The Domesday Book: William the Conqueror's Great Survey

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the Domesday Book, the comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1085. They explore how this remarkable document, originally called the 'Book of Winchester,' recorded landholders, resources, and disputes across the kingdom. They discuss the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle's account of the survey, the division into Great Domesday and Little Domesday, and the role of commissioners like Remigius de Fécamp and Bishop Geoffrey of Coutances. Lucas explains how the Domesday Book became a tool for taxation and feudal control, and highlights specific entries, like the devastation in Yorkshire from the Harrying of the North. They also touch on the survival of the manuscript at the National Archives and its value for modern historians. The conversation reveals how the Domesday Book remains a unique window into medieval English society, economy, and the aftermath of the Norman Conquest. #DomesdayBook #WilliamTheConqueror #NormanConquest #MedievalEngland #AngloSaxonChronicle #GreatDomesday #LittleDomesday #HarryingOfTheNorth #RemigiusDeFecamp #GeoffreyOfCoutances #Yorkshire #1086 #Feudalism #NationalArchives #History #FexingoHistory #EnglishHistory #MedievalHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo