Norman Conquest: Invasion and Victory

Where is Normandy?

It lies in Northern France

What caused the King of England to have more central control over their country and how does this compare to the King of the Franks?

• The invasion of the Vikings

• The King of the Franks had far less central control

Who were vassals?

People who held land on behalf of the King

What are fiefs?

The land where vassals of the King ruled

How was the Feudal system in the Frankish empire (France) different to in England?

• In England, although armies were gathered by earls and thegns, they were the King’s armies

• In the Frankish empire, dukes and counts had their own armies, giving them considerable independence

  • They ran their land like private Kingdoms

What was the Norman form of warfare?

Fighting on horseback

Why was the method of fighting on horseback advantageous for the Normans?

They could charge their enemies and swing their weapons while still remaining fixed from the saddle which makes their attacks faster and more powerful

What was the role of knights in the Feudal system of Normandy?

• They swore loyalty to their lord

• They were given land in return and they charged the people who lived on this land as much as much as possible in taxes and rent

How did knights protect the land they were given?

With castles

What were castles like?

• Some were made of stone and but most were made of earthworks and timber

• They were not built to defend the local community, only the knight’s home

What was the older ringwork castle like?

• Had an enclosure called a bailey

• Surrounded by a ditch and an earthwork bank

• Strong wooden wall

• The weakest point, the entrance, was fortified by a solid gatehouse

What was the newer motte and bailey castle like?

• A man made mound known as the motte

• On top of this there was a wooden structure called a ‘keep’ which served as a castle within a castle

What was the stability of power like in Normandy?

• Although the power of knights grew, they were carefully controlled by the dukes

• Knights were hungry for land and power and would challenge any weakness shown by their lords

What was the Church like in Normandy compared to England?

• England was drifting away from the high standards it had set in 1000

• Normandy was moving to the forefront of Roman Catholic reforms, building many fine monasteries

• The Pope also praised Norman monks and nuns for their devotion, teaching, art and music

What were Norman Churches like?

• They were built in the' ‘Romanesque’ style, featuring rounded arches, similar to that of the Roman Empire

• Their churches were made of stone while many English churches were made of wood

• They were beautiful and elegant

When did William become Duke of Normandy?

In 1035 when he was just 8 years old- he was far too young to rule

What happened to stability in Normandy when William became it’s Duke?

• Norman knights turned against each other and grabbed land and power for themselves

• Senior lords ruling land for William were either killed in battle or murdered

How did William crush rebels in Normandy in 1047?

• When a large scale revolt took place, he skilfully negotiated with the King of the Franks to crush the rebels

• William proved to be a good tactician and a fearless leader and was merciless to his enemies after their defeat

What did William do in 1050 to increase his power?

• He took Matilda of Flanders to be his wife

• Flanders was a powerful country that bordered Normandy

What was the problem of William’s marriage to Matilda of Flanders and how was this resolved?

• Their marriage was against Church rules as they were distant cousins

• As thanks to the Pope for letting them marry, they built and Abbey in Caen

What was the succession crisis in England in 1066?

• King Edward was on his deathbed and he had no children

• It was uncertain who would rule the throne after him

• There were many people who believed they deserved the throne fighting for it

What were the dying words of King Edward?

• We cannot be sure what Edward actually said

• A biography of Edward was written for Queen Edith

  • It describes how he praised Edith then reached out to Harold Godwinson as said “I commend this woman and all the Kingdom to your protection”

What was the criteria for taking over the throne?

• Be in the bloodline of the previous King

• Be chose by the previous King

• Be chosen by the Witan

Who were the four main people fighting for the English throne?

• Edward Atheling

• Earl Harold Godwinson

• Harald Hardrada

• William, Duke of Normandy

What were the positives and negatives of Edgar Aetheling as a successor to the English throne?

• Direct bloodline

• About twelve years old

• Not interested in being King

• Witan rejected his claim

What were the positives and negatives of Harold Godwinson as a successor to the English throne?

