1. Anglo-Saxon England 1035-1066 Flashcards
1
Q
England in 1035
A
- “arguably the most well-organised and best governed in western Europe” Huscroft
- Anglo-Saxon society was strongly aristocratic, thegns = held at least five hides (60 or more acres) of land and were under obligation to serve the king in battle
- Ceorls = free peasants who came to own five hides
- Earls = above thegns, owned vast estates, position was typically hereditary
- Bishops and abbots = appointed by the king, gained land, privileges, judicial rights and the king expected political and military service in return
- Fyrd = made up of around 15,000
- Ports were very active, imported luxuries (wine, pepper, gloves) and exported far more than it imported (cheese, ham, salt, wool and leather), England almost had a money economy, an efficient taxation system based upon this sound currency emerged in the 10th and 11th century
- Combination of a coinage system and the administration organisation meant Anglo-Saxon kings could raise very large sums of money
- 60 mints were spread across the country, every five years all coins in circulation ceased to be legal tender, which was seen to uphold the integrity of the system
-By the 11th century, the Anglo Saxon kingdom was divided into four earldoms: Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex and East Anglia - On an administrative level, England was divided into shires which were repartitioned into hundreds
- Over the hundred was a royal official and a sheriff and a court
- King was advised by the Witan
- “The most basic structure of a national legal system had been established by 1066” Huscroft
- “In administrative terms, it meant that pre-Norman England had become the most organised state in Western Europe” Campbell
2
Q
Consequences of Cnut’s death
A
- Canute reigned from 1016 and also became King of Denmark and Norway during his reign
- He intended Harthacanute to be the successor to the throne, however upon his death Harthacanute was in Denmark anticipating invasion, therefore Harold Harefootseized this opportunity and with the support of key English earls Leofric and Siward, he was proclaimed king in 1035
- Harthacanute took over following his death in 1040
3
Q
Instability resulting from the continuation of Danish influence
A
- Harthacanute succeeded Canute as King of Denmark in 1035, he aimed to unite Denmark and Norway under one ruler
- A peace treaty was agreed between the two countries, if Magnus of Norway or Harthacanute died first then the other would inherit their throne
- When Harthacanute died, Magnus of Norway also became King of Denmark, this annoyed Swein Estrisson (Canute’s nephew) who Harthacanute had left in control of Denmark when he went to England
- Magnus of Norway also planned an invasion of England to reunite Canute’s empire
- Edward took command of an army at Sandwich as he feared an invasion from Magnus of Norway
- Swein Esthrisson offered support to Edward in an attempt to gain assistance himself in his battle against Magnus of Norway for control of Denmark, in 1047 Edward refused Godwin’s request to send aid to Swein
- Death of Magnus of Norway in 1047 saved England from invasion
4
Q
Edward’s upbringing
A
- Eldest son of Ethelred the Unready, who had been in constant dispute with the Danes over the crown of England, fleeing to Normandy in 1013 after he was defeated by King Swegn
- After death of Ethelred the Unready in 1016, Edmund continued the dispute with the Danes, and upon the death of Edmund the crown passed to Canute
- Edward was exiled to Normandy, using the experience to prepare for kingship by learning the art of war and observing the dukes
- His younger brother Alfred came to England in 1036 and was seized by Godwin’s, he was handed over to Harold’s men, taken on board a ship, had his eyes cut out and was buried at Ely, Edward found this and Godwine’s role in it impossible to forget
- When Harthacanute became king, he recalled Edward to the English court
- Edward became king following Harthacanute’s death, one of his first acts was to deprive his mother (Emma of Normandy) of all her estates as he was unhappy with how she had treated him whilst in exile in Normandy
5
Q
Problems faced by Edward
A
- Edward attempted to deal with the problem of Danish opposition to his rule by carefully calculated expulsion of those he regarded as possible centres of disaffection, and took care to reconcile leading magnates to his rule
- For the first years of his reign, English political life was dominated by Godwin of Wessex, Leofric of Mercia and Siward of Northumbria, Godwin became the most important of these when Edward married his daughter Edith in 1045
- 1051, a group of Normans became involved in a brawl at Dover and several men were killed, the king ordered Godwin, as early as of Wessex to punish the people of Dover for this attack on his Norman friends
- Godwin refused and instead raised an army against the king, the earls of Mercia and Northumbria remained loyal to Edward and to avoid a civil war, Godwin and his family agreed to into exile
- Over the next year Edward increased the number of Norman advisors in England, this upset the Anglo-Saxons and when Godwin and a large army commandeered by his sons, Harold and Tostig, landed in the south of England in 1052, Edward was unable to raise significant forces to stop the invasion
- Godwin now forced Edward to send his Norman advisors home, Godwin was also given back his family estates and was now the most powerful man in England
- When Godwin died the following year, his place as the leading Anglo-Saxon in England was taken by his son, Harold of Wessex
- Following this, Edward devoted his time to building Westminster Abbey
6
Q
Edward’s Norman connections
A
- Edward was half Norman by birth and was cousin of William of Normandy
- Edward’s absence from Normandy had meant that his power base in the south of England had been weakened, in his absence there had been a growing amount of influence from the Godwin family in Wessex
- Edward was known to admire Norman practices and customs
- When Edward became king, a number of Normans were welcomed into England (eg. estates were given to Robert FitzWimarc and Ralf of Mantes)
- When Edward became king, Normans were promoted into the Church
- Historian Frank Barlow has argued that Norman influence was only evident in Edward’s immediate court and not across the country
