Anglo-Saxons and Normans

Explain why House of Godwin was so powerful by 1066 (points)

• Economic Strength

• Military Strength

• Family Connections

House of Godwin- economic strength

• 1018- Harold Earl of Wessex= 1/3 of England

• Godwinsons received £8500 per year- wealthier than the king

• Waltham Abbey- money converted into religious influence

House of Godwin- military strength

• Wessex- access to powerful Wessex fyrd

• 1062- Harold/ Tostig led series of military campaigns in Wales-King Lllewlyn decapitated

• 1066- Harold named ‘sub regulus’

House of Godwin- Family connections

• 1055- Tostig became Earl of Northumbria

• 1057- Gyrth Earl of East Anglia + Leofwine as Earl of Midlands

• 1066- Married Edith (sister of Edwin +Morcar)

Explain why there was a rising against Earl Tostig in 1065 (points)

• Northumbrian resentment

• Tostig abusing his power

• Scottish invasions

Northumbrian resentment to Tostig

• Tostig increased geld tax in the area

• Tostig did not come from the area- did not understand the area, people and language- all previous Earls were Northern

Tostig Abuses of power

• Murdered his rivals whilst in his care

• Murdered 2 followers of Gospatric (1064) then murdered Gospatric (1065) when he went to Edward to complain

• State Land/Money- accused people of crimes they did not commit

• Imposed new laws against wills/wishes of people

Tostig-Scottish invasions

• Tostig was friends with King Malcom III-king of Scotland+ enemy of the Danelaw

• 1061- Malcom invaded Northumbria, Malcom did not retaliate

Explain why there was a succession crisis in 1066 (points)

• Edward died without a son

• Edgar Aethling was not a suitable heir

• Edward promised throne to both William and Harold

Edawrd died without a son

• Edward and Edith did not have any children

• Could be due to infertility, celibacy or argument with Godwins- no child= no Godwin on the throne

• Left it up to Witan

Edgar Aethling not a suitable heir

• Edgar Aethling was only 14 at time of Edward’s death

• Edgar had no military experience/ support of other earls

Edwards promised throne to both Harold and William

• 1051- William promised the throne to prevent Godwins becoming King

• 1064- Harold went on embasssy to Normandy and renewed the promise/ swore an oath to help W become King

• 1066- Edward promised Harold throne on his deathbed- may have been asked to “protect kingdom”

Explain why the Battles of Gate Fulford and Stamford Bridge were significant (points)

• Harold successfully defended England from invaders

• Edwin and Morcar’s armies were destroyed

• Harold in North when William invaded

Harold successfully defended England from inavders

• Marched 185 miles to defeat Hardrada and Tostig= strength as a military leader- 24/200 longships returned after Stamford

• Killed 2 significant threats to kingdom- reducing Scandinavian threat

• Olaf swore to never to return to England/ oath of friendship

Edwin/ Morcars armies were destroyed

• Thousands of trained soldiers killed in battle- fewer soldiers to call upon to fight William

• Fewer trained soldiers in England to defend against future attacks

• 6,000 soldiers in Edwin/Morcars army

Harold in North when William invaded

• Harold in York 185 miles away from William

• Harold’s army were tired/ in need of rest vs refreshed ready to go army

• Led to tactical errors- over confidence led to Harold rushing into open battle

Reasons for William’s win at the Battle of Hastings ( points)

• Superior Tactics by Normans

• William’s effective leadership

• Harold’s poor leadership/decision making

Superior Norman Tactics

• 4-6000 soldiers total split into 3 divisons- archers, calvalry and infantry

• William brought 800 knights- professional, well trained cavalry= height advantage

• Ordered a feigned retreat so Saxons would follow(and break protective shield wall)

William’s effective leadership

• Rousing speech before battle/ gained support of Pope Alexander

• Gathered 2000 horses and built ships to take them to England-13 tonnes of hay and grain fed

• Built motte and bailey castles in Pevensy so soldiers were protected

Harold’s poor decision making/leadership

• Marched 200 miles from Stamford Bridge to Hastings after defeating Hadrada

• Refused to wait in London for reinforcements/fyrd to gather

• Soldiers were not well trained so ignored Harold’s orders and broke the shield wall during feigned retreat

