Historical Overview Section
181 Anlo-Normans
The Anglo-Normans emerged as a new ruling elite after the conquest of 1066, when William the Conqueror granted lands, offices, and castles to his followers from Normandy, Brittany, Flanders, and France. English society was profoundly transformed: most of the old Anglo-Saxon aristocracy was dispossessed, and the newcomers reorganised the kingdom according to continental feudal models.
The Anglo-Normans did not merely dominate the land—they restructured England. They built a dense network of fortifications (the motte-and-bailey castles), introduced new forms of knighthood, and reshaped the administration. The Domesday Book (1086), a massive survey of the kingdom, shows their determination to control resources, populations, and loyalties.
Over time, a true cultural blending took place. Intermarriage between Norman lords and Anglo-Saxon families brought the elites closer, while the English Church was reformed under continental influence, attracting monks and abbots from France or Italy. In this environment, the Anglo-Norman language emerged—a distinctly English form of French, which remained the language of power and high justice for centuries.
The Anglo-Normans quickly extended their ambitions beyond England:
- into Wales, where militarised marcher lordships were established;
- into Scotland, where the arrival of Anglo-Norman families reshaped the political landscape under King David I;
- and into Ireland, where the 1169 expedition opened the way to lasting settlement, giving rise to the great dynasties of the Irish-Normans, such as the Fitzgeralds and the de Burghs.
By the 12th and 13th centuries, a fully developed Anglo-Norman identity had taken shape: a blend of French, Norman, British, and Celtic traditions, upheld by an aristocracy that saw itself as heir to the Vikings through Normandy, to the Frankish knights through feudal culture, and to the Anglo-Saxon kings through its rule of the island.
Gradually, this identity merged into what would become the medieval English nobility, especially after the loss of Normandy in 1204. But the legacy of the Anglo-Normans—the feudal system, French as the language of the court, the castle network, and the evolution of law and administration—remained at the core of England for centuries.
Using the army in ADLG
- As usual in feudal period, the strength of this list is their Medium Knight Impetuous Elites. This will me the main strike force.
- You must have supplement forces with some Heavy Spearmen, light troops and variant others to secure your flanks.
Useful Links
User-contributed links about this army.
Army Lists
181 deuf8881's Anglo-Normans (1175)
Strategist (Henri II)
4 Knights and Sergeants (Medium knight impetuous Elite)
2 Saxon and Welsh Archers (Light Infantry bow)
2 Brabancons and Sergeants (Heavy Cavalry impact)
2 Welsh (Medium Spearmen)
1 Mercenaries (Crossbowmen pavise)
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Ordinary unreliable (William Fitz-Ralph)
2 Militia (Heavy spearmen)
1 Mercenaries (Heavy spearmen armor)
1 Mercenaries (Crossbowmen pavise)
2 Saxon and Welsh Archers (Light Infantry bow)
1 Marcher Muntatores (Medium Cavalry impact)
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Competent North Welsh ally (Owain Fychan ap Madog)
3 Medium Spearmen
1 Longbowmen
1 Light Infantry javelin
2 Light Cavalry javelin