Question: what were the results of the norman conquest

title: Norman conquest of England
text: Although William 's main rivals were gone , he still faced rebellions over the following years and was not secure on his throne until after 1072 . The lands of the resisting English elite were confiscated ; some of the elite fled into exile . To control his new kingdom , William granted lands to his followers and built castles commanding military strongpoints throughout the land . Other effects of the conquest included the court and government , the introduction of the Norman language as the language of the elites , and changes in the composition of the upper classes , as William enfeoffed lands to be held directly from the king . More gradual changes affected the agricultural classes and village life : the main change appears to have been the formal elimination of slavery , which may or may not have been linked to the invasion . There was little alteration in the structure of government , as the new Norman administrators took over many of the forms of Anglo - Saxon government .