The last successfu1 foreign invasion of England took place in 1066, when Duke William of Normandy defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings. The Norman Conquest led to closer links with the mainland of Europe. Normans and others from France came to settle, and French became the language of the nobility, bishoprics and the law courts for the next three centuries.
Magna Carta and the beginnings of Parliament
In 1215 King John signed Magna Carta (Great Charter) in the face of demands by barons. It secured feudal rights and established areas over which the King had no jurisdiction, and has been interpreted throughout English history as guaranteeing certain political and civil liberties.
The rest of the 13th century saw the development of Parliament as a gathering of feudal barons and representatives of counties and towns summoned by the King. By the end of the century, it had adopted its basic make-up of Lords and Commons, and it had established the right to approve taxation. It also soon acquired the right to approve new laws.