[BobL]

That’s considered the beginning of England, as we know it today.

...made it almost 1000 years.

[wally_bert]

He probably weeps for it now.

[Bogie]

Cool. That was the time our family got started in England

[katana]

As we know it today. There have been no subsequent successful invasions by any subset of the French (Henry Tudor, a Welshman, and Dutch William of Orange in his bloodless "Glorious Revolution" later on landed and overthrew dynasties). Duke William was a French speaking Norman - Viking descent - with military technology and organization much superior to the shield-wall fighting English. Even with that, until the English broke ranks at Hastings and King Harald took an arrow in his eye they were having the better of the battle. It took generations for the Norman rulers to become Englishmen, final act their being kicked out of all their possessions in France. England gained its name and became a unified state under Alfred, Saxon King of Wessex, and his immediate descendants. Hence the other name for the English race, Anglo-Saxons. And "as we know it today" the country's in transition to voluntary dhimmitude.