Between 1066 and 1071 CE, William the Conqueror (r. 1066-1087 CE) led the Norman conquest of England, which lasted five years. The Normans were here to stay thanks to hard-fought wars, castle construction, land redistribution, and scorched-earth tactics. The Norman elite replaced the Anglo-Saxon elite and took over the country's territories, and the Church was restructured as a result of the conquest.