History Extra Podcast: 11th-Century Europe—Not Just the Norman Conquest
Date: October 21, 2025
Host: David Martin Musgrove
Guest: Professor Charles West, University of Edinburgh
Main Theme: A panoramic view of 11th-century Europe, going beyond the Norman Conquest to highlight the era’s transformative changes in cultural networks, urbanization, authority, and the roles of women—all set against a diverse European backdrop.
Episode Overview
This episode challenges the traditional, Anglo-centric focus on 1066 and the Norman Conquest as the defining moment of 11th-century Europe. Professor Charles West, drawing on his book Europe in the 11th Century: Beyond Revolution and Reform, invites listeners to consider an array of significant developments across the continent—political, cultural, urban, and religious—that together shaped the era as a true “pivot point” in European history.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Cultural Networks vs. Political Borders
[03:04] Prof. Charles West:
- Medieval people conceived of Europe as a collection of overlapping “cultural networks” rather than fixed political borders.
- Circa 1000, these included the Byzantine Empire, the Latin West (using Latin for liturgy, religion, governance), the Islamic world in the south, and a northern arc from Scandinavia to the Black Sea.
- By 1100, the Latin West expanded through conversion, while Byzantium and the Islamic world contracted.
- “It’s not about political borders... the cultural networks within that space do change.”
- Medieval maps, like the multicolored St. Sever map, depicted Europe as a geographical part of the world but lacked political boundaries.
2. Is the 11th Century Special?
[06:10] Prof. Charles West:
- The 11th century marks a pivotal transition—a “threshold” or tipping point—between the early and late Middle Ages.
- Dismissing overstated talk of apocalyptic anxiety in the year 1000, West notes there was no universal sense of impending doom; different regions even followed different calendars.
3. Norman Conquest in Perspective
[08:17] Prof. Charles West:
- The Norman Conquest, though monumental for England, is not central to West’s narrative: “If we view the 11th century through the Norman lens, we’re being maybe a little bit blinkered.”
- Continental chroniclers, such as Lambert of Hersfeld, recorded 1066 as one event among many, often focusing more on local issues.
- The conquest impressed contemporaries, and English mercenaries even ended up in Byzantium, but the world kept turning—Europe was much bigger than 1066.
4. Wealth, Governance, & Urbanization
- Was England especially rich? [11:00]
- England was comparatively wealthy and well-governed in northwest Europe, but not the richest:
- “Muslim Spain is definitely more prosperous... so is Byzantium. Byzantium’s per capita GDP was twice that of England.”
- Byzantine administration and tax records were far ahead (records of individual fields and their size for taxation).
- England was comparatively wealthy and well-governed in northwest Europe, but not the richest:
- English Distinctiveness?
- “Every area of Europe is different... England is not exceptionally exceptional.”
- Urbanization [13:40]
- England was “quite urbanised”—many modest towns—but nowhere on the scale of Constantinople or major continental cities.
- “If we took all those people out of their towns and sent them all to Constantinople, they would be less than half the population of that single city.”
- Continental cities like Cologne, Ghent, Milan, Pisa, and Granada were much larger. Growth in urbanization is a broader northwest European trend (including Dublin and Waterford in Ireland).
5. European Cities & Urban Power
- Constaninople’s Dominance [17:15]
- Western pilgrims and crusaders were awestruck by Constantinople, but Rome still loomed large in the Latin imagination.
- Cities elsewhere (Kaifeng, Baghdad, Alexandria) could match or surpass Constantinople in size and vibrancy.
- Urban Movements: Pateria Revolt in Milan [18:23]
- Urban revolts (1057–c.1067 in Milan) showed towns reaching sizes where crowds could affect political power—“It’s like an 11th-century Occupy.”
- Some cities achieved early forms of collective self-governance, visible later in the Italian communes; even English towns had legal identities and distinctive customs.
- Town vs. Countryside Life [20:12]
- Towns offered greater economic opportunities but were more dangerous due to disease.
6. Where Did Power Lie? [20:53]
- Power in Europe was distributed and multiscalar:
- At the highest level, there was a struggle between the Emperor and the Pope (the Investiture Controversy).
- Dynamic regional rulers (e.g., William the Conqueror), local lords, and priests each wielded distinct types of authority.
- “It’s a complex picture... it depends what scale of social life you’re looking at.”
