The kings household and the chancery

2a.3

THE POWER OF THE MONARCHY

what evidence is there to suggest william gained control of a throne rich in power

edward the confessor had been englands supreme decision maker, head of the church and chief arbiter of justice

what evidence is there to show that william successfully controlled the great men of the nation

• only 3 baronial revolts in 1075,88,95 all of which were put down

• william applied long held techniques of kingship

how did william consult ‘the great men’

• brought them into the decision making process

• domesday was commissioned by william only after he had deep speech with his advisors

THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD

what was the domus

domestic household which looked after the material needs of the king and his family

what was the familia

consisted of household knights, acting as the kings bodyguard and the core of the army

what was the curia regis

where the king listened to advisors, received important visitors, made announcements and dispensed justice

what tradition did william start to inspire awe in his subjects

formally wearing his crown in court 3 times a year

what evidence is there that william had frequent absences from england

he remained duke of normandy and after 1072 spent ¾ of his time outside england

how did william deal with his absences in terms of running the country

employed half brother Odo of bayeux and William fitzosbern and lanfranc, as regents

CHANCERY

what did william do to initially retain a consistency in the chancery

retained its head Regenbald, who has served as chancellor under Edward and Harold

what happened in 1069 that showed william felt more comfortable to replace the english

regenbald was replaced by a norman official, Herfast in 1069

what evidence is there that suggests william utilised the chancery to a high level compared with the anglo saxon kings

fewer than 2000 writs and charters survive from the entire anglo saxon period

William II - 15 surviving writs per year and 41 per year for henrys reign

what evidence is there of an increasing Normanisation in the writs

before norman conquest - english

during - billingual

early 1070s - latin (administrative language of europe) became the standard

how did william extend the use of writs

before 1066 - means of announcing grants of land

after - william and his sons used them for general orders and instructions

e.g. william employed a writ to summon his Evesham knights, and used the writ for conveying judicial decisions

THE GELD AND THE SILVER PENNY

why was raising finance particularly important for the monarch

kingship was an expensive business

maintaining the royal household as well as the elite lifestyle meant the treasury at winchester had regular calls made on it

what ways of generating income are listed

• profits drawn from royal lands

• taxes on trade

• market tolls

• other payments stemming from local custom

what was the ‘geld system’

national tax based on landholding, generally levied at the rate of 2 shillings per hide of land

what evidence is there of william utilising the geld system

1084 - he needed to finance his ongoing war in maine so imposed a national levy of 6 shillings on the hide

why did the geld system become less profitable

over the course of his reign, william exempted many individuals and religious institutions from payment as well as land held in demesne by his tenants in chief

why were few changes made to coinage after the invasion

normandy coinage was not as sophiscated as anglo saxon coinage e.g. newly minted coins still bore the name of the long dead Duke Richard

what evidence is there of continuity in money supply

william retained most of the english moneyers who operated from the same 60 mints as before

royal control over the currency was absolute

what evidence is there to show the normans dealt with coinage very seriously

• no foreign couns were allowed to circulate

• every 3 years new silver pennies of standard weight and design were issued with the king taking the profits

• 1100 - Henry I announced that anyone found in possession of a fake coin should lose a hand and be castrated

• estimated 9 million silver pennies in circulation in 1086, worth £37,500

THE OFFICE OF THE SHERIFF

what 2 challenges did monarchs face in terms of administration

1. ensure all parts of the kingdom were governed correctly

2. how to communicate orders and directives from the centre to the provinces

what evidence is there of continuity after the norman conquest

the royal will continued to be conveyed through writs, put into effect by sheriffs who operated within the same system of shires and hundreds

sheriffs also continued with their traditional duties of supervising the collection of taxes and fines, overseeing royal justice in courts and in times of war, raising and leading royal armies

what norman changes to sheriffs were there

• after 1070s there was a consistent policy of replacing existing english sheriffs with norman supporters

• authority increased as a result of royal government dealing with them more routinely

what norman changes to the earldoms were there

the normans started to dismantle the great earldoms, even where earls remained, sheriffs still saw an increase in their own authority

CODES OF LAW AND THE LOCAL COURTS

THE ANGLO NORMAN LEGAL SYSTEM

what continuity occurred in the legal system

shire and hundred courts were preserved while the king remained the front of all justice

the kings deputies dealt with the most serious cases of the kings court

what were the manorial courts

allowed the lord of the manor to maintain order on his estates and settle disputes between his men

what was the forest law

the separate legal system which covered areas of English defined as royal forest

in order to protect the wildlife for royal hunting, harsh punishments, administered by special courts, were imposed for offences

what was the ‘biggest change’ in the legal system under william

in a writ issued in the early 1070s which he bowed to pressure from an increasingly assertive papacy and stated that ecclesiastical cases should not be heard in lay courts or by lay judges but only in church courts before ecclesiastical judges

what was the murdrum fine and why was it established

it stated that in the event of a norman being murdered a heavy financial penatly would be imposed on a local community if they failed to produce the killer - similar to the anglo saxon tithing system

how did ordeals change under the normans

oaths and ordeal by fire and water continued to be used but ordeal by battle was new to england, although common throughout western europe

it involved fighting with sharpened hammers of staffs and was premised on the belief that god would intervene on the right side

how did punishments change under the normans

once guilt had been established, death by hanging or physical mutilation, typically the loss of a limb, blinding or castration