Holinshed Chronicles: England, Scotland, and Ireland. Volume 1, CompleteHolinshed, Raphael
History
Holinshed Chronicles: England, Scotland, and Ireland. Volume 1, Complete
Holinshed, Raphael
Great Britain -- History -- To 1485; Great Britain -- History -- Tudors, 1485-1603
Iland than the Saxons or the Romans. This nation came out of Newstria,
the people thereof were called Normans by the French, bicause the
Danes which subdued that region, came out of the North parts of the
world: neuerthelesse, I suppose that the ancient word Newstria, is
corrupted from West-rijc, bicause that if you marke the situation, it
lieth opposite from Austria or Ost-rijc, which is called the East
region, as Newstria is the Weast: for Rijc in the old Scithian toong
dooth signifie a region or kingdome, as in Franc-rijc, or Franc-reich,
Westsaxon-reich, Ost saxon-reich, Su-rijc, Angel-rijc, &c, is else to
be séene. But howsoeuer this falleth out, these Normans or Danish
French, were dedlie aduersaries to the English Saxons, first by meane
of a quarell that grew betwéene them in the daies of Edward the
Confessour, at such time as the Earle of Bullen, and William Duke of
Normandie, arriued in this land to visit him, & their freends; such
Normans (I meane) as came ouer with him and Emma his mother before
him, in the time of Canutus and Ethelred. For the first footing that
euer the French did set in this Iland, sithence the time of Ethelbert
& Sigebert, was with Emma, which Ladie brought ouer a traine of French
Gentlemen and Ladies with hir into England.
[Sidenote: The cause of the conquest by the Normans.]
After hir also no small numbers of attendants came in with Edward the
Confessour, whome he preferred to the greatest offices in the realme,
in so much that one Robert a Norman, became Archbishop of Canturburie,
whose preferment so much enhanced the minds of the French, on the one
side, as their lordlie and outragious demeanour kindled the stomachs
of the English nobilitie against them on the other: insomuch that not
long before the death of Emma the kings mother, and vpon occasion of
the brall hapning at Douer (whereof I haue made sufficient mention in
my Chronologie, not regarding the report of the French authors in this
behalfe, who write altogither in the fauour of their Archbishop
Robert, but following the authoritie of an English préest then liuing
in the court) the English Peeres began to shew their disliking in
manifest maner. Neuerthelesse, the Normans so bewitched the king with
their lieng and bosting, Robert the Archbishop being the chéefe
instrument of their practise, that he beléeued them, and therevpon
vexed sundrie of the nobilitie, amongst whom Earle Goodwijn of Kent
was the chéefe, a noble Gentleman and father in law to king Edward by
the mariage of his daughter. The matter also came to such issue
against him, that he was exiled, and fiue of his sonnes with him,
wherevpon he goeth ouer the sea, and soone after returning with his
said sonnes, they inuaded the land in sundrie places, the father
himselfe comming to London, where when the kings power was readie to
ioine with him in battell, it vtterlie refused so to doo: affirming
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