7. Women and Cultural Networks [22:16]
- Powerful women were common, not exceptional. Examples:
- Empresses Zoe and Theodora in Byzantium; Empress Agnes in the Holy Roman Empire; Matilda of Canossa in Italy.
- Queens as Cultural Bridges:
- Royal women’s marriages created a web of connections across Europe, fostering cultural exchange—illustrated by Gertrude of Poland/Kyiv and her hybrid manuscript.
- Personal narratives reveal trauma and adaptation:
- Queens often learned new languages, left families behind, and sometimes returned home if marriages failed.
8. The Significance of Oaths [26:08]
- Oaths were crucial “glue” in a world of weak administration, but often broken; elaborate rituals attempted to add solemnity, as with Harold’s disputed oath to William.
- “There’s lots of ways happening all over the place... all you can really do is enhance the solemnity of the event.”
9. The Papacy’s Rising Power [28:46]
- The papacy, formerly tied to Roman aristocratic families, was “internationalized” by outside intervention (notably the German emperor Henry III).
- German popes excommunicated local elites and traveled widely to assert authority.
- Gregory VII infamously excommunicated the emperor, precipitating a major political crisis and Italian civil war.
- The papacy’s ambitions and interventions (e.g., in the Norman Conquest) signaled a new direction for religious and political authority.
10. Other Pivotal Events (Beyond 1066): [31:13]
- Battle of Manzikert (1071):
- Byzantine defeat by Seljuks led to internal crisis, reorganization under Alexios Komnenos, and set the stage for the First Crusade.
- “After 1071, [Byzantium] goes into a new phase of its history... with massive implications for Europe.”
- Breakup of Caliphate of Cordoba (1031):
- Led to political fragmentation in Muslim Spain (the Taifa kingdoms).
- Common Patterns:
- Across Europe, the century saw “a crisis of public order”—local aristocrats consolidated power; the church asserted new hegemony.
11. Violence and 'Civilization'
- While ransom for noble captives became more common (i.e., less mutilation/blinding), violence against lower-class prisoners remained unchecked.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On the importance of shifting perspective:
- “If we view the 11th century through the Norman lens, we’re being maybe a little bit blinkered.” — Prof. Charles West [08:17]
- On cultural transformation:
- “The 11th century was indeed a period of very significant change... its nature as a kind of pivot point... between the early Middle Ages and the late Middle Ages.” — Prof. Charles West [06:10]
- On England’s wealth:
- “England’s rich, sure. Byzantium’s richer.” — Prof. Charles West [12:23]
- On Constantinople:
- “If we took all those people out of their towns and sent them all to Constantinople, they would be less than half the population of that single city.” — Prof. Charles West [14:11]
- On the interconnectedness of European elites:
- “It gives you a sense of the entangled nature, I guess, of these ties as these queens move around Europe when they marry.” — Prof. Charles West [24:02]
- On wider upheavals:
- “The biggest picture, I think, is that we can think of what’s going on in broad terms as a kind of crisis of the public order...” — Prof. Charles West [34:53]
Important Timestamps
- [03:04] Understanding cultural networks over political borders in 11th-century Europe
- [06:10] Was the 11th century really a time of unique change?
- [08:17] Why the Norman Conquest isn’t the whole story
- [11:00] England’s real economic standing in Europe
- [13:40] Urbanization: Comparing London and continental cities
- [17:15] Western perceptions of Constantinople and other great cities
- [18:23] Urban revolt and its implications in Milan
- [20:53] Where did power actually lie in 11th-century Europe?
- [22:16] The prominent political and cultural role of women
- [26:08] The meaning and limitations of oaths
- [28:46] The transformation of the papacy and its emerging authority
- [31:13] The wider European significance of the Battle of Manzikert
- [34:10] Concluding reflections: The Norman Conquest in European context
Concluding Thoughts
- The Norman Conquest was pivotal for England but only one transformative event among many across Europe.
- The 11th century was marked by religious, social, political, and urban upheaval—cultural and institutional interconnections thickened across the continent.
- Wider crises—decline of central public authority, rising aristocratic and ecclesiastical power, and shifting boundaries—reshaped the European landscape far beyond England’s shores.
- To truly appreciate the 11th century, shift focus from national stories to continental networks and unravel the layered, entangled histories that bound Europe together.
Guest’s Book Mentioned:
Europe in the 11th Century: Beyond Revolution and Reform — Professor Charles West (Oxford History of Medieval Europe series)
This summary focuses exclusively on the historical discussion and insights, excluding all advertisements and non-content segments.
