2. William the Conqueror: The Norman Conquest // Вильгельм Завоеватель // A2 listening

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My name is Tom and I work as a guide at the Tower of London. Every day, many people come here, and I tell them the story of this old castle. Today I want to tell you about the man who built it. His name was William the Conqueror. He came to England from another country and changed our nation forever. The year was 1066, and it is the most famous date in English history.

William was born in France, in a region called Normandy. The people there were called Normans. William's life was difficult from the start. His father was a duke, but William's mother was not the duke's wife. Some people did not like him because of this. They called him "William the Bastard." When William was only seven years old, his father died. Now the little boy was the new duke of Normandy.

It was a dangerous time. Many men wanted to kill the young duke and take his land. His friends had to hide him in different houses. One night, his teacher was killed in the same room where William was sleeping! But William was lucky, and he grew up. He became a strong and clever man. He learned to ride horses and to fight in battles. By the time he was twenty, he was the master of all Normandy.

Now I will tell you about England. The king of England was called Edward the Confessor. He was a kind king, but he had no children. Edward was a cousin of William, and people say he promised the English crown to William. But when Edward died in January 1066, an English lord called Harold became the new king instead. William was very angry. "The crown is mine!" he said. "I will go to England and take it."

William built a big fleet of ships. He put soldiers, horses, and food on the ships. In September 1066, they crossed the English Channel. It was a long and dangerous journey. When William stepped on the English beach, he fell down. His soldiers were afraid — they thought it was a bad sign. But William stood up with sand in his hands and said, "Look! I am holding England in my hands now!" His soldiers laughed and felt brave again.

The big battle happened near a town called Hastings, on the 14th of October 1066. King Harold and his English soldiers were tired. They had fought another battle in the north only a few days before. The fight was long and hard. Then an arrow hit King Harold in the eye, and he died. The English army ran away. William had won.

On Christmas Day in 1066, William became the king of England. The English people were not happy with their new king from France. Many people did not want to obey him. So William built strong stone castles in every part of the country. The famous Tower of London is one of these castles.

William changed England in many ways. The new lords spoke French, not English. New words came into our language. He also made a big book called the Domesday Book. It listed every village, every farm, and every cow in the country, so he knew who had to pay tax. William died in 1087. After him, England was never the same again.

Видео 2. William the Conqueror: The Norman Conquest // Вильгельм Завоеватель // A2 listening канала Скор на слышание