Norman and Anglo Saxon England

Anglo-Saxon society

1060 - 2m people, farming, high infant mortality

Slaves

-10% of the population
- Part of everyday life

Thegns

-4000-5000 by 1060, local lords
-Manor houses
-Aristocracy

Power of the King

-Made laws
-In charge of minting coins
-Gave and took land
-All boys at 12 swore loyalty to him

Edward the Confessor

-Led the army but not a warrior (used earls)
-Respected lawmaker
-Pious (religious)

Limits to the King’s Power

-Danelaw
-Godwin more powerful than king
-Godwin refused to punish dover, raised a fleet, edward returned earldom

Earldoms

-Earls kept 1/3 of taxes, expected to use money for power and control
-Oversaw justice and punishments
-Military leaders, had thegns and housecarls

Earl Tostig

-Earl Tostig made the earldom a lot safer (hunted down bandits)
-Used power to benefit himself, taxed heavily
-Showed earls could solve and create problems

Shire Reeve

-Collected geld tax
-Provided men for the fyrd

Fyrd

-Every 5 hides had to provide 1 man
-Select Fyrd - Fight anywhere
-General Fyrd - Local area
-40 days service

Blood feuds/ Wergild

-Blood Feud: If someone was killed the family could kill someone from the murderers family
-Wergild: Money paid to the family of a victim, eg ceorl = 20 shillings

Harold Earl of Wessex

-Godwins controlled most of England
-Sister Edith married King Edward

Harold’s Embassy to Normandy

-1064/5 mission from king Edward
-Captured by Guy Ponthieu
-Helped by William
-AS = Recover relatives held captive
-Normans = Plan for Williams accession to

Rising against Tostig

-North different from South, language, Danelaw
-Tostig allowed Malcolm III to invade, high taxes, assassinations
-Harold allowed the rebellion

Death of Edward 5th January 1066

-Harold was at his deathbed, last wish for him to be king?
-Harold crowned King 6th January

Rivals

-Edgar Aethling
-Harald Hardrada
-William of Normandy

Summer 1066 - Viking Invasion

-200-300 warships with 10 000 vikings
-Marched to York but blocked by Edwin and Morcar

Gate Fulford 20th September 1066

-English beaten by the Vikings
-Marsh and river on either side
-Tostig and Hardrada exchanged hostages with York
-Harold marched 185 miles north in 5 days

Battle of Stamford Bridge 25th September 1066

-Suprise attack
-Only 24 of Hardradas ships returned

Consequences of Fulford and Stamford Bridge

-Harold was no longer preventing William’s landing
-Edwin and Morcar had lost thousands of men
-The army was exhausted and had to march 185 again

The Battle Of Hastings 14th October 1066

-English had the high ground and had a shield wall
-Lasted 8 hours
-William used feigned retreat
-William won

William’s Knights

-Lances, javellins, axes, swords, conical helmet and a kite shield
-War horses

Harold’s Housecarls

-Javelins, swords, axes, chain mail, conical helmet, round shield
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Reasons for Victory - Norman Tactics

-Archers weakened the shield wall for the cavalry to charge through it
-Allowed them to use the feigned retreat

Reasons for victory - William’s leadership

-Religious banner from the Pope
-Raised his helmet in battle to raise hopes
-Pre-fabricated castle to create security

Reasons for victory - Harold’s leadership

-Could have waited in London for William to come
-William learned of Harold’s point before they were ready
-Army had to be maintained for 4 months

Reasons for Victory - Luck

-Bad timing with Hardrada’s invasion
-Storms didn’t kill William’s fleet despite the storm season
-Sides were evenly matched

Submission of the Earls 1066

-Witan elected Edgar Aethling
-Normans destroyed towns and built castles
-William went to Berkhamstead where he met Edgar and the nobles and they submitted

Strengths of the Earls position in 1066

-London was heavily fortified
-Earls rallied around Edgar
-William did not have control of the North

Weaknesses of the Earl’s position 1066

-William threatened to cut off reinforcements from the North
-Earls could not agree on what to do
-Best Warriors had been killed

Strengths of William’s position

-Seized the royal treasury meaning he could reward loyals
-William was an effective leader
-Destroying everything meaning people easily submitted

