Searching for the Norman Conquest

The Domesday Book and a 1,000-Mile Journey Across Britain

Max Adams

A vivid narrative history across a 1,000-mile journey on foot, Searching for the Norman Conquest opens a window onto the English cultural landscape of the eleventh century.

What was the eleventh-century Domesday Book?

It is now is one of the most significant historical documents from medieval England, providing a fascinating window onto the economic and socio-cultural landscape of England at the time. In the eleventh century, it was an in-depth survey commissioned by William the Conqueror, who tasked his surveyors with the job of visiting every shire in England to record the land and resources and, consequently, the potential tax revenues available to the king.

Max Adams applies his brilliance as an historian to retread the path taken in 1085 by William I's agents, taking us on foot through the very sites covered and bringing us face to face with its legacy. This sparkling narrative evokes eleventh century England through contemporary eyes with the original account as his guide. Bringing together archaeology, contemporary chronicles, and historical geography, Adams fleshes out the landscapes of a thousand years ago, peopling them with real actors: lords, slaves, millers, priests, and burgesses who yielded their taxes and labor to their new Norman lords.

Our understanding of the Norman Conquest, the most dramatic social and political event in English history, is framed by the propagandist narratives of its victors. Above all, it is told in the landscape. The tale is filled with action: kings die; warlords hunt, fight, and swear oaths on holy relics, strap on armor, dash across land and sea to fight for glory and the ultimate prize of the English throne.

Max Adams is the author of Admiral Collingwood, The Prometheans, and The King in the North, all published in Great Britain. This is his first book to be published in the United States. A university professor, Max lives in the northeast of England.

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Endorsements & Reviews

Praise for Max Adams:

"An enjoyable book.” The New York Times Book Review

“Highlighting an elusive and understudied part of English history, this book will appeal to many, especially readers interested in medieval history. The importance of the Mercian contribution to the building of a medieval English state cannot be underestimated.” Library Journal (starred)

"A rich history of ninth- and 10th-century Britain." Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A scholarly narrative of the Vikings in King Alfred's Britain. The author is commendably strict on historical accuracy. Impeccably researched. Readers will gather a wealth of knowledge." Kirkus Reviews

"This is much more than a book about the Vikings versus King Alfred. Adams’s great achievement is to cover events throughout the whole of Britain with some excursions into Ireland and Europe as well." The Times Literary Supplement

"The most elaborate picture yet made of what the Viking raids actually meant to the people who endured them. This year has seen a small bumper-crop of excellent books about the Viking Age, and Adams has written the best of the bunch, the lively-yet-scholarly modern epic history the tale deserves." Open Letters Review

"This is a beautifully crafted and impeccably compiled book, and one that is certainly a must-read for anyone with even a passing interest in the events and figures that molded Britain during the reign of the Vikings." All About History