Explain why Earls submitted to William in 1066 (points)

• William encircled London

• Brutal treatment of towns, villages and Southern Saxons

• Weakness of Edgar Aethling

William encircled London

• Blocked supplies/reinforcements from North (Edwin and Morcar) from reaching London

• William took control of Winchester (Royal Treasury),Canterbury(religious centre), Dover (port)

Brutal treatment of towns, villages and Southern Saxons

• Harrying in Wessex= destroying houses, burning crops, harming/killing people

• Destroyed Romney- revenge for soldiers killed there in intial landing

Weakness of Edgar Aethling

• Witan crowned Edgar Aethling as King with Archbishop Stigand

• Only 14 with no military experience

• Berkhamstead- they submitted to William and swore oaths to obey him

Explain why William created the Marcher Earldoms (points)

• Reward loyal followers/encourage settlement

• Protect Marcher region between England and Wales

• Impose law +order/prevent rebellions

Reward loyal followers/encourage settlement

• Marcher Earldoms exempt from land tax

• Granted to loyal and trusted supporters e.g William FitzOsbern= Earldom of Hereford

• Granted special rights(e.g build churches and establish markets)

Protect Marcher region between England and Wales

• Right to build castles e.g Montgomery Castle

• Maintain military forces in castles e.g cavalry forces

• Did not need permission of King to do so

To impose law and order/prevent rebellions

• Edwin had land taken from Mercia to create the earldoms’

• Earldoms were only small

• Marcher Earls appointed full power of law rather than shire reeves

Explain why Normans built castles after their invasion (points)

• Dominate and control the Anglo-Saxon population

• Defend England from foreign threats'

• Provide a safe place for soldiers to live

Castles dominating/controlling the Anglo-Saxon population

• Built 32 km apart in rebellious areas e.g York, Exeter and Warwick

• 166 homes were destroyed to make way for castles in Lincoln and 98 homes destroyed in Norwich

Castles defended England from foreign threats

• 1063- King Llewlyn death = Welsh soldiers wanted more land so would raid England

• This land was then covered and defended by the Marcher Earldoms

• Malcom III of Scotland tried to seize control in Northumbria

Castles acted as a safe place for soldiers to live

• Soldiers/cavalry could be garrisoned in castle bailey

• Castle well-defened with strong outer palisade and ditch around the castle

• Lookout motte provided further protection for residents of the castle

What were the reasons for the Revolt of the Earls (1075)?

• Ralph De Gael inherited less land than his father (Earl of East Anglia)

• Roger De Bruteil- inherited land of William FitzOsbern but with less land and significantly less privileges

• Waltheof- 1072- granted half of Northumbria which was seen as “waste” after harrying of the North

• Oppurtunity- 1075= William was in Normandy with Lanfranc left in charge

• Powerful Allies- Ralphs family= support from Brittany, Waltheof= Anglo-Saxon support and support of the Danes (King Sweyn)

Explain why William carried out the Harrying of the North (points)

• End rebellions in Northumbria

• Prevent a foreign invasion

• Intimidate would-be rebels

End Rebellions in Northumbria

• Faced rebellions (1068- Edwin / Morcar, 1069- 2 Edgar Aethling)

• Harrying made life impossible in Northumbria- destroyed entire towns and villages in his path

Prevent a foreign inavsion

• 1069 invasion supported by King Malcom III and King Sweyn

• Destroyed all land between River Humber and River Tees- 100,000 died immediately or from starvation afterwards

• Harrying= no allies in Danelaw for a foreign invasion to utilise

Intimidate would- be rebels

• Rebellions in the North had been inspiration for others such as Eadric the Wild

• Focused attacks on Yorkshire (centre of the rebellions) then small forces attacked Durham, Lancashire, Cheshire, and surrounding areas - intimidated others and forced their surrender

Explain why William made changes to land ownership from 1066-1087 (points)

• Reduce the power of the Earls and land-owning thegns

• Encourage loyalty to the King/reduce likelihood of rebellion

• Raise taxes and provide knights for the King

Reduce power of Earls/land- owning thegns

• Too powerful- Edwin/Morcar could access soldiers and money from Mercia+Northumbria , and had rebelled against William in 1068 and 1071