• No direct bloodline

• Powerful and experienced

• Said Edward chose him in 1066

• Witan supported his claim

What were the positives and negatives of Harald Hardrada as a successor to the English throne?

• No direct bloodline

• Powerful and experienced

• Danish King passed his claim to Hardrada

• Witan ignored his claim

What were the positives and negatives of William, Duke of Normandy as a successor to the English throne?

• Great aunt was Queen of England

• Powerful and experienced

• Said Edward chose him in 1051

• Witan ignored his claim

When did Harold Godwinson become King?

On January 6 1066, 6 hours after King Edward had been buried

What did Harold Godwinson do to ensure he became King?

• He persuaded the Witan that Edward had granted him the throne

• He married the sister of Edwin and Morcar, Earls of Mercia and Northumbria respectively

  • This alliance strengthened the brother’s power and Harold gained their support

How did Edgar Aetheling respond to Harold Godwinson’s coronation?

• He accepted the situation as he knew he was too young to rule

• He had no power base in England

How did Harald Hardrada, King of Norway, respond to Harold Godwinson’s coronation?

• He had his hands full as he was fighting a war with the Danes at the start of 1066

• He took no immediate action but became involved later in the year

How did William, Duke of Normandy, respond to Harold Godwinson’s coronation?

• He responded with silent fury and immediate action

• He was certain the crown should have been passed to him

According to the Normans, what was the reason for William’s anger for Harold Godwinson claiming the throne?

Norman Chroniclers wrote in the 1070s, insisting that:

• King Edward originally promised the throne to William

• In 1065 Edward sent Harold to confirm the promise

• Edward ordered Harold to take an oath that while in Normandy, he had to swear that he would fully support William’s right to take the throne

• Harold willingly swore to support William

According to the English, what was the reason for William’s anger for Harold Godwinson claiming the throne?

No English source mentions a visit by Harold to Normandy until the 1120s

• One historian wrote that Harold didn’t go to Normandy by the command of King Edward but his boat was blown across the English channel to Normandy. While he was there he was forced to swear an oath before William let him leave.

• A monk agreed Harold had been forced to swear and oath but he said Harold willingly went to Normandy because he wanted William to release two of his relatives who were held hostage there

How did William gain support from the Pope to invade England?

• He sent men to Rome to win the support of the Pope

• They told him about Edward’s promise to William and How he had broken his word

• The Pope gave his full and open support and sent William’s men back to Normandy with a papal banner as a sign that God was on their side

How did William gain support for his invasion of England?

• William used the Pope’s support to win over the many who doubted the invasion could succeed

• He offered great rewards for those who backed him

• His vassals were obliged to help but he got support from other powerful men in France

What was the first attack of Tostig, one of Harold’s brothers like?

• He led violent raids across the south cost of England

• He lost his place as Earl of Northumbria in 1065 and was trying to get reinstated

• His attacks were never a serious threat and he was driven away in May 1066 by Harold

How did Harold pay for his army and fleet?

He raised more in taxes than any other King

Who had Tostig allied with in his second attack in England?

• Harald Hardrada

• After his first defeat, he went to Norway to persuade Harald Hardrada to take the throne

What did Harold Godwinson, Edwin and Morcar do in response to Tostig’s return with Harald Hardrada?

• Harold hastily gathered and army in the south and marched north

• 20th September 1066- Northern earls Edwin and Morcar led a force into battle against the invaders at Fulford, just south of York

What happened at the battle at Gate Fulford?

• An Anglo-Saxon chronicle records the outcome: “A great number of English were slain or drowned or driven in flight and the Norwegians had possession of the place of carnage”

• Edwin and Morcar were able to escape but the invaders took York

When was the battle of Stamford Bridge?

25 September 1066

What did Harald and Tostig do right before the Battle of Stamford Bridge?