- Edward chose Robert Jumieges as Archbishop in 1050, this annoyed Godwin as he had repeatedly argued with Robert
7
Q
Importance of the Godwin family
A
- It is likely that Godwin was involved in the murder of Edward’s brother in 1036
- A group in Dover attacked Edward’s brother in law, Eustace of Boulogne, Edward ordered Godwin to punish the town for its behaviour however Godwin refused and was then banished by Edward and stripped of his titles
- Edward married Edith who was the daughter of Godwin
- Edward’s power base was in the south of England but this was in the earldom of Wessex which was controlled by Godwin
- During the last few years of Edward’s reign, the Godwin family played a key role in maintaining stability on the borders, Harold led an army against Gruffydd in Herefordshire in 1055, 1056 and 1063 in Worcestershire, the Vita Aedwardi (Life of Edward) argues that the role of the Godwin’s was vital in English survival
- The power of the Godwin family grew during Edward’s reign, his eldest son Swegn was given an earldom which included Hereford, Gloucester and Oxford in 1043, Godwin’s second was appointed earl of East Anglia, Siward was replaced by another son, Tostig, as Earl of Northumbria
- Following his exile in 1051, Godwin counter-attacked and returned to England with an army, Edward was forced to submit and Godwin was restored
8
Q
Succession Crisis
A
- Edward did not have an heir, William of Normandy claimed that at a meeting in 1051 Edward had promised him that he would become king of England, Edward’s legitimate heir was his grandson Edgar Atheling, however on Edward’s deathbed in 1066, it is claimed that he nominated Harold of Wessex as the successor to the throne
- In 1065, Edward sent Harold to Normandy, according to Norman sources, Harold’s purpose in visiting was to confirm Edward’s earlier promise of the succession to William, Harold does seem to have sworn an oath to support William’s claim, but he had little choice- a refusal would have led to imprisonment, in 1066 William was able to portray Harold as an oath breaker
9
Q
Evidence to suggest that Edward was an effective king
A
- Henry Loyn believes that Edward should be seen as an effective ruler who kept his kingdom intact for almost a quarter of a century
- In his early years, Edward restored the traditional, strong monarchy, showing himself in Frank Barlow’s view “a vigorous and ambitious man”
- In 1051 Edward did attempt to deal with he problem of Godwine by sending him into exile
- 1051 showed some support from the earls, as both Siward and Leofric supported the king
- Showed his power early in his reign by appointing Robert of Jumieges as archbishop, against the wishes of Godwine
- Edward sent Siward to deal with the threat posed by Scotland, instructing him to remove King Macbeth and replace him with Malcom, despite Norman support, Macbeth was defeated and fled
- During the time of Edward’s reign, England was a stable nation free from invasion, this was very different to his father’s reign which had been beset by invasion from Scandinavia
- England was financially stable during his reign, Edward increased the number of Royal Mints across the country
10
Q
Evidence to show that Edward was an ineffective king
A
- Frank Barlow refers to Edward overall as “a weak and irresponsible king”
- The wealth of Edward’s lands exceeded that of the greatest earls, but they were scattered among the southern earldoms, he had no personal power base and does not seem to have attempted to build one
- Edward was controlled by Godwine during the first half of his reign, the power given to the Godwines had led Fleming to state that “he cannot have been in control of his kingdom”
- By 1057, the Godwine brothers controlled all of England apart from Mercia, it is not known whether Edward approved of this transformation or whether he had to accept it, but from this time he seems to have begun to withdraw from active politics, instead devoting himself to hunting, which he pursued each day after attending church
- Edward relied early in his reign on Norman advice such as when he appointed Robert Jumieges as archbishop, this isolated him from support from English barons
- Chaos in terms of succession
- Royal lands were in the south (Wessex), he held less power in the north
- Even in the south, Edward had less power than Godwin “the dominance of the great families and of one family above all others, must have led to the alienation and diminution of royal authority by 1066” Huscroft
11
Q
Why did Harold Godwinson become King after Edward?
A
- He gained support of the witangemot and the gathered nobility and clergy supported his claim, they saw Harold as the best man to defend the kingdom
- Had ruled Wessex successfully as an earl for 20. years
- Had long and varied military experience, between 1055 and 1063, he had fought the Welsh and in 104 he had been in William’s calvary against the Bretons
- After his coronation, Harold’s efforts to defend his throne were effective and courageous, expecting challenges from William and the King of Norway, Harald Hardrada he kept an army and navy in readiness for several months in southern England
- The support he received during the great campaigns of 1066 indicate that he was widely accepted as king and much preferred by the English to any of the alternatives
- Acted as sub-regulus ruler under Edward in his final years
12
Q
William’s claim to the throne
A
- During battle, William was known to rally his men on horseback, he was a master of horseback combat
- During a conflict with Anjou, William saw the importance of motte and bailey castles
1051-1052 - William visited Edward the Confessor and was promised the throne
1064-1065 - Harold Godwinson visited Normandy and swore an oath to support William’s claim - In creating a power base in Normandy, William created a circle of dedicated nobles including his half brothers Robert and Bishop Odo
- By 1066, William had crushed all opposition in his duchy (Normandy) and begun to dominate neighbouring Maine
- He defeated the King of France in 1054 and 1057
- Year after year of combat gave the duke extensive knowledge of warfare, both offensive and defensive, he learnt how to co-ordinate multi-pronged campaigns and build castles
13
Q
Harald Hardrada’s claim to the throne
A
- Harald was related to King Canute
- He claimed that his father and descendants had been promised the English throne by King Harthacanute
- He was considered to be one of the most fearsome fighters in Europe
