Marc Morris’s The Norman Conquest is a brilliant retelling of one of the most pivotal moments in English history: the 1066 invasion led by William the Conqueror that reshaped England forever. I am an admirer of the author’s work, he has written books on Norman Castles, King John and King Edward the 1st and this is a particular favourite.

Morris begins before 1066 with the reign of Edward the Confessor and the politics that set the stage for William’s audacious bid to seize the English throne.That he provides this initial introduction is vital to understanding the landscape at that time. This was a kingdom as vulnerable as it was powerful, its hotly contested riches ripe for the taking and Morris adds dramatic factual context which is at once understandable without sacrificing quality for the more experienced history enthusiasts.

There is a refreshing honesty to the author’s work, he explains the difficulty with dealing with biased sources—from the Bayeux Tapestry to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, and Norman Chronicles yet he manages to produce a balanced narrative explaining that which isn’t known and encouraging the reader to make their own conclusions. Rather than forcing definitive answers, he invites you to weigh the evidence alongside him, a good example being Harold Godwinson’s oath to William or the horror of the Harrying of the North– a truly barbaric and shameful part of our history.

Clearly any book on this subject will have the Battle of Hastings as its focal point and the author does not disappoint but Morris doesn’t end with the conclusion of the battle. He shows the decades of struggle William has in keeping what he has won. His reign was fraught with frequent rebellions, the Viking raids and the determined English resistance show how precarious his position was. Morris presents both sides of the proverbial coin, he doesn’t shy from explaining the destruction of the Anglo-Saxon elite, the imposition of castles on its people and the Domesday Book’s stark assessment of a conquered land. Yet he also highlights the Conquest’s lasting legacy: the end of slavery, the fusion of Norman and English culture, and the foundations of a new nation.

The Norman Conquest is a very good book. Morris has taken a hugely important and well documented period in English history and given it a fresh impetus, he highlights its many complexities whilst painting a world of ruthless ambition, violence, and transformation. England would never be the same again and few tell it like Morris.