the normans (theyre scary)

explain the battle of Fulford gate through the Anglo-Saxons

* Edwin earl of Mercia and Morcar earl of Northumbria lead 3500 men (earls - sister married to Harold)
* used a typical shield wall on northern bank of river Germany
* had an advantage - more men, an element of suprise
* swords for slashing and dane axe for wielding
* however, they became surrounded by vikings and trapped in the marsh when the river came in, drowning in the swamp

when was the battle of Stamford bridge?

25th September 1066

explain the battle of Stamford Bridge through the Anglo-Saxons

* Harald and Tostig and troops celebrated their victory of Fulford Bridge - York had suurendored adn they had promised hostages on their way - not expecting trouble, they left their armour in ships 25km away
* taken by suprise, almost defenseless
* only had the defence by being seperated from the Anglo-Saxons by the river Derwent
* an unarmed warrior allegedly held back access to the bridge single handedly, stoppin gthe English crossong and killing 40 Englishmen
* Hadrada sent 3 of his fastest and best horsement to receive the armour
* the soldiers made a shield wall on the eastern side of the river
* Tostig refused to swap sides when negotionting as he promised soemthing fro HAdrada too - little did he know that Hadrada would most probably exhile him or refuse to pay him afterwards
* hopelessly outnumbered, the wall began to break
* the english advanced and HArdrada moved forwards, swinging weopons in both hands, but armourless - but an arrow to the trhout killed him
* Tostig was slain too
* the reinforcements with armour arrived back but were too late, and Olav, Hadrada’s son gave himself to Harold and only 24/300 ships that had come were needed to return the survuvors - Vikings were finaly defeated

explain the battle of Stamford Bridge through the Anglo-Saxons

* nas soon as HArold hear of this invasion, he headed north and abandonded his postition on the southern coast
* he gathered Fyrds as he went, marhcing 40 miles a day - 190 miles in 4 days
* this suprise attack left the vikings defenseless
* a saxon paddled under the bridge and thrust a spear up through the slats of the brideg, killin gth edefending viking on the bridge
* outnumbering HAdrada’s army massivley, but Harold offered the cnahce for Tostig to swap sides, yet he refused
* Tostig and Harald were slain
* Olav was ordered to return back to Norway, spared as long as he swore an oath of loyalty and never to invade again

what was a HOuse Carl?

experienced nights with chain mail and dane axes

what was a Fyrd?

common soldiers who had to serve 2 months in an army, not experienced

what were the Anglo-Saxons like after the battle?

* many traveled 190 mile son foot, carrying heavy weapons
* the battle was exhausting, and after the brutal battle, not ideal for preparing to fight william in just a two weeks

when did the Normans arrive? What did this mean for Harold?

* 3 days after the battle of Stamford bridge
* at Pevensey on the Sussex coast
* they began to harry the countryside, burning settlements and building a motte and bailey castle
* Harold had to quickly march back south with his exhausted soldiers
* Harold had th reminants of his army, but had to raise another on his return south
* he ignored his mother’s advice to wait for reinforcements (30000 soldiers form the welsh amrches), but rushed to Hastings to confront William

When was the battle of HAstings?

1066

summarise why William won Hastings due to: effective leadership and good desicion making

* the Norman army was large and proffesional, with each soldier asigned to a specified job: archers, cavalry, foot soldiers
* it had great vary and was hihgliy organised
* the soldiers trained daily for hours and used cunning and well-practiced tactics scuh as the feigned retreat
* they were very well organised - structured into divisions and usung gonfannon(flags) to communicate between the factions, giving clear instructions to the army
* used longbows -w hich is said to be what killed Harold 0 this would eventualy become on eof the most feared weopns in battle
* William was an experience and effective leader, with much experience - ruthless and effective leader of campaigns to expand Normandy
* he stayed calm in battle and under pressure
* he contantly improved his technique - when the longbows were failing, he moved his archers ebhind the foot soldiers so the arrows woul hit the Anglo Saxons - which is depicted in the Bayeaux tapestry of having dire effects
* his layign waste of the countryside arpound hastings meant he already had control of the local population and had a Motte and Bailey Castle at Pevensey to ecure him a base and help intimidate and control the locals
* William chose the battlefield, menaing it was situated enar a main road to LOndon - he had easy access to the capital
* william and his men feasted before the battle - well prepared
* WIlaiiam had 700 ships arrive with 7000 soldoer s- very well prepared
* his army was mostly ,assive due tot the support of th epope and promise of reitches for vicotrs in England, meaning many mercinaries joined
* 2000 cavalry seriously aided
* William was very brave, taking of fhis helemet to make it clear he wasn’t dead
* The use of cavalry and horses was a massive advantage for Normans, meaning they could obliterate Anglo- Saxons quicly underfoot
* in a devoutley Christian society, William’s men were motivated to fight due to the support from the pope and the Papal banner - God was on their side
* The Papal banner also intimidated Anglo-Saxons - also christian, as they fought in the battle, it felt almost as if htey were fighting against God - theu were being sinful and woul dbe damned if they dued
* more long range weaopns - he could attack froma ffar
* Harold di however have the advantage of height, being on top of Senlac Hill
* BOth leaders were experience - even HArold had just defended the vikings and had many times defendedf rom the scottihs and welsh

summarise why William won Hastings due to: HArold’s bad leadership and poor decision making

