The Norman Conquest & the Middle Ages

Last reviewed 21 July 2026 · Reviewed by the BritainTest editorial team

This period runs from the Norman Conquest of 1066 to the start of the Tudors in 1485. It gives the test two of its most important dates and its most important document, Magna Carta. It follows on from early Britain, and it is part of our history study guide.

Key facts

The Norman Conquest (1066)

In 1066, William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings and became king of England. This was the last successful invasion of England. William ordered a great survey of the country, recorded in the Domesday Book, and the Normans introduced the feudal system, under which the king granted land to nobles in return for service. They also built castles and brought Norman French, which shaped the English language.

Magna Carta (1215)

King John's barons forced him to agree to Magna Carta (the "Great Charter") at Runnymede in 1215. It limited the power of the king and set out the principle that everyone, including the king, must obey the law. It is one of the most important documents in British history and is seen as an early step towards the rights people have today. Because it established that the monarch is not above the law, its ideas echo through later milestones like the Bill of Rights of 1689 and the modern constitution.

The beginnings of Parliament

During the Middle Ages, the first parliaments developed. Kings increasingly needed the agreement of nobles, and later of ordinary people's representatives, before they could raise taxes. Over time this grew into two Houses: a House of Lords for nobles and bishops, and a House of Commons for knights and townspeople. This slow growth of Parliament, and the idea that the monarch needs its consent, is one of the most important themes of the period.

The English language also changed. In the centuries after 1066, Norman French (used by the ruling classes) and Anglo-Saxon English gradually blended into the English we would recognise today, the language in which Geoffrey Chaucer later wrote.

Wars of the Middle Ages

England fought its neighbours throughout the period. At the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the Scots under Robert the Bruce defeated the English. England also fought a long war with France, the Hundred Years War, which included the famous English victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

The Black Death (1348)

In 1348, a plague called the Black Death reached Britain and killed about a third of the population. The shortage of workers that followed weakened the feudal system and brought lasting social change.

The Wars of the Roses (1455 to 1485)

The Wars of the Roses were a civil war for the throne between the House of Lancaster (a red rose) and the House of York (a white rose). They ended at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, where Henry Tudor defeated Richard III and became Henry VII, beginning the Tudor line. The poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who wrote The Canterbury Tales in English, also belongs to this period.

What to remember for the test

• 1066: the Norman Conquest and the Battle of Hastings (William the Conqueror).
• 1215: Magna Carta limited the king's power and put the king under the law.
• Parliament began to grow because kings needed agreement to raise taxes.
• 1348: the Black Death killed about a third of the population.
• 1485: the Battle of Bosworth ended the Wars of the Roses and started the Tudors.

For these dates alongside the rest, see the UK history timeline.

Practise this topic

Test yourself on the Normans and the Middle Ages in the real format, then reread anything you miss. Next comes the Tudors and the Reformation.