Norman Conquest

On 28 January 1069, Robert de Comines rode into Durham with a small army despite being told a rebel force was waiting for him. He and most of his men were killed. William the Conqueror's response laid waste to half of England's north and left marks on the land that are still visible today.

On 6 January 1066, Harold Godwinson was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey, the day after Edward the Confessor died. Nine months and eight days later, he was dead at Senlac Hill, and England would never speak the same language again.