED BY A BODY OF HOUSE CARLS OR GUARDS WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN THE METHOD OF A SCANDINAVIAN OR NATIVE KING IN DEALING WITH HIS REBELLIOUS SUBJECTS DUKE WILLIAM'S NECESSITIES AND INSTINCTS COMBINED LED HIM INTO A VERY DIFFERENT COURSE OF ACTION WHICH DETERMINED THE FUTURE DESTINY OF THE COUNTRY
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