This book provides a full introduction to the Norman Conquest, an event which resulted in dramatic changes to England's aristocracy, church and administration. It brought a new language and cultural influences and revolutionised military architecture with the introduction of the castle. The profound impact was not brought about as the result of a single battle and it took a five-year war for William to establish control over his new kingdom. The campaigns are studied in detail, with maps showing how William's energy and strategic intelligence enabled him to defeat his formidable opponents and...

This strikingly photographed narrative tells the story of Snowdonia, touching on ancient oceans, volcanoes, and climate change.Its mountainousspectacle is the result of everything that has happenend to it over geological time - the product of the ancient landscapes that went before it. Fragments of these former environments are preserved by rocks and landforms within the present setting, andhere the clues they provide of a forgotten past are revealed, encouraging the reader toinfer the history behindSnowdonia's wild beauty. "