1.3.6 King William I’s Leadership

Question 1

What were writs?

Answer 1

Royal decrees and orders

Question 2

Why did William travel extensively around England?

Answer 2

To make his presence felt

Question 3

What were landowners required to do to William?

Answer 3

Swear oaths of loyalty

Question 4

What did propaganda depict William as?

Answer 4

Propaganda depicted William as Edward’s rightful heir, not least because he was related to him.

Question 5

What was William’s face depicted on and why?

Answer 5

Coins so that ordinary people had ‘contact’ with him everyday.

Question 6

What powers did William I have?

Answer 6

William I had wide ranging powers, including over religion, tax, law-making through royal writs, and the military

Question 7

What was the role of propaganda during William I’s reign? (3)

Answer 7

• Propaganda depicted William as Edward’s rightful heir, not least because he was related to him
• William’s face was put on coins, so that ordinary people had ‘contact’ with him everyday
• Writs included William I’s image

Question 8

Despite victory at Hastings, William was far from secure in his position. In the following months, he took steps to strengthen his grip on England. What were these steps? (8)

Answer 8

• He moved east to Kent to secure the ports in order to stop Anglo-Saxon trade and allow supplies to be brought in from Normandy
• He strengthened his fortifications, building motte and bailey castles as he moved towards London
• He secured control of Canterbury, the centre of the English Catholic Church
• He burnt Southwark in retaliation for resistance in London
• He secured Winchester, the base of the English treasury, where the royal income was collected and gold, silver and other valuables were held
• At a meeting in Berkhamsted he insisted on an oath of loyalty from Edgar the Aetheling (an alternative king supported by the Witan and Stigand, the Archbishop of Canterbury), Edwin and Morcar and a number of other leading nobles and bishops
• He had himself crowned on Christmas Day, 1066. The ceremony took place in Westminster Abbey in London, the church built by Edward the Confessor
• At the beginning of 1067, he began distributing land among loyal Norman barons to reward their support and bring security and order to his new kingdom

Question 9

Stigand (4)

Answer 9

• Stigand, a bishop, had been a major figure in the court of Edward the Confessor
• He had a reputation for corruption
• By the time of the Norman invasion, he was Archbishop of Canterbury
• William refused to be crowned by Stigand and removed him from his position in 1070

Question 10

The Bayeux Tapestry

Answer 10

The tapestry (which is actually an embroidery) tells the story of 1066 from a Norman perspective. Completed in the 1070s under the supervision of William’s half-brother, Bishop Odo, it is seen by most as a piece of Norman propaganda. It depicts Harold Godwinson as an oath breaker and William as a superior general, as well as the rightful heir to the English throne. Artefacts like the Bayeux Tapestry show the way in which William was able to establish his legitimacy as the rightful king without relying entirely on violence.