• Reduced Mercia to create Marcher Earldoms

• Appointed 190 tenants in chief

To encourage loyalty to King

• William owned all land and granted it to loyal supporters

• Homage- all tenants had to swear an oath of loyalty to the King

• Relief tax- Amount paid to inherit land would change based on loyalty to William

• Forfeiture- Disloyal tenants lost their land

Raise finances for the King

• William owned all land- taxes paid to him

• Geld tax

• Peasants performed labour service

• Knights performed 40 day’s service in William’s army

Explain why changes to land ownership made resistance to Norman control less likely after 1071 (points)

• Anglo-Saxon Earls replaced with loyal followers

• Forfeiture, homage and relief tax encouraged loyalty to William

• William raised knights which he used to suppress rebellions

Anglo- Saxon Earls replaced with loyal followers

• A/S earls had used their power to head rebellions against William (Edwin/Morcar-1068)= earls forfeiting their land

• 1087- 5% of land was owned by Anglo- Saxons and 190 tenants in chief replaced the Earls (e.g Bishop Odo and William FitzOsbern)- land owned was small fiefs rather than large earldoms

Forfeiture, homage and relief tax encouraged loyalty to William

• Introduced feudal system- W owned all land and only granted it to tenants in chief

• All land owners had to pay homage to William

• Tenants could forfeit land, and heirs of loyal followers would pay less than disloyal ones in relief tax

To raise taxes and provide knights for the King

• All landowners paid geld tax and relief tax, as land was owned by William

• Tenants in chief had to provide William with knights= granted land to knights in exchange for 40 days of knight service

Explain why the Revolt of Earls failed in 1075 (points)

• Waltheof’s betrayal

• Lanfranc’s swift action

• Lack of support

Waltheof’s betrayal

• Waltheof betrayed the rebels and told Lanfranc all of the rebel’s plans

• Lanfranc then able to respond quickly

• Rebels lost 1/3 of their army and the element of surprise

Lanfranc’s actions

• Sent Royal Armies North to Midlands to stop Roger and Ralph’s armies meeting (prevented from crossing the River Severn)

• Used local landholders to fight rebels e.g Odo fought Ralph whilst Wulfstan fought Roger

• Ralph defeated by Odo’s army of warrior bishops near Cambridge+ forced to retreat to Norwich

Lack of Anglo-Saxon/Danish support

• Danish fleet arrived too late- Roger and Ralph already defeated

• Did not want to face William in battle so pillages York before returning to Denmark

• Anglo-Saxon uprising did not occur

Consequences of Lanfranc’s reforms(points)

• Increase in the power of the King

• Enhanced personal power

• Increased power and status of the Church

Church reforms led to increased power of the King

• Church held 25% of all land in England- still had to pau geld tax, knight service, homage and forfeiture

• Saxons removed- only Wulfstan of Worcester remained

• Preach pro-William messages- Pope supported William

• Rebuilt cathedrals in a Norman style in large towns (Thetford- Norwich)

Church reforms enhanced Lanfranc’s personal power

• Strict hierachy with Lanfranc at the top-he could choose who was appointed to bishop roles

• Increased number of synod meetings to 10

• Increased power of archdeacons- responsible for monitoring discipline in an area and reporting dissent

Church reforms increased power and status of the Church

• Church courts established to try members of the clergy- Lanfranc believed clergy should only answer to God

• Church presided over trial by ordeal and trials for “moral crimes” e.g adultery and blasphemy

What were the 3 ways William used to maintain his royal power? (points)

• Cultivation of his image- made people believe he was a powerful, strong ruler

• Changes to government

• Establishment of the Forest

William’s cultivation of his image

• Military strength - crushed rebellions(1070-71), and performed Harrying of the North (1069)

• Royal Ceremonies- carried out a full coronation and was seen 3x a year wearing the crown when meeting with the Witan/visiting important cities

• 1086- oath taking ceremonies where thousands of tenants swore an oath of loyalty to him

• All coins had William’s face on them- seal also used on all official documents ( powerful images of him on the throne/ on a horse)

Establishment of the Royal Forest

• 30% of the land was forest (increase from 18%) under William

• Came under forest law- unable to be hunted or lived on without special licenses-

