1066 is surely the best-known date in English history; for some people, in fact, it may be the only date they know.

And the popular instinct is sound, for the importance of the year matches its fame - 1066 saw a decisive step in the evolution of the English nation.

Previously, England had been non more than a geographical expression, a territory divided into warring principalities.

After 1066, the nation-state was an emerging reality.

This was the largely accidental achievement of William the Conqueror.