Norman and Medieval England

Comprehensive practice flashcards detailing Anglo-Saxon, Norman, and Late Medieval English history, including the Norman Conquest, medieval life, the Church, legal developments, the Black Death, and the Peasants' Revolt.

Who was restored to the English throne in $1042$, and what characterized his reign?

Edward the Confessor was restored to the throne; his rule depended heavily on Godwin, the Earl of Wessex, and he earned the name 'the Confessor' because he was deeply religious and focused on building Westminster Abbey while neglecting his royal duties.

When did Edward the Confessor die, and what crisis immediately followed?

He died on $5\text{ January } 1066$ without leaving any children, plunging England into confusion as three rival claimants vied for the throne.

What was Harold Godwinson's claim to the English throne?

He was Edward the Confessor's brother-in-law and England's most powerful earl; he claimed that Edward had chosen him as his successor on his deathbed.

What grounds formed the basis of William, Duke of Normandy's claim to the English throne?

He was a distant cousin of Edward who claimed Edward promised him the throne in $1051$, that Harold Godwinson swore an oath of loyalty to him in $1064$, and in spring $1066$ the Pope sent him a blessed banner backing his claim.

What was Harald Hardrada's claim to the English throne, and who was his ally?

The King of Norway claimed England still belonged to the Vikings as in the days of King Canute; he allied with Harold Godwinson's exiled younger brother, Tostig.

What occurred at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on $25\text{ September } 1066$?

King Harold marched his army $180\text{ miles}$ north in just four days, completely surprising the Viking invaders, killing both Harald Hardrada and Tostig, and reducing a fleet of around $300\text{ ships}$ to fewer than $30$.

When and where did William of Normandy land his invasion fleet in England?

He landed on $28\text{ September } 1066$ on the south-east coast of England, three days after the Battle of Stamford Bridge.

What forces comprised King Harold's army at the Battle of Hastings on $14\text{ October } 1066$?

A core of $3000$ elite huscarls (the king's professional bodyguard) supported by roughly $5000$ fyrd (part-time peasant soldiers).

How did William break the Anglo-Saxon shield wall atop Senlac Hill?

The Normans feigned a retreat, tempting the undisciplined Saxon troops to break ranks and charge downhill, allowing the Normans to regroup and slaughter them.

Who commissioned the Bayeux Tapestry, and what is its length?

It was commissioned during the $1070\text{s}$ by Bishop Odo (William's half-brother) and measures $70\text{ metres}$ in length.

What violent event occurred during William the Conqueror's coronation on Christmas Day $1066$?

Guarding Norman knights mistook cheers inside Westminster Abbey for a rebellion, burned nearby houses, and killed Englishmen trying to escape.

What was the Harrying of the North in $1069$?

William's retaliation against northern rebels in which his troops burned all villages between York and Durham, slaughtered livestock, and salted the earth, resulting in an estimated $100\,000$ deaths from starvation.

How did William the Conqueror defeat Hereward the Wake at Ely in $1070$?

William constructed a $2\text{-mile}$ wooden causeway across the surrounding marshes, enabling his knights to breach the rebel stronghold.

In the feudal system, what were the mutual duties between the king and his barons?

The king granted large hereditary estates; in exchange, the barons paid homage, swore an oath of fealty, and provided military service with their armies in wartime.

What was the Domesday Book and why did William commission it in $1085$?

A comprehensive survey of land, livestock, and property across $13\,418$ settlements that recorded two million words, commissioned by William so he could accurately tax England's resources to fund armies and castles.

What was the 'demesne' in a medieval village manor?

The land retained by the lord for his own direct use, which peasants were obliged to farm for approximately $3\text{ days}$ every week.

What were the 'heriot' and the 'tithe' in medieval peasant life?

The heriot was a death tax requiring a deceased peasant's family to give their best animal to the lord; the tithe required one tenth of all farm produce to be given to the Church annually.

What were the components of a motte-and-bailey castle?

A motte (an artificial raised earthen mound crowned with a wooden defensive tower) and a bailey (a low-lying enclosed courtyard at the base).

What was undermining in medieval siege warfare?

Digging a subterranean tunnel beneath a castle's outer curtain wall and burning wooden supports, causing the tunnel and stone wall above to collapse into a breach.

What were concentric castles and where did European knights encounter their design?

Castles constructed with two or more concentric curtain walls that permitted inner archers to shoot over outer defenses, modeled on fortifications seen in Byzantium and the Islamic world during the Crusades.

What technological innovation caused medieval stone castles to become obsolete by the $15\text{th century}$?

Gunpowder from China, which powered cannons capable of shattering thick stone fortifications.

What were the three stages and typical ages of a noble youth's journey to knighthood?

Becoming a page at age $7$, advancing to a squire at age $14$, and being formally dubbed a knight around age $21$.

What was chivalry and where did the word originate?

A strict knightly code of courtly manners, honor, truthfulness, religious devotion, and protection of women and children, originating from the French word 'chevalier' (horseman).

Why were heraldic crests created for medieval knights?

To easily distinguish and identify individual warriors on the battlefield when they were entirely enclosed in metal plate armour.

What was the 'Benefit of Clergy' in medieval English law?

The legal right of clergymen to be tried in lenient ecclesiastical church courts rather than harsh royal courts.

What were 'Doom Paintings' and why were they prominent in medieval churches?

Vivid wall paintings depicting the graphic torture of sinners in hell and purgatory, designed to teach Christian doctrine and deter sin among an illiterate populace.

How did trial by ordeal test innocence or guilt using water or hot metal?

In water ordeal, floating signaled guilt (rejection by water) while sinking signaled innocence; in hot water or iron ordeals, healing after one week proved God showed innocence, while infection proved guilt.

What legal reforms did King Henry II introduce between $1154$ and $1189$?

He established trial by jury with $12$ impartial peers, dispatched traveling royal circuit judges, and created English Common Law to ensure standardized justice throughout the realm.

When and where did the Black Death first arrive on English soil?

In June $1348$ at the port town of Melcombe Regis in Dorset.

What were the primary physical differences between the bubonic and pneumonic variants of the plague?

Bubonic plague caused large painful swellings ('buboes') in the groin and armpits followed by black blotches; pneumonic plague attacked the lungs directly, spread through breath, and caused victims to choke on bloody froth.

What proportion of England's population died from the Black Death within two years?

Between one third ($\frac{1}{3}$) and one half ($\frac{1}{2}$) of the country's population.

What was the purpose of the Statute of Labourers passed in $1351$?

To freeze agricultural wages at pre-Black Death levels and stop peasants from exploiting labor shortages by demanding higher pay.

What restrictions were established by the Sumptuary Laws of $1363$?

They dictated social dress: royal family wore gold cloth and purple silk, lords wore fur and gems, knights wore fur-trimmed cloaks, and peasants were restricted to plain cloth costing under $12\text{ pence}$ a length.

What sparked the outbreak of the Peasants' Revolt in Brentwood, Essex on $30\text{ May } 1381$?

Peasants refused to pay the regressive Poll Tax of $4\text{p}$ per person levied by John of Gaunt, killed the tax collectors' clerks, and sparked county-wide armed rebellion.

Which prominent royal officials were executed on Tower Hill by rebel peasants in June $1381$?

Simon Sudbury (the Archbishop of Canterbury) and Sir Robert Hales (the Lord High Treasurer).

How did the confrontation between King Richard II and Wat Tyler end at Smithfield on $15\text{ June } 1381$?

Wat Tyler was struck down and killed during negotiations; King Richard II pacified the crowd with false concessions, then reneged and executed $200$ rebel leaders.