1066-1154

Question 1

What was the name (either the five-letter short name or the nine-letter long name) of the Saxon court who in 1066 (and at other times) had the job of saying who was to be the next king?

Answer 1

The Witan (or Witenagemot)

Question 2

There were four candidates to be king in 1066. Two of them were Harold Godwinsson (subsequently King Harold) and William Duke of Normandy (subsequently William the Conqueror). Who were the other two?

Answer 2

Edgar the Aetheling and Harald Hardrada, King of Norway

Question 3

What was the name of Harold Godwinsson’s brother, who had been Earl of Northumbria until his thegns (with the assistance of Harold) drove him out?

Answer 3

Tostig

Question 4

When Harold forced Tostig to go into exile, where did he (Tostig) go?

Answer 4

Norway, to join Harald Hardrada

Question 5

Where did the first invasion of 1066 come, and who invaded?

Answer 5

Yorkshire, where Harald Hardrada invaded with Tostig.

Question 6

What is Harold Godwinsson reported to have said upon hearing of Harald Hardrada’s invasion?

Answer 6

‘So this Norwegian wants England, does he? I’ll give him a bit of England. Six feet of it.’

Question 7

At which battle, one of the most impressive victories any Saxon king ever won, did Harold’s men kill Harald Hardrada and Tostig?

Answer 7

The Battle of Stamford Bridge

Question 8

Just before the Normans set sail to invade England, a shooting star flew overhead. Why were the Normans alarmed by this, and how did William reassure them?

Answer 8

They were really scared that the star was a sign of bad luck, but William told them, yes, it was a sign of bad luck - for Harold.

Question 9

As the Normans were coming ashore, William slipped and fell. When they saw their Duke losing his footing the moment he stepped on English soil, the Normans were bound to think, ‘Uh-oh, is that a bad sign?’ How did one of William’s quicker-thinking barons save the day?

Answer 9

He called out, ‘Looks like you’ve already grabbed England with your bare hands, sir!’ and William quickly grabbed a handful of sand and held it up triumphantly.

Question 10

Why might you have expected King Harold and his army to be exhausted ahead of the Battle at Hastings?

Answer 10

Because they’d had to march quickly up north to defeat the Vikings at the Battle of Stamford Bridge and then march quickly south again to meet the Norman invasion

Question 11

What was the name of the hill occupied by the Saxon army at the start of the Battle of Hastings?

Answer 11

Senlac Hill

Question 12

What were three reasons (one in terms of self-defence and two others in terms of harming the enemy) why it would have been most sensible for the Saxons to remain on top of Senlac Hill.

Answer 12

Self-defence: they could keep their shield wall firm. Harming the enemy: they could hurl whatever they wanted down at the Normans as they (the Normans) ran up at them (the Saxons); they could hack at anyone who managed to struggle to the top.

Question 13

What was the fatal mistake which the Saxons made at the Battle of Hastings?

Answer 13

Some of them broke out of the shield wall on the top of Senlac Hill and ran after the Normans, thus making them vulnerable to attack by the Normans at the bottom of the hill

Question 14

What technically inaccurate name is given to the very long (70-metre) piece of embroidered linen which tells the story of William’s invasion of England and the Battle of Hastings from the Norman perspective?

Answer 14

The Bayeux Tapestry (inaccurate because it’s not really a tapestry)

Question 15

What was the name of William’s brother, who was probably the person who had the tapestry made, and what position did he hold?

Answer 15

Odo, Bishop of Bayeux

Question 16

Two consecutive sections of the Bayeux Tapestry seem to show which two harms befalling Harold, leading to his death?

Answer 16

An arrow from one of the Norman archers hits Harold in the eye, and then the Norman cavalry charged and Harold was cut down with a sword.

Question 17

On which date did the coronation of William as King of England take place?

Answer 17

Christmas Day 1066

Question 18

In which building did William’s coronation as King of England take place, and how was the choice of building intended to emphasise the apparent legitimacy of William’s succession to the throne?

Answer 18

Westminster Abbey, which had been founded by Edward the Confessor, and so holding the coronation there could be seen as a symbol showing that William was Edward’s heir.

Question 19

No-one knew how the people of London might react to William’s coronation, so William posted guards on the abbey doors. What happened during the ceremony which made the guards think that William was in trouble?

Answer 19

There was a loud shout from inside, but in fact it was a shout of celebration e.g. ‘God save the King!’ rather than of protest.

Question 20

Which building did William’s men set to work building as soon as he was crowned?

Answer 20

The Tower of London

Question 21

Which member of the Royal House of Wessex and direct descendant of Alfred the Great.threw his hat into the ring for the throne of England shortly after William the Conqueror’s accession?

Answer 21

Edgar the AEtheling

Question 22

Who were the two most important English thegns still left alive after Hastings, who defied William and backed anyone who opposed him?

Answer 22

Edwin of Mercia and Morcar of Northumbria

Question 23

Which King of Scotland, who had previously been helped by the English to gain the Scottish throne, decided to help the English fight back when the Normans conquered England?

