Практикум по английскому языку (по истории Англии Средних веков). Пилипенко В.А - 15 стр.

                     ÒÅÊÑÒ III / TEXT III
                    NORMAN CONQUEST


        The consequences of the Norman conquest are        ïîñëåäñòâèÿ
as follows: after king William had been crowned at         áûë êîðîíîâàí
Westminster (London surrended) by 1069 he was
ready for the next stage in the conquest. The comple-
tion of the conquest was followed by a full confisca-
tion of lands and a new division among the Normans.
It is at this point that we can say that feudalism is
fully established in England.
        Within a few years the whole of the land of
the country passed out of the hands of its old owners
into the hands of the conquerors. The essential po-
litical feature of feudalism was the delegation of
power, and all power was based upon ownership of
land. The king was the sole and the ultimate owner         åäèíñòâåííûé
of all the land, and granted it to his tenants-in-chief    äðóæèííèê
in return for military and other services and for pay-
ment of certain customary dues. With the land was          ïîøëèíû
granted also the political right of governing its culti-
vators: the right to hold courts of justice, to levy       âçèìàòü ïîøëè-
taxes and to exact services. So far as the king was        íû; òðåáîâàòü
concerned the most important duty of his vassals was       ïîâèííîñòåé
to follow him in war. The king granted land to his         íàäåëÿë
vassals on his own terms, terms, extremely favourable
to himself. England had therefore, a development
that was unique in European history. From the start
the power of the stage was greater and the power of
the feudal nobility was less. The century and a half
between the Conquest and Magna Charter was the
period during which feudalism existed in its most
complete form in England.




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