History Yr10 mock - Normanisation of England (p60-65)

When was the landholding revolution in England?

1066-1087

By 1087, how much of all the land in England was held by how many tenants-in-chief?

Over half of all the land

190 tenants in chief

How many of the 190 tenants in chief by 1087 were Anglo-Saxons, and give one of their names

Two

Thurkill of Arden/Colswein of Lincoln

By 1087, how much of all land was held by the church?

1/4

How much land did the king’s royal estates take up?

1/5

How much of the land in England was still held by Anglo-Saxon aristocrats by 1087?

Less than 5%

Godwinson’s land forfeited;

1066

Maerleswein’s land forfeited;

1068

Morcar’s land forfeited;

1070

Edwin’s land forfeited;

1071

Weltheof’s land forfeited;

1076

Why did William take the lands of Anglo-Saxon earls and instead give it to his followers?

The rebellions of 1068, 1069 and 1070-71 showed that the earls couldn’t be trusted

Before 1066, how many thegns in England had landholding that gave them significant status?

4000

How had the 4000 powerful thegns’ threat to the king changed by 1087?

-Their A.S lords had been replaced by Normans

-Most of them were forced into being dependent on Normans for the small amount of land that they still had

How did A.S lose their land? (forfeit)

-The king owned all the land, anyone who acted against him, their lands could be forfeited

-This continued throughout his entire reign

How did A.S lose their land (new earldoms), give an example

-William made new earldoms and gave these out to his followers

-These were made from the forfeited holdings of several previous owners

-E.g, the marcher earldoms

How did A.S lose their land (land grabs)

-Thefts and seizures of land and corrupt dealings that left A.S with less land than before

How did landholding change after 1071?

-William consolidated more blocks of territory

-Much better for imposing control as there was a single strong authority in the area

What was Anglo-Saxon landholding like?

There were lots of types of tenures:

-Bookland; The followers were given a charter to show their right to the land, which could be passed onto heirs

-Leases; land was loaned for money for set periods of time, e.g three generations

What obligations did Anglo-Saxon landholding have?

-Fyrd obligation

-Geld tax

What was landholding like under the Normans?

-William owned all land, everyone now only had tenure from the king

-People had to pay for the right to keep using the land

-If people died without an heir, the land went back to the king. Heirs had to pay tax when inheriting land

What was landholding like under the tenants-in-chief?

-Tenants could reallocate land when a thegn died

-They could dispossess thegns who acted against them

What changed for the peasants under the Normanisation of landholding?

-Free peasants became rarer and rarer

-New lords made peasants work for them and reduced their independence

-They had a harder time

How did William maintain his power (military strength)

-He was a very skilled leader and was ruthless

-Anglo Saxons respected leaders like this, giving him legitimacy as a leader

How did William maintain his power (Legitimate successor)

-He claimed that Edward the Confessor promised it to him

-His right to the throne was by being Edward’s cousin, and because Harold had broken oaths, God instead chose William to defeat him and become king

How did William maintain his power (Royal ceremonies)

-At his coronation, he was anointed with sacred oil which confirmed him as being appointed king by God

-He wore his crown at three events a year, specifically; the most important times of the Christian calendar

How did William maintain his power (Coinage and writs)

-The coins had an image of William on them

-His royal seal was attached to the king’s writs (important documents) and showed him in a military fashion

How did William maintain his power (Journeys around England)

-He travelled all over England to maintain royal power and meet with important officials

How did William maintain his power (Owning the land)

-Everyone who held land was connected in a chain of tenants to the king

-William always used this power; taking back from rebels or those who died without heirs

How did William maintain his power (Oath-taking)

-He held oath taking ceremonies where men would swear loyalty to him

-Biggest was in 1086, where a Viking invasion seemed imminent