Answer 23

Malcolm III aka Malcolm Canmore

Question 24

Since it wasn’t very long since the Danes had ruled England, they were still very interested in it and could be counted upon if there was a chance of helping put Edgar the AEtheling on the throne. What was the name of the King of Denmark?

Answer 24

King Svein

Question 25

After his victory in his 1068-1069 campaign against Edgar the Aetheling and his allies, William led his army through the north of England destroying everything, a total ‘scorched earth’ policy which was given what name?

Answer 25

Harrying the North (or The Harrying of the North)

Question 26

Which one little bit of England, which in those days was marshland, ideal for a hideout, and was known as an ‘Isle’, held out against the Norman invader?

Answer 26

Ely

Question 27

What was the name of the Saxon thegn who waged a sort of guerrilla campaign against the Normans from his base hiding out in the marshes of the Isle of Ely?

Answer 27

Hereward (later known as Hereward the Wake, because a local family called Wake tried to claim him as their ancestor)

Question 28

As the first stage in building a castle, the Normans forced all the locals to dig a huge great earthwork like a vast upside-down pudding bowl, which was called what?

Answer 28

A motte

Question 29

After building a castle’s main fort on the top of the mound known as a motte, the Normans then built a smaller mound down at the bottom for all the horses and cattle and people who weren’t going to be based in the fortress itself, around which they put a strong wooden fence. What did they call this smaller mound?

Answer 29

A bailey

Question 30

Starting from the top, what were the four levels in the feudal hierarchy?

Answer 30

King, Nobles, Knights, Peasants

Question 31

Which group, second from the top in the feudal system, comprised the people to whom William gave large areas of land in return for service which they would provide to him?

Answer 31

Nobles / Nobility

Question 32

Which three types of people made up the nobility?

Answer 32

Clergy, Lords (and Ladies), and Barons

Question 33

What two things were the nobles expected to provide to the king in return for the land which he had given them?

Answer 33

An army, and money

Question 34

Which group, third from the top in the feudal system, received land from the nobles (in the level above them), and what service were they expected to provide?

Answer 34

Knights, who would form the army which would fight for the king

Question 35

Which was the largest and lowest group in medieval society, and approximately what percentage of the population did they make up?

Answer 35

Peasants, who made up over 90% of the population

Question 36

Apart from forming part of the army (which is mentioned in British History for Dummies but not in the BBC Bitesize guide), what service did the peasants provide for those above them in the feudal system?

Answer 36

They did the actual work of farming etc. on the land, and paid rent to be allowed to do this

Question 37

There were two categories of peasant: which was the lower of these, and which was the higher, who had more rights?

Answer 37

Villeins were the lower category; freemen were the higher category.

Question 38

What was the name of the book resulting from the survey which William sent his men out to conduct, which involved them visiting every single village in England and writing down exactly who owned what and how much?

Answer 38

Domesday Book

Question 39

In which year, the year before William’s death, was Domesday Book finished?

Answer 39

1086

Question 40

Why was the Domesday Book so called, according to Richard FitzGerald, Treasurer of England?

Answer 40

‘Because it is not permissible to contradict its decisions, any more than it will be [to contradict] those of the Last Judgement.’

Question 41

In descending order of age, who were the three sons of William the Conqueror who all wanted to succeed him on the throne, what were their ‘nicknames’ and what did these nicknames mean?

Answer 41

Robert Curthose (meaning ‘shorty’), William Rufus (meaning ‘red-faced’) and Henry Beauclerc (meaning ‘the clever one’)

Question 42

Which son of William the Conqueror succeeded him as king?

Answer 42

William Rufus (aka William II)

Question 43

How did William Rufus die, in circumstances which suggested either an accident or a contract killing?

Answer 43

He was shot with an arrow while he was out hunting in the New Forest one day

Question 44

What was the name of the French knight who killed William Rufus?

Answer 44

Walter Tyrrel

Question 45

Which of his brothers succeeded William Rufus as king?

Answer 45

Henry Beauclerc (aka Henry I)

Question 46

Why did the question of who would succeed Henry I cause so many problems even though Henry had two sons and a daughter, which should have been more than enough heirs for the succession to be straightforward?

Answer 46

Henry and his two sons set out on ships from Normandy to England in 1120, and, although Henry’s ship crossed safely, the ship which had both princes on board (known as The White Ship) hit a rock and sank with no survivors.

Question 47

What was the name of Henry I’s daughter, and what title was she known by (and why)?

Answer 47

Matilda, known as the Empress Matilda because she had been married to the Holy Roman Emperor

Question 48

To whom did Henry I’s daughter Matilda get married after the death of her first husband?

Answer 48

Count Geoffrey of Anjou

Question 49

What were the two main reasons why Matilda’s succession to the throne was not straightforward?

Answer 49

The Barons (even though Henry had got them to swear loyalty to Matilday) didn’t like the idea of having a queen rather than a king / Henry had quarrelled with Matilda’s husband, Geoffrey, and had specifically said that he should not inherit the throne (which made his wife’s inheritance of the throne inherently risky)

Question 50

What was the name of Matilda’s cousin, whom lots of those barons who had sworn loyally to support Empress Matilda through thick and thin suddenly decided they preferred?

Answer 50

Stephen