* the Saxon army was not varied - with simple foot soldiers, Fyrds adn House Carls semed to be lacking compared to the cavalary and archers of the well organised Norman army
* Harold had refused extra troops from the Welsh marches (30000), menaing his army was severly limited and exhausted from walkign 190 miles after the brutal battle of Stamford bridge
* ALthought the shield wall initialy worked, cavalry overruleld this
* many of the Fyrd returned home - they either had served their 2 months or needed to return home to harvest, so abbandoned the army
* He was so incesed by William’s invasion he became impatient and marched with this exhausted army to Hatings
* his decision for most of his soldiers, including him, to remain on foot meant it was hard to move around the battlefield and soldiers were easily suseptable to being crushed by horses
* they lacked in communication - no horses meant they were disorganised as well as exhausted
* he decided to launch a suprise attack, immediatly begingng battle with no rest - his army was exhausted
* WIllaim brought many supplies and weaopons, but Harold only had what was left from the battle of fulford

summarise why William won Hastings due to: luck and circumstances

* the feigned retreat that worked so effectivly is questioned by some historians - was it really just soldiers runnign away, but worked in Willian’s favour?
* the unusual weather in the summer of 1066 meant that a northernly wind persisted and slowed WIllaim’s arrival until late autumn - Harold’s army had been assembled on the south coast for a long period prior and many of the Fyrds had left to harvest or their mandatory 2 months was over, and the HOusecarls and HArild had headed NOrth to stop Hardrada - this meant the south coast was almost empty
* the winds also meant that William arrived further west than he planned, meaning the coast at PEvensey was defensless
* however, some histprians claim that this delayed arrival also worked in Harold’s favour as it allowed him to defeat the Vikings befor efighting the NOrmans - he woul hvae lsot both attacks if they were simultaneous. The vicptry at Stamford may have also aided the Viking troops’ morality

what did William do after the battle of Hastings?

* burried the Norman dead, but left the bodies of the ANglo-Saxons
* he had killed Harold but hadn’t become king yet
* William left a Garrison of soldiers at HAstings whilst he left for ROmney - these were to cease any rebellion form Anglo-Saxon earls who still wanted Edgar as king
* in Romney, he punnished the residents for killing Normans
* Dover was his next target whoch quickly surrendered after hearing what had happened in ROmney - he left a Garrison of soldiers to protect
* Cantebry promised loyalty to WIlliam, fearful of attavk
* he traveled to Winchester, to the royal treasury, and forced Queed Edith to surrender
* William finally headed to London in November
* due to williams supression of the south, the ANgl-Saxons became scared and traveled to Berkhamshire to swear oaths of loyalty to WIlliam
* om Christmas day, William was crowned king of England in Westminster Abbey by the archbishop of York, Ealdred

who supported Edgar? WHy was he contraversial

* Edgar was Edward’s closest relative, and was supported by Archbishop Eadlred and msot remaining earls
* concers about his age arrised as people were usnure if he would rule effectivly
* once William had started his aggression and supression in the south, the earls became scared

what did william do to cope with the powerful Anglo-Saxon earls

* he tried to ensure there was continuity from Edward’s rein - ROyal Writs continued to be written in ENglish until 1070, and Stigand remained archbishop of Cantembury until 1070
* English lords who pledged loyalty to WIlliam could keep their land - Earls Edwin, Morcar and Whaltheof were allowed to keep their titles and land, Edgar was also given land. Others were able to buy land from WIlliam - Gospatric paid to beecome earl of Northumbria in 1068
* William dealt with those who had died at Hastings harshly - he stole their land, disinherited their families and gave it to Normans who fought - he therefore established a loyal netowrk of Normans across England to secure his power
* in March 1067, he felt secure enough to return to Normandy, leaving England under conrtol of Odo, his half-brother and William Fitz Osbern, who became earl of Hereford. He forced his enemies to join him - Stigand, Edgar, Edwin, Morcar and Whaltheof

explain Edwin and Morcar’s rebellion 1066

* Edwin and Morcar where the most powerful remianing ANglo-Saxon earls and had supported HArold
* they therfore didn’t agree with William becoming King and lead a rebellion in London immediatly after the battle of HAstings
* however, William snet knights to defend London who aflicted “great sorrow” upon London citizens. Edwin and Morcar then submitted themselves once defeated, and William allowed them to keep their land and titles

explain the Welsh MArches rebellionn 1067 qnd 1069

* the Welsh borders had always been a problem as they were untamable land that was refuge to English outlaws.
* Edric the wild started a revolt with a large number of English followeors, gaining support of Welsh princes, stealing property along the border
* the rebells reached Cheshire, Stafforshire and SHrewsbry
* these occured in 1067 band 1069
* it was difficult for WIlliam to rule, and even after a failed 1st attempt, Edric tried again, showing his ressiliance and hatred of WIlliam.
* during the 2nd attempt, Edric was held by commanders at a castle in SHrewsbury and met personaly by William and they were defeated

explain the rebbelion formed by Eustace 1069

* Eustace was William’s brother in law - Eustace count of Boulogne
* this rebellion happened ur DOver catle, Kent
* Eustace didn’t support William as king, so invaded Dover castle, but was defeated by the knights at the castle
* William made his peace with him

explain the rebellion of the south west adn exeter 1068

* the Anglo-Saxons in the cities of Exeter, Bristol and Gloucster as well as HArold Godwinson’s sons rebelled
* harold’s osn claimed the thrown as they were the heirs of the last king, and didn’t support WIlliam
* the city of Exeter rebelled against William’s rule, and after a 18 day seig, were forced to surrender and WIlliam built a castle, leaving his half-brother Robert of Mortain in charge
* On his way back to London, he supressed the cities of Bristol and GLoucster
* 3 of Harold’s sons rebelled on the somerset coast but where defeated