• Creating the New Forest in Hampshire- 2000 people were moved and 12 villages destroyed

William’s changes to government

• William centralised power via the feudal system- he owned all land and granted it to others in exchange for money or services, and was able to punish other via forfeiture

• William appointed shire reeves who kept control over shires/ able to remove tenants

• Loss of earldoms/introduction of the feudal system dramatically reduced the power of the Earls

• William appointed regents to govern in his absence (spent 80% of his time in Normandy 1072-87) e.g Bishop Odo and William FitzOsbern- granted full control of the Kingdom but William would always return

Reasons/significance of the Domesday Book (points)

• Financial significance/Reasoning

• Legal significance/Reasoning

• Military Significance/ Reasoning

Financial Significance

• Detailed account of wealth of 1000 tenants in chief and 8000 sub-tenants

• 1086- Response to the Domesday Book, William was able to increase the geld tax significantly

• Used to calculate geld tax and relief tax for individuals/ regions

Legal Significance

• Used to confirm who held land pre and post 1066 and after land grabs in 1085/6 by Norman sheriffs

• Able to be used to settle land disputes- land was redistributed to the Normans, settling disputes

• Saxons now only held 10% of the land

Military Significance

• 1085- feared invasion by the Danish

• Domesday Book was used to calculate exactly how much each of the 1000 tenants in chief and 8000 sub-tenants owed monetarily + 40 days knight

• 1086- “Oath of Sailsbury” to swear loyalty to William

Explain why the life of Bishop Odo was significant (points)

• Odo played a significant role in helping William establish power during and after the Conquest

• Odo acted as a regent for William when he was out of the country

• Odo fell from power because he lost the support of Lanfranc and William

Odo played a significant role in helping William establish power during and after the Conquest

• 1066-Odo paid for 100 ships to help conquer England

• Depicted on Bayeux Tapestry as actively fighting in the Battle of Hastings

• 1067- Defends England from invasion by Eustace of Bologne

• 1086- Domesday Book lists him as having land in 22 counties (2nd biggest landowner in England)

Odo acted as a regent for William when he was out of the country

• 1075- Odo helped defeat “Revolt of the Norman Earls” by marching to East Anglia

• 1086- pages of complaints about Odo abusing his power with illegal land grabs, including Canterbury Church land

• Referred to as a “second king” with William’s powers

• 1086- Domesday Book describes how Odo was key in settling land disputes in England

Odo fell from power because he lost the support of Lanfranc and William

• 1076- Lanfranc complained to William about land-grabs and stolen relics from Church

• 1076- Ordered to return all stolen Church land

• 1080-Ordered to “lay waste” to Northumbria but Odo pillaged cathedrals and robbed local people

• 1082- Odo was imprisoned for 5 years (Rowen) with all land forfeited

• Ignored William’s orders not to invade Italy to become Pope

Explain why a rebellion against William Rufus broke out in 1088 ( points)

• Robert Curthose claimed he should inherit all of William’s possessions

• Norman Lords were discontented with William’s decision to give Normandy and England to 2 separate rulers

• Influence of Bishop Odo- persuaded nobles to support Curthose and overthrow William Rufus

Robert Curthose claimed he should inherit all of William’s posessions

• Believed he should have inherited all land in both England and Normandy

• Post 1085, publicly declared as heir but only inherited Normandy

• Encouraged as Normans agreed that the eldest son should inherit all of the land

Norman Lords were discontented with William’s decision to give Normandy and England to 2 separate rulers

• Normans who owned land in Normandy and England were faced with double geld and relief tax, as well as providing 2 sets of knights for 40 day knight service

• Landholders worried about split loyalties as they had to pay homage to both Robert in Normandy and William in England

Influence of Bishop Odo- persuaded the nobles to support Curthose and overthrow Rufus

• 1087- after Odo’s release from prison he met with nobles and convinces them that they had to choose between Robert/ William to unite the Kingdoms

• Argues they should rally behind Robert because as the weaker candidate, they would be able to have greater freedom and be able to have more control over him

• 1088- Odo led a failed rebellion to place Curthose on the throne (ended up under 6 week siege in Pevensy Castle)