Weaknesses of William’s position

-William’s troops were deep in enemy territory
-Irrelevant claim to throne if the Witan had chosen
-Smaller number of troops compared to the fyrd

Rewarding Loyalty in 1066

-Allowed Earls to keep their earldoms and archbishops to keep positions
-Sent gifts to the Pope and Church in Normandy
-Set geld tax to pay mercenaries
-Gave land to supporters, as he got earldoms such as Wessex

Reasons for Building Castles

-Quick to build and difficult to attack
-Motte was a large mound of Earth 5-7m high
-Bailey was enclosure below the motte
-Strategic locations eg river crossing
-Symbol of Power to dominate territory

Revolt of Edwin and Morcar in 1068 Reasons

-Edwin promised to marry William’s daughter
-Morcars earldom was reduced in size
-Odo of Bayeux and William FitzObern seized land and raped AS women
-Heavy tax and castles everywhere

Reasons for Failure of Edwin and Morcars revolt

-Edwin and Morcar surrendered quickly
-William showed strength and convinced them it was useless
-Rebels had different motives

Marcher Earldoms

-Smaller than most to easily control
-Shewsbury, Hereford and Chester
-Earls were the central figures of law
-Exempted from Tax

Why were the rebellions in the North dangerous for William?

-Rebels in Northumbria joined with Edgar the Aethling
-Edgar had the backing of Malcolm III of Scotland
-King Sweyn of Denmark sent a fleet of ships

Anglo-Danish attack on York 1069

-Danes and Anglo-Saxons marched on York

Reasons for the Harrying of the North 1069-70

-Revenge for death of Robert Cumin
-Northern rebels refused open battle
-North identified with Danelaw
-Rebellions in the North triggered rebellions elsewhere

Short-term impacts of the Harrying

-100 000 people died
-People starved and froze to death
-Thousands of refugees
-Reports of cannibalism and selling into slavery

Long-term impacts of the Harrying

-60% of Yorkshire was classified as waste
-Removal of anglo-danes removed threat of Danish invasion

Changes in landownership 1066-87

-1/4 owned by the Church
-1/5 for royal estates
-Less than 5% owned by AS
-Lost by forfeit or new earldoms
-All land controlled by the King

Maintaining Royal Power

-Military Strength
-Legitimate Successor: Claim stressed throughout his reign
-Royal Ceremonies: Anoited with sacred oil, wears crown *3 a year
-Land and coinage

Reasons for the revolt of the Earls 1075

-Resentments: Loss of power and land
-Opportunities: William’s absence, powerful allies, human nature

Defeat of the revolt of the Earls 1075

-Ralph de Gael escaped
-Roger de Bruteil imprisoned
-Waltheof executed

Role and importance of the Knight Service

-6000 knights in Norman England
-40 days Knight service per year
-Knights replaced thegns as under-tennants

The Church’s role

-Well educated so advisers to the King
-In charge of the King’s writs and the Royal seal

Normanisation of the Church

-Within 50 years after 1066 most religious building had been built in Norman style
-By 1070 there was only 1 AS bishop -Wulfstan
-William controlled communication between the Church and the Pope

Continuity from AS-Norman England

-Village life continued as before for peasants
-Royal Household (eg bodyguards) stayed the same
-The geld tax

Change in AS-Norman England

-Norman Cathedrals and Castles to show power
-Removal of Scandinavian trade
-King had stronger control under tenants in cheif
-Thegns replaced by knights

Forest Significance

-18% of England for hunting land
-Showed the power of the King
-Income from fines

Domesday book Significance 1085

-Easier to decide on taxes
-Settled legal disputes
-Gave a number of how many extra soldiers could be provided

Norman Aristocratic Culture

-Built Churches and Cathedrals
-Very religious and did penance for violence
-Had a single heir
-Spoke in French, children spoke English and French

Significance of Bishop Odo

-William’s half-brother
-Second largest landholder to the King
-Illegally seized land
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The Succession

-William chose Robert Curthose (eldest son) as Duke
-William chose William Rufus as king of England, but he said he would let God decide
-William died 9th September 1087

Rebellion of Odo and Robert

-Normans wanted one ruler
-1088 Bishop Odo raised a rebellion in Roberts claim with his brother
-Both uncles were captured