explain the rebeelion caused by the norman earls 1075

* Willaim had forbidden Ralpg de Gael’s marraige, and William’s sherrifs had been hearing legal cases in Roger de Bretevil’s lands instead of him
* Roger may have been upset he did not have as much power has his father
* King Philip I of France had encouraged rhe rebelllion as he did not want Normandy to gain more power than France
* Ralph and Roger were also promised aid from overseas, so the rebellion posed a serious threat to william
* WIlliam left this rebellion in the hands of LAnfranc and Odo - Lanfranc sent troops to HEredforshire and Odo forced Ralph to retreat to Brittony.
* English earl Watheof tried to maek peace but was beheaded in 1075, and WIlliam had his own 2 rebelling ealrs blinded - Roger was imprisoned but not killed due to his father’s freindship with WIlliam
* This was the last of the serious rebellions

when and where was the HArrying of the North?

1069-1070, North England, Northumbria and Yorkshire and York

why did the HArrying of the North occur?

* Edgar, a contendor to the thrown had arranged a rebbelion involving Earl Watheof and Gospatric
* the Scotish lead by King Malcolm suported the north and where very powerful - he foofered refuge to Northumbrians and had previously attampted invasions in 1069 and 1070
* Dane influence from vikings was stronger in the north, and posed threat for another invasion. King Swein had sent 240 ships in 1069 to team with the English
* other rebellions all over ENgland meant William needed to act quickly and efficiently
* 3 nothern rebellions in 1068 alone
* an uncontrolable, relentless area
* Malcolm had just married Edgar’s sister - he was ebcoming more powerful

What happened during th Harrying of the north

* EDwin and Morcar killed Robert of Mortain, teh newly appointed ealr of Northu,bria, and 900 of his men
* the city of York was attacked by Edgar and the Danish forces and his forced captured the castle there
* WIlliam was furious and cahrged north with his men
* he laid waste to large areas of Yprkshire - burning and salting crops and fields, killing livestock and destroyign any other food resouce
* killed 100000 poeple and even 15 years later in 1086 when the Doomsday book was written, the area was still described as “waste” - not worth anything, abandinded
* the poeple of Yorkshire starved - reportadly 10000 poeple died as a result, many migrated south and many historians class this event as a genocide
* William had exerted his power and shown what happened to places that rebel- it was perhaps his crulest act, but he wanted total contril

hwo did things change after the harrying of the north?

* 100000 people died, most likely after due to starvation
* Yorkshire’s agricultrual lands were now useless - they were “waste” and could not produce any crops
* William’s attitude towards Anglo-Saxons had dramatically changed - instead of attempting assimilation, he was using brutal force to force Anglo-Saxons to obey his leadership
* longterm econoomic downfall for agriculture in the north
* William showed his true wragth
* depopulation of a population of only around 1.5 million
* WIlliam built 2 castles - only twon wiht two - to hold control and stop future rebellions in Yorkshire - Clifford’s tower
* \

where were Norman castles built?

* Pevensey castle was the first castle
* they were often built using the natural forms of land - on top of hills or mounds of earht, bordered by rivers etc.
* 3/4 of towns in the late 1600 has a castle attatched or nearby
* they were built typacily following rebellions as WIlliam faced lots of resistance when he first came to power
* 48 large castels by 1086
* Exetor, WIndsor, Hastings, York

How and why were castles used to help Normans gain control?

* they could be built very quickly
* height gave them good advantage to see attackers
* strengthened overtime with brikcs
* could easily hide froma ttacks in the saftey of a castle
* coul easily attack revolting Anglo-Saxons - offenzive and defensive
* all new castles were replaced by stone by 1100
* they could defend important towns and important toutes like the old ROman roads and river crossings

who stayed in Norman castles?

* nobles and knights - to protect from Anglo-Saxon attackers
* to stay and train in a safer environment

what were NOrman castles used for

* offensive
* symbolise control - phyiscally intimidaiting
* protected nobles
* showed they were physicaly above the english
* to intimidate, bully and administrate local populations
* visible distinction between ruller and rulled
* built in densley populated areas to protect against rebels
* they provuded market and job oppurtunities
* allowed trading and markets and were a social centre
* very unpopular with Anglo-Saxons - showed power

explain the advantiage of the structure of a Motte and Bailey

* the Bailey was a large areas were soldiers could live and train and animals could be raised
* soldiers were positioned in the gatehouse to look out for trouble and defend the castle
* the walls around the keep had regular intervals to act as holes for arrows
* they had mottes to make it harder for attackers to infiltrate - mostly dry ditches
* the motte was on high ground, physicaly aboce the ANglo-Saxonsand good for defensive and offensive purposes

explain the feudal system

* knights protected castles, fought in wars, and kept lords safe when trvling


* barons did homage and paid taxes, providing military service via their knights
* villeins or peasents worked for their lor by giving labour services and were given portection and the right to farm a small part of land but paid taxes and shared a proportion of their land with their lord - they didn’t pay formal homage but loyalty was excpected
* the king and lords gave land to their subjects in return for loyalty

what was the feudal system for?

