Editing Norman Conquest (section)

===English emigration===
{{see also|New England (medieval)}}
[[File:The body of Leo V is dragged to the Hippodrome through the Skyla Gate.jpg|thumb|Depiction of the [[Varangian Guard]], which had many English recruits, from the 12th-century ''[[Madrid Skylitzes]]'', in the {{Lang|es|[[Biblioteca Nacional de España]]|italic=no}}.]]

Following the conquest, many Anglo-Saxons, including groups of nobles, fled the country<ref name= Byzantium>Ciggaar ''Western Travellers'' pp. 140–141</ref> for Scotland, Ireland, or Scandinavia.<ref name= Daniell>Daniell ''From Norman Conquest to Magna Carta'' pp. 13–14</ref> Members of King Harold Godwinson's family sought refuge in Ireland and used their bases in that country for unsuccessful invasions of England.<ref name=Huscroft140>Huscroft ''Norman Conquest'' pp. 140–141</ref> The largest single exodus occurred in the 1070s, when a group of Anglo-Saxons in a fleet of 235 ships sailed for the [[Byzantine Empire]].<ref name= Daniell/> The empire became a popular destination for many English nobles and soldiers, as the Byzantines were in need of mercenaries.<ref name= Byzantium/> The English became the predominant element in the elite [[Varangian Guard]], until then a largely Scandinavian unit, from which the emperor's bodyguard was drawn.<ref>Heath ''Byzantine Armies'' p. 23</ref> Some of the English migrants were settled in Byzantine frontier regions on the [[Black Sea]] coast and established towns with names such as New London and New York.<ref name= Byzantium/>