• Harald Hardrada and Tostig moved their army out of York to a nearby river crossing called Stamford Bridge

• They were probably waiting for the surrender of other Anglo-Saxons from the area

• They had no idea Harold had managed to gather an army again and marched them from London to York

What did Harold Godwinson do before the battle of Stamford Bridge?

• As Harold marched north, he increased the size of his force as he went along

• Upon finding that Tostig and Harald Hardrada had left York, he launched a surprise attack. The Norwegians weren’t even wearing their chainmail as it was a warm day

What happened at the Battle of Stamford Bridge?

• The two armies fought for many hours before the Norwegians surrendered

• Thousands died on each side, Tostig and Harald among them

• Olaf, Harald Hardrada’s, son was allowed to leave on the promise that he would never come back

What happened on 1st October 1066?

• Harold had believed he had secured his crown after the Battle of Stamford Bridge but then he received news of the Normans arriving on the south coast of England

• Harold was surprised by this as the Normans had come far later than expected and he had thought William had disbanded him army to bring in the harvest

What did William do while waiting in France?

• His army was there for 6 weeks before sailing

• He had to provide thousands of men with food and water

• He ordered them not to raid nearby villages and farms and ensured they had all they needed

Why was William’s invasion of England so delayed?

• Bad weather as the wind blew constantly from the north

• There was no chance of crossing the English channel until it had gone

What was William’s strategy in England?

• On 28th September 1066, William landed and Pevensey and he learned the King had gone North to fight Hardrada

• He quickly built defences at Pevensey and Hastings

• He encouraged his men to raid the surrounding area to deliberately provoke the King

  • This worked as on 14 October, William’s spies informed him Harold was rushing towards Hastings

How long did Harald take to go from York to London and what did he do to get more troops?

• Four or five days

• He sent out orders for new troops to gather in London and Sussex

Who urged Harold to wait in London until he gathered a fully army and how did Harold respond?

• His brother Gyrth and his mother

• He angrily rejected

What two reasons could Harold Godwinson have beeen rushing to Hastings for?

• He could have been enraged by William’s brutal plundering on Sussex

• He could have wanted to repeat the surprise attack he did with Tostig

What site did Harold fight at which gave him an advantage at the Battle of Hastings and what did some do when they saw the site?

• He took a stand on a short ridge with a forest behind it

• This made any orderly retreat impossible but favoured a strong defensive line

• When they saw the site, many English deserted

When was the Battle of Hastings?

14 October 1066

What happened at the Battle of Hastings?

• The two forces were about the same size of 7000 men- if Harold had waited he may have had twice as many

• The English stood in a line about 400 to 600 yards in length and twelve men deep

• At 9 o’clock the battle began and the Normans went up the slope as the English threw rocks and javelins at then

• When they reached the top the Normans tried to break the English line but it held firm. The English line did not falter even when Normans on horseback joined the fight

• Even after hours the English line refused to break

How did William trick the English with a retreat?

• After hours of fighting a group of Norman knights turned away from the battle line and some English soldiers chased them

• The English that followed them were all killed and by this strategy, the Normans could begin to break the English line

• William ordered his knights to fake two more, once again breaking the English line

How did William rally his men after hours of fighting at the Battle of Hastings?

• A rumour spread that William had died and the Normans began to drop back

• William quickly pulled back his helmet and showed his face

• He reminded his men that there was no way back to Normandy- they would have to win or die

What was the turning point that won William the battle of Hastings?

• Late in the day, the English army was still holding out against the French

• A well known-story is that an arrow struck Harold in the eye but we are not sure if this is true

• The English gave in and tried to flee

What happened at the end of the Battle of Hastings?

• The Bayeux tapestry shows the Norman cavalry chasing the English as they tried to flee

• Earls Gyrth and Leofwine as well as thousans of thegns and freemen had died

Why did William build an abbey where Harold had died?

He did this by the orders of the Pope to ask for forgiveness for all of the bloodshed in that place