* designed to reward and encourage loyalty and service
* he changed the structure of existing system
* he had to reward those who had fought with him at Hastings with land - such as the mercinaries
* he owned 20% of the land himself - ROyal Land - New Forest
* an oath of fealty to WIlliam was partaken in orde rto gain land, swearing to provide services and tax to the king
* 11 powerful barons owned 50% of land and rewarded the king with armies,m loyalty and taxes
* the knights gained land from the Barons, who payed for land and fought when needed - around 5000 knights in the 11th century
* 1.5 million villeins
* WIlliam constructed this to create a strong and loyal network of poeple who could provide support when needed
* a clear heirarchy - no assimilation

How did castles offer shelter and defence

* they offered protection from ANglo Saxon revolts - a place to shelter, recover, stor food, weapons and supplues and a=garrison soldiers
* after the Norman garrson was masacared by the normans un 1069, a new castle was built, and a later rebellion failed as soldiers sought protection in the castle
* impermeable walls and defences
* a wide area of local popualtion could eb constantly observed for any signs of trouble
* built in strategically important sights - high density of castles in less taimed areas - such as the welsh marches
* high enough to see attackers coming, defend important routes (old roman roads, rivers), having easy access to woods, food and water with antural defence from the lay of the land

how did castles help with law and order

* they allwoed william and his army of abrons to run the new feudal systemand legal system
* they contained dungeons to imprisonan dpunish
* they had law courts for trials that were protected from riot
* markets were in castles and controlled and held around norman castles

how did catles help with money

* they could store ad protect food and taxes collected
* they were useful places for Norman administraters to live and safely store taxes, recods and information collected from the local popualtion
* cutting edge architechs, incredibly weakthy
* castles became important centres for commerce and economuc control where local people traded goods
* people paid fees and taxes to enter markets

ho did catles’ assists william’s war and opression

* they could be built in areas of resistance and launch attacks over rebelling anglo-saxons
* they used castles to expand their control into wales, scotland and IReland
* Nroman knights could travel up to 30 miles a day from a catles to supress reellions
* they were built very close or even in Anglo-Sazon towns
* they could observe local populations from high ground
* they were built in strategically important places - high ground, rivers
* this was a form of psychological warfare - the emmense and intimidating size of the castle intimidated anglod-Saxons and made them less likely to rebel from the fear of the omnipotent Normans watching from high-up castles
* this grand architecture had never been seen before in England, constantly looming over people, striking fear into people’s meyes
* allwoed anglo-sasons to be aware of the skills normans possessed and therfore fear them

physical distinction between rullers and rulled

often land had to be cleared to build catles, including anglo-saxon settlemetns, so many buildings were knocked down - proving very unpopular

who was Bishop Odo of Bayeaux

* half-brother of William
* found ships for the Normans to invade England
* commisioned the Bayeaux tapestry
* in 1067, he became the earl of kent and was one of William’s regents
* he crushed the revolt of the earls in 1075
* he gained estates in England and became the second largest land owner

who was Robert of Mortain?

* BIshop ODo’s borther and WIlliam’s half brother
* he also found ships for the Hastings landing
* he fought with willaim against invaders in 1069
* he went to Normandy to help William run the area

who was William FitzOzbern

* a distinct causin of William
* father had been WIlliam’s steward but had died in an attemt to stop an assassination of WIlliam when he was a child
* was a loyal soldier of WIlliam
* he helped WIlliam recruit mercanaries for the invasion of England
* was on eof WIlliam’s regents and stayed loyal to him during the Harrying of the North

differences between norman feudal system and anglo saxon social hierarchy

* fewer earls compared to norman barons, but they had much more power - fiefs much larger - Northumbria, MErcia, Wessex, East Anglia
* norman barons less powerful than the earls, but favoured barons, such as William FitzOzborn, were favoured and rewarded
* barons were granted land for an oath of fealty and services - this was key for the conquest of England
* tthegns were similair to knights but had mor epower, responsibility and feifs
* william granted more influence to the church - bishops and abots could be more powerful land owners
* coerls owned small feifs but serfs/villeins owned none - just rented or worked for free - little life change for peasants - serfs ownded no land
* william built castles
* william had mroe power over barnons than AS kings had over ealrs
* by 1075, non eof the barons were AS, by 1096, non eof the bishops were AS

what is homage

* being loyal to those above you
* earning feifs in return

what is an oath of fealty

* swearing loyalty in services in return for feifs

what is scutage

* a tax payed to the king

why was the Doomsday book commisioned: law and order

* william could make sure his feudal lords were not withholding money, making them a great threat to his power
* he could legalise and record arguments and ownership of land, meaning a final judgement could be made in a court - this shows how WIlliam and the normans had taken any land they could, no matter its ownership status
* william needed to raise additional armed forces to defend againtt rumoured Viking invasions/attacks in general
* he needed to enforce tax for “Danegeld”
* he needed an iventory to calculate how much money he could tax

what were williams initial intentions when controllling england

* he claimed all AS had supported Harold, so ceased all their land
* he intended to have ENglish earls but wouldn’t tollerate disloyalty

what was asked in the doomssday book to do with law and order

* who held the land at the end of Edward’s reign and who heald the land in 1086
* how mnay heids, ploughs, villagers, animals, mills, fishponds and medows were there

what does the doomsday book tell us about law and order in life in ENgland

* that the Doomsday book commision was one of unparalleled scope and magnitude - a huge investigation into rights, dues, land and economic assest

whhy was the DOomsday book commisoned: money and wealth

* william needed to raise additional armed forces to defend from attackers, particularly vikings, and raise taxes for Danegeld to pay off any vikings he could
* he wanted to know how mcuh was the most tax possible he could tax
* he had a tax book to find out how much people owned so they could be taxed accordingly
* it could inform him of the best way he could raise tax

what does the Doomsday book tell us about wealth and money in England

* it told us England’s population and how much wealth it did or didn’t have in ceratian areas
* estimated how much the value of land changed under William after Edward
* it showed us large parts ofEngland were “waste” - perhpas due to the harrying of the north

why was the Doomsday book commisioned: military and law

* william still faced a threat if external invasion, particularly from the Danish king and COount of FLanders
* he wanted to know how big of an army he could raise to defend
* he wanted to know how muc he could raise in tax to form an army and defend
* he wanted to know how much he could pay to those, as a reward, who fought at hastings

what does the Doomsday book tell us about life in England to do with military and war

