2. Establishing and Maintaining Control Flashcards
Rebellion of the Welsh Borders
1067-69: Led by Anglo-Saxon Edric the Wild, who was supported by the Welsh Princes and other Anglo-Saxons and invaded unsuccessfully in 1067. In 1069, they were more successful and took Shrewsbury Castle - William personally led a relief force against them and defeated them - use of terror.
Revolt of Eustace
1067: Led by French Eustace, Count of Bologne, who attacked Dover Castle in Kent and was defeated by the knights in the castle. He later made peace with William (use of compromise).
Rebellion of Exeter
1068: Exeter rebelled - William besieged it for 18 days (use of terror). Exeter surrendered and William installed his half brother Robert of Mortain (use of compromise).
Rebellion of the South West
1068: William put down rebellions in Bristol and Gloucester (use of terror) by three of Harold Godwinson’s sons who failed to take the areas and reclaim the throne.
Rebellion of Norman Earls
1075: Led by Anglo-Saxon Waltheof (beheaded) and the Norman earls Ralph de Gael (blinded) and Roger be Bretevil (imprisoned because William was friends with his father). An unexpected rebellion was encouraged by the King of France - serious threat to William’s power, Bishops Odo and Lanfranc put down the rebellion with brutal force.
Why is the north difficult to control?
The north of England is geographically remote from London which was one reason why it was difficult for English kings to control
In recent centuries it had formed part of the Viking Danelaw and was ruled as a separate country from England
Many of the people in the north were descended from Vikings and had a culture that was closer to the Danes than the Normans or Anglo-Saxons
Harrying of the North
1068: Edgar Atheling, King Sweyn of Denmark and AS Earl of Mercia Edwin fled William’s court - unhappy with W’s rule and wanted to challenge his authority. Edgar (claimant to Eng throne) gained King Sweyn’s support who aimed to reclaim his English territory.
Jan 1069: Local English people revolted + killed Norman earl Robert de Comines and defeated his men. Uprising = part of wider rebellion against William, but unrest escalated when Bishop of Durham’s house was attacked and burned - highlighting growing resentment towards the Normans.
Summer 1069: Viking invaders, led by Sweyn, returned to England + joined forces with English rebels - further challenging W’s control.
Vikings targeted city of York + established strong hold there.
William’s response: launched military campaign against the Vikings = fierce battle that forced them to retreat, using scorched earth tactics in the land around York, salting the land and destroying crops + villages to reassert his dominance and discourage further rebellion.
Why did the Harrying of the North occur?
When Edwin and Morcar rebelled in 1068 they fled and began to gather support to the north of England.
Edgar the Aetheling, whom Earls Edwin and Morcar planned to put on the throne, began to build a power base, having
married the daughter of Malcolm, the King of Scotland, and winning Scottish support for his claim and gaining the support of King Sweyn of Denmark who attempted to reclaim his English territory.
In January 1869, William appointed Robert of Commines as an earl and gave him the task of bringing the north under Norman control.
Robert of Commines travelled north accompanied by an army but was attacked and murdered when he reached Durham.
In the summer of 1069, Edgar was joined by a fleet of 240 Danish ships who joined him in capturing York and defeating the Normans who had been garrisoned in the city.
Edgar had become a genuine threat and rival to William’s rule.
What were the short term consequences of the Harrying of the North?
William took decisive and brutal action to remove the threat:
He paid the Vikings an enormous sum to leave England and return to Denmark, without their Viking allies, the Anglo-Saxon rebels fled from William’s soldiers.
He ordered that a large area surrounding York have all its animals slaughtered, all of its villages and crops burned and its lands salted - scorched earth tactics - the salting meant they were unable to grow any more crops to replace what had been burned - leading to widespread starvation across the region.
It has been estimated that between 100,000 and 150,000 people died in the winter of 1069-70 due to a combination of lack of food and lack of shelter during the harsh northern winter.
As well as causing enormous suffering, the harrying also removed the threat he faced from the combined northern rebellion and Danish invasion
What were the long term consequences of the Harrying of the North?
The wealth of the North continued to decline during the remainder of William’s reign.
When the Domesday Book was collated over 15 years later in 1086, around 80% of Yorkshire was described as ‘waste’ and having no value because crops could not be grown.
William may have intended to punish the people of northern England and teach them a lesson, if it was intended to serve as an example and prevent any other rebellions in other parts of England, it failed.
Rebellions against Norman rule continued, most notable under Hereward the Wake and the Normal Earls.
Hereward the Wake Rebellion
1070-71: the exiled English Thane Hereward the Wake returned to find his brother murdered and his land stolen by the Normans.
With the Danes, Hereward besieged the Isle of Ely on Fens of East Anglia, with a good food supply and joined by the earls Edwin and Morcar. William bribed the monks to show him a secret path - blinded and killed Hereward for treason, killed Edwin and exiled and imprisoned Morcar, leading to the end of Anglo-Saxon Rebellions.
What were the purposes of Norman castles?
Strategic - built castles in areas of rebellion and unrest to give the Normans a place of protection with a garrison of soldiers to deal with the threat. 13 castles were built on the border with Wales - the Welsh Marchlands - to oppose and deal with Welsh rebellions (>50 castles were built in England).
Symbolic - built castles as a permanent, visible and symbolic reminder of their power.
Economic - castles became trade and administrative hubs for the nobility - developing areas where they built castles.
Norman castles
The first Norman motte and bailey castles were built in Hastings and Pevensey, initially built from wood, before being rebuilt with stone, appearing to be imposing and unfamiliar when they were first built, e.g. Windsor castle.
They often built on top of existing Anglo-Saxon structures (burghs) to recycle wood and stone, continuity and helped stamp Norman authority and services to support castles.
3/4 of new towns founded in England 1066-1135 were centred around castles - by 1086 there were 48 large castles and >500 smaller ones were built. They were ready made-markets for labour/income and trade.
For AS led to disruption and destruction of houses - 166 destroyed in Lincoln and 98 in Norwich.
What happened at William I’s death?
William I died 9/9/1087 at 59 years old. He had 3 sons:
Robert Curthose, William Rufus and Henry.
William I - 1066-87
William II - 1087-1100
Henry I - 1100-35
William split his kingdom between his two eldest sons, Rufus becoming King of England and Robert ruling over Normandy. