England was occupied by the Anglo-Saxons after the fall of Rome, and Alfred the Great had scholars translate books from Latin to English to establish the English language. In 1066, William the Conqueror invaded England from Normandy and established Norman rule after defeating the English army at the Battle of Hastings. He then commissioned the Domesday Book survey of landholdings. Henry II later established England's common law system and introduced trial by jury. In 1215, King John was forced to agree to the Magna Carta, which established that the monarch's powers were not absolute and that people had certain rights.

1. Chapter 15 Section 3 Kingdoms and Crusades