* in 1086 there were 2000 knights nad 10000 norman settles


* it shows us which parts of England, for example 80% of Yorkshire, were waste, mostly due to norman military forces laying waste to land

why was the doomsday book commisioned: feudal system

* so a formal written record of England at the time of the feudal system could be created
* so it was clear who owned which land, and which barons, nights and villeins owned/rented which parts of land
* william and his family owned 20%, church 25%. the land was owned by 250 people, mainly foreigners
* could be used as evidence to punish those who refused to give up information or who lied about land ownership

what does the doomsday book tell us about the feudal system in England

* who owned the land
* the introduction of primogeneture - a custom of the first born son inheriting all the land and titles - dramaticaly concentrated power - WIlliam could keep a record of who owned what easily
* 13000 places mentioned in th book

who were williams sons

* william - he was not the eldest, and therefire, broke primongeneture by inheriting the throne
* robert curthose - was the eldest, so gets Nromandy but not England
* henry on;y recieved money - no land, menaing a dispensible wealth that could quickly leave

what type of ruler was William II

* he lacked experience an inovation
* support from Archbishop from Lanfranc who crowned him
* didn’t change the system much as it worked well
* during a scotttish attakc in 1091, he managed to force king Malcom to acknowledge him as the overlor of scotland
* when scotland rebeled years later, william was victorious at the Battle of Alnwich and Malcolm was killed - power, leadership and success?
* in 1091, Robert went on a crucade and sold William normandy, for which he raised taxes to afford - this was unpopular


* he exploited the system for personal gain, earning a lot of money from heavy tacation and from the church
* was not strongly connected to the church at all - a wvery week relationship wit the pope

how was William II killed?

* he was killed by a “stray arrow” wehilst hinting with a hunting party containing his younger brother HEnry - potentialy feeling unhappy with his inheritance
* the party, however, abandoned him and Henry quickly ran to claim his inheritance with no Robert to stop him as he was in Normandy
* Walter Tire shot the arrow and immediatly fled to France

who were William’s enemies

* both brothers wanted ENgland - Robert becasue he only recieved Normandy, not ENgland, despite being the eldest - England was also a more valube asset. Henry because he only recieved money and was unhappy wihtthis smalla nd seemingly short lived inheritance
* Robert thought he deserved more than Normany and thought Henry had wrongfuly claimed the throne, but as he had rebelled against his father in 1077, his relationship with William I was bad
* William was known as a womanizer - perhaps soe of the hunting party were angry and wanted revenge
* Anglo-Saxons hated the normans - a local in the forest could have shot him
* Odo wanted Robert to be king, so started a rebellion
* most of the lords were loyal to William and Odo didn’t receive reinforcements from RObert

was WIlliam murdered - yes

* hunting party abandoned him - Henry was in this party and quicly ran to claim his inheritance and the throne
* HEnry resented the fact he only got money
* Robert was in Normandy so coul’t protest
* HEnry didn’t wait for the archbishop of cantebry to crown him - very rushed
* complex political situation
* Robert was now returning from his crucade - did Henry want to be quickly crowned?
* William was a bachelor who had had affairs with seomone’s wife who might have wanted to seekr evenge
* angry saxons

was William murdered - no

* easy to be injured whilst hunting, shown by the death of Richard

when did WIlliam I die?

* 1087
* he divided his land when his children inherited it - perhaps as an attempt to see that none of his children were ever as powerful as him?

AS law and order system

* pwerful Witan of earls and bishops played an important part in political descions - central government
* local government was overseen by earls
* 4 large earldoms - Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria, East Anglia
* each earldom had shires, a local Thegn was appointed by the king in each of these shires as sherrif - made responsible for shire courts, rasing armies and collecting taxes
* each shire was divded into HUndreds, containg around 12 villages, each with its own Reeve who was responsibel for organising the loval hundred-courts and sorting out local disputes

what changes did the Normans make to the legal system?

* increased the use of fines paid for crimes, rather than mostly brutal punishment
* latin became the official language of governements and law
* universities were set up to tach Latin
* laws and descisions were written adn recorded rather than accepted common law
* normans carried on using harsh capital punishment, especialy for challenges to authority
* judjement of God/Trial by ordeal still used - this proved innocence over guilt using fire, water and a new combat ordeal
* forest law was introduced with harsh consequences for AS that ventured onto land that now banned them - eg New Forest
* Murdrum fines were introduced, were whole communities were fined for killing a Norman if no one took the blame
* smaller earldoms created, based around shire towns
* castels became the centre for shire courts, prison and punishment
* juries were introduced in some legal cases
* a new type of aoeak caught called Honourial courts for issues arising from disagreements in the feudal system was introduced
* HUndred courts continued, but met more frequently
* PRIMOGENETURE - 1st born son inherited all land, titles and wealth - easy track of were wealth went

define:


1. serf
2. villein
3. freemna
4. demense
5. manor/manor hosue
6. reeve
7. bailiff
8. priest
9. miller
10. scythe
11. sickle
12. tithe
13. pttage
14. harvest
15. ploughing and oxen
16. brewing and beer

1. poorest type of peasent - owned no land, worked for nothing, allowed only to work on land in exchange for food and shelter - had to have permision to leave and marry
2. second poorest peasant - could rent land. Had to ask permission to leave and marry
3. slightly higher peasent - a group of peasents who lived in th manor but still payed rent and worked for the lord during sewing and harvest time - could lkeave at will
4. all land owned by a lord
5. specific areas in a village that included the manor house, barns, churched, houses, grazinfg land, mills and road that were owned by an overlord
6. elected by vote, s senior official who worled for the crown in local areas, in roles like the cheif magistrate - to manage everyoen and make sure they did their jobs
7. collected taxes for the crown and ensured crops were gathered and debts were repayed
8. ran the local church, responisble for marraiges
9. produced grain to make bread for the area that was baked in the ovens in the manor house and the lord decided how much the miller payed for the usage of the oven
10. a tool used by a peasebt ti heavest crops
11. a tool used by peasents to harvest crops
12. a anual church tax - 10% of wealtha year to provide welfare, marraige, funerals and health in the church
13. oats eaten by peasents who woke before dawn to eat it
14. collection of fiood/total crops colelcte
15. done before sewing the filds, in autumn to turn the land
16. breweres made beer from crops but couldn’t sell it without eh lord’s permisison and decision on price

what was a peasent’s life like: work

* worked 6 days a week
* sunday was for going to church - day of rest and worship
* ploughed land, sewed crops, carried out building and thatching
* children worked, too - clearing stones and chasing bierds off at harvest time
* worked in fields owned by lords - hard manual labour
* lives were dictated bby the seasons - light/dark, sewing in spring , ploughing in autaumn, harvesting in summer/autumn
* surviving in winter

what was a peasent’s life like: free time

* ate, slept and relaxed all in one room
* serfs worked 6 days a week with sundyas for church
* villeines spent 5 days on their own land, 1 day on the lords, 1 day at church
* churches were an important part of life, and decided and organised what peopel did in free time
* wrestling, animal fighting, travling musicians
* holy-days/holidays at easter and christmas

what was a peasent’s life like: food and drink

* became scarce in late spring when the alst of the harvest was eaten
* poor harvest lead to starvation
* pottage, rye bread, vegtables, small amounts of mewat, fish and game
* cider and ail
* humble pie at christmas
* sugar, meets and fruit very rare and expensive
* homemade beer and cider that the lord dictated the price of

what was a peasent’s life like: freedom, power and authority

* serfs and villeins could not leave the amnor without permission from the lord
* prices and sales had to be overseen and dictated by the lord
* serfs had to work all theur time on the lord’s land, villeins had to work once a week on the lord’s land
* rent to landlord and tithes to church, paid in agricultural produce/harvest

what was a norman home like?

* cold, damp and dark, consisting of only small windows, in order to stay warm
* a single room and thatched rooves, easily destroyed by fires
* floor compacvted with mud and straw
* animals brought inside with humans at night

what were manor hosues like?

* made from stone
* much mroe secure than the mud houses
* lords and freemen lived there
* 25-35% of land for lord and therfore serfs, the rest divided between villeins

what were churches like

* made of stone, the centre peace of the villafer
* served as storage unit and prsion

what was the farmland like?

* divided into fields
* some to graze animal, some to grow crops
* grew grain, vegtables and herbs
* some fields were left to fallow/gorw into a medow to recover and regain nutrients

how much did the normans change everyday life in england? CONTINUITY - law and order

* the brutal punishment system of trial by ordeal was still used, ordeal of fire and water continued to be in place
* the use of hundred courts continued (even becoming more frequent)
* the layout of a villaige and the manor remained the same, the life of peasants was mostly unchanged, excecpt perhaps and even lower respectance and even higher rent from Nroman barons
* the financial system was mostly maintained as it was one of the key pull factors for Normans arrviving here and was well organised
* religion still remained imoirtant in everyday life

how much did the normans change everyday life in england? CONTINUITY - land and culture

* the layout of a villaige and the manor remained the same, the life of peasants was mostly unchanged, excecpt perhaps and even lower respectance and even higher rent from Nroman barons
* peasants continued to follow the seasons - sewing in spring, harvesting in september

how much did the normans change everyday life in england? CHANGE - law and order

* the feudal system implemented a much more structured and concrete, sometimes written heirarchy, introducing stricter rules regarding loyalty and services to over-lords, as well as punishment for breaking fealty
* stricter and steeper fines were introduced - forest laws prevented peasants hunting on royal estates, punishment was recieved by a whole village if a norman noble was killed
* primogeneture was introduced - rather than inheritance being split between all of a father’s sons, all wealth, land an titles went only to the eldest son - this allowed William to easily keep track of pwer and concentrate it more so that he knew where ti was and who to challenge if he wasn’t paid enough tax

how much did the normans change everyday life in england? CHANGE - land and culture

* peasants became even mroe looked down on - they had perhaps been permanantly placed at the bottom of society, their fate sealed by the feudal sytem
* the whole of England became much more unified under the Norman’s rule - a baron reigned over each earldom and paid tax to the king - perhaps ebcause many of the barons were Norman, they thus paid greater respect and fealty to the king, unifying the earldoms, and less squabling between the earldoms
* trade became unternational - between France, Normandy and Europe
* architecture changed dramticaly - castles and cathedrals were built in the itimidating romanesque style
* the built environment changed, introducing stone buidlings
* the expansion of towns brought new econmic and job oppurtunity

how much did the normans change everyday life in england? CHANGE - castles

* castles became the centre of trade, leadership, low and order and punishment, previously never before seen by Anglo-Saxons
* this was very intimidating and perhaps acted as a form of mental cpnquest - the Normans terrified the AnS out of attacking

hwo did towns change?

* more important in society and the economy - grrowing and atracting more people due to job oppurtunities - becomng the centre of trade
* they increased trade internationaly, especialy in southern towns, with France and the rest of Europ e- England gained access to goods from europe it had never previosuly had available
* evidence for this can be found in the DOomsday book
* became religious centres - cathedrals were built: York Minster, Durham cathedral

what did Norman towns look like?

* houses were close together, wooden and very cramped
* norrow streets ment living conditions were unhygenic and fire was great risk due to the wooden houses
* due to bigger population, waste built up easily and disease was thus common
* towns had churches, cathedrals and castles

who were the citisens of a Norman town?

* peasants, bu they had more freedom - not confined to a manor house, did not work on land, mostly were craftsmen - didn’t really fit the feudal system
* craftsmen where trained by master craftsmen who produced goods - they were able to buy and sell without an overlord’s permission
* some town poeple owned goods and serviced and taxes went to their overlord, but they could buy and sell property

what priveledges did Norman towns have? How different were they to other areas?

* compared to rural villages, townspeople didn’t grow their own food but bought it from markets
* comparewd to jobs like millers and bakers, they were craftmens
* they started as aprentices and bacame trained by master craftsmen to earn money for themselves to buy goods
* much more varied jobs in towns - servents for richer towns people or being craftsmen who specialised in carpenting, stonework or construction
* new trades were bron to trade between other towns and the rest of Europs - salt, metalwork and wool traded
* people could experience more freedom of v=movement
* if a villein escaped from a manor and lived in a town for a year and a day, they became a freeman

what was a charter in a Norman town?

* if a town was granted a charter from a local lord, it gained independence
* the town could govern itself through a town council and a mayor
* the town could have a fair and regular market
* they could set their own taxes, stimulating more trade
* a lot more freedom - almost breaking out of the feudal sytem and creating a whole new branch of it

social and cultural hierarchy of a town

* lords - owned property, divded land between peasants, excpected servents and rent. Granted charters
* burgesses - a town dweller who owned services and taxes to a lord but could trade property
* lawyers, doctors, property owners and merchants
* craftsmen
* unskilled workers - labourers and servents

what were guilds in Norman towns?

if BUrgesses of similair craft (leatherworkers, weavers, goldsmiths, bakers, bitcherrs or merchants) grouped together, they formed guilds that grew and had considerable power

who were craftsmen and aprentices in norman towns

* important to a town’s economy - produced the tradable goods needed to develop a town
* aprentices were trained by master crafstmen to learn new skills for trade before leaving and earning money for themselves
* crafts included - bakers, tailers, shoemakers, carpentors, stone masons
* in return for learning, aprentices were fed, clothed and housed by their masters

what was a merchant in a norman town?

* tradors that ebcame walthy as England began to internationaly export goods such as wool adn import goods such as wine and textiles. They were essential to the town’s economy and development

what were apothacaries in norman towns?

they had remedies made from herbs, plants and were essential to the increasein disease due to teh cramped conditions

define:


1. tithes
2. church fees
3. pope
4. canon law
5. seven sacraments
6. salvation
7. damnation
8. sin
9. penance
10. confession
11. transubstantiation
12. clergy
13. monastries
14. holy dat
15. omnipotent, omnipresent God

1. 10% tax on all of the harvst per year, stored in barns
2. chadges for church ceromonies - christennings, weddings
3. the highest member of the clergy, a bridge to God, above any monarch
4. the system of law and legal system in the curch - churhc law - people were tried and punished for religious crime
5. 7 parts which were essential for christians to obey and all ceromonies where based upon
6. when a person died, their soul was saved andw ent to heaven - AS deperate for this
7. when a person died - there soul went to hell -AS were terrified of this happening and did anytrhing to prevent it
8. bad things epople did against the 7 sacramants, that upset God and must be put right by penance
9. when someone confessed their sin to God in return for forgivness, or paid the church and did good deeds and actions to counter their sin
10. confessing sins to a member of clergy in order to gain advice, forgivness and be blessed. Adive or penance was advised
11. bread and wine transformed into the flesh and blood of christ in mass by the church
12. church officials - monks, nuns, pope, archpishop, bishop, priest
13. buildings were munks and/or nuns devoted their lives to God
14. days without work - holidays - to celebrate a saint or day of religious importance )easter, christmas)
15. the beleif that nothin ghappened without God knwing/that wasn’t God’s wish - God was always present and powerful and strong

what was the relationship between the crown and the church?

* the monacrhc and church worked very closely, especialy William who wanted to shwo hsi gratefullness for the Pope’s support during his conquest
* although the monarch sometimes appointed friends anf amily as important and powerful roles in the church

WHy were Churches important - SPIRITUALLY

* gave people hope and a motivation in life
* obsession with heaven and doing no sin meantcrime rates were low
* beleived to go to heaven you had to be a good and honest person
* monacticism - devotion and praying to God
* poeple couldn’t read religious texts or the services as they were in Latin - had to lean from pictures and trust waht the priest said was God’s word

WHy were Churches important - ECONOMICALLY

* impressive buildings, cpsting lots to male, showing the normans were not only devoted to God but were here to stay. it showed jsut how wealthy they were
* they were major land owners and servenbts had to work for free on theor land, beleiving that God was omnipresent and watchigntheit every movr
* churches collcted tithes,a 10% profit on all the harvest per year, stored in tithe barns, making churches very wealthy

WHy were Churches important - POLITICALLY

* Willaim replaced most major church roles with hus own supporters to have a powerful network of influential normans
* had a strict heirarchy - preist - deans - archdeacons - bishop - archibishop - pope
* archbishop of canterbry - most important religious figuer in England, very powerful, could challenge the king, controlled coronation
* preiests - in charge of a parish
* bishop - in charge of dioces, the king appointed them, chossing only skilled and loyal people - also lords that owned land
* archdeacons - helped bishops run doices, taking responsibility for administration and sisiplin of deans
* deans - in charge of a deanary made up aof a group of parishes - made sure priests followed law in parishes
* members of the churche advised the king on political matters, appointed the witan, bishops and abeses

WHy were Churches important - social and health

* people didnt understand health and disease, thinking they were punishments for sin so sought churches for helo, who were well traiend in medicine for this reason


* priests tried to cure disease by preying and encouraging penance
* the church had many infermaries to treat the sick
* the church offered arms and support for the unemployed
* you could seek sanctury in a church

WHy were Churches important - EDUCATION

* dmany universities spawned from religious education
* the only institution that publsihed books by copying them by hand
* monks copied religious texts and important medical texts and the church could control which were published
* few people could read and write bar monks, meaning churches and monastries were perfect for educatipon
* pilgrims travled to holy lands to fell closer to God

WHy were Churches important - LEGALLY

* sometimes the king and the church diagreed - the king apointed bushops but the church didn’t agree, potential as nepotism was involved
* churches hear court cases for church crimes, and the church could carry out justice in the king’s name

what was the WEALTH of the church like

* the church owned 25% of the land by 1087 - more and and collected more rent than the king - was wealthier than the king
* 10% tithes from everyone on the harvest
* fees collected for all ceromonies - weedings, baptism
* peter’s pence collected anually
* people excpected to leave money for the church in their wills in order for prayers to be said for their soulds after death
* good works expected - financial gifts and contributions to the chirch

what was the church like before the normans

* based on 7 sacraments 0 the same as the rest of europe
* seen as old fashioned by the normans - outside RCC development in the rest of europe
* only 30 monastries and monasiticism was far less important and influential than in Normandy
* fewer great cathendrals
* seen as corrupt - nepotism, sinmony etc
* Stigand was the archpishop until 1070 when he was deopsed for corruption and replaceed by Lanfranc - Norman pwoer move

why did william dislike the church in england?

* he was very religious and had a particular view on how he wanted it to be
* thankful for the pope allowing him to conquer britian so wanted to reform the monastries as both the pope and him thought the english church was old fashioned and the pope had little influence over it
* influence over the church would allow him to appoint alies as powerful figures to reward them for loyalty
* he wanted total control over the Anglo Saxons - as churhc was sicj an imoprtant aspect to their lives, he wanted to normanise thre church so people were more obediant to him and saw him as more of a threat and mroe powerful

1. pluralsim
2. simony
3. nepotism
4. clerical celibacy

1. any senior member of the clergy had more than one title
2. selling a postition/title, taking bribes
3. positions of power given to friends and family of the nobility
4. this was the rules for members of the churhc, and included banning them from marrying and having children, whcih many didi

how did William change the church?

* he asked LAnfranc to lead the reform of the chrihc when Stigand was sacked for corruption in 1070, pope Alexander aproved this and by 1069 there were no AS bishops
* clerical marraige was banned by law
* peter’s pence reintroduced
* more amnagers introduced to the church heirarchy - archdeacons and deacons to improve administration. organisation and control
* canon law introduced in 1076 to deal wtih clergy and religious crimes
* churches were rebuilt in the romanseque style
* bishop of Durahm made prince-bishop to raise an army and defend from scottisjh invasion

why did WIlliam Rufus come into conflict with the church?

* he had little religious devotion or interest in the chrich
* he saw the chuirch only as a eman of power and financial explotation
* Lanfranc outlawed simony, but he reintroduced this - contraversial
* he never married and was most likely gay - greatly disaproved by the RCC and the pope
* conflict with the bsihope of Durham (William of Calais0 over who cotnroled the clergy - the monarch or pope - rufus thought the churhc was subordinate to the church
* he reguarly left bishoprics wihtout bishops and the income would those revert back to him and he didn’t maintain a “Godly” court - this lead to a conflict with Anselm, archbishop of cantebry
* in teh coucil of Rockingahm, 1095, william refused to recognise Urban II’s appointement as the pope and refused to elt Anselm to travel to RIme and recieve his Pallium as this would justify the POpe’s control over the Englsih Church - as URban was a reforemer, he wanted to increase the independance of the chirch and crown, but william eventually accpeted his claim, but Anselm was still reluctant to pay taxes to support William and provide him with knights when he demanded but in 1097 Anselm fled into exile in ROme

why was their conflict with norman kings and the papacy?

* pope Gregory VII was a reformaing pope who wanted to increase the independence of the church from the monarch in order to make the church more wealthy and powerful
* he wanted english bishops to travel to rome to report to him
* willaim I refused to swear an oath of felaty to gregory, but did bring back PEter’s Penance, but was resentful of any papal interference in his rights and power as king

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