A score of years before, William had landed, seeking a throne to which
no law had given him any claim whatever (S67).[2] But Nature had
elected him to it when she endowed him with power to take, power to
use, and power to hold. Under Harold, England was a kingdom divided
against itself (S71). It was fortunate for the country that William
came; for out of chaos, or affairs fast drifting to chaos, his strong
hand, clear brain, and resolute purpose brought order, beauty, safety,
and stability. We may say, therefore, with an eminent Fernch
historian, that "England owes her liberties to her having been
conquered by the Normans."[3]
[2] "William, in short, had no king of right to the crown, whether by
birth, bequest, or election." (E. A. Freeman's "Short History of the
Norman Conquest," p. 65.)
[3] Guizot; see also note 1 on page 64.