Late Anglo-Saxon England was already moving toward arrangements later associated with feudalism. Norman rule took advantage of that movement rather than creating every institution from nothing. The violence of conquest, including the Harrying of the North, remains essential, but it coexisted with continuities and reforms that had other causes. Papal opposition to lay appointment of priests and lay control of tithes sought to move money and authority into ecclesiastical hands. Controlling church finance also meant greater control over clergy and the message they carried, linking institutional reform directly to power.
Notable Point · 2:07:21-2:09:13
Church reform and feudal change began before 1066
Recent interpretations place parts of England's feudal and ecclesiastical transition before the conquest, with Norman rulers and papal reformers accelerating processes already underway.