Did the Norman Conquest truly shape modern Britain, or was change inevitable?
I've been reading about how the Battle of Hastings in 1066 is usually taught as a simple conquest, but I wonder if we're missing the bigger picture of Norman influence on English law and language. Was the Norman Conquest a pivotal turning point that shaped modern Britain, or would England have developed similarly without it? I'm not a historian, just someone trying to understand, but the more I dig, the more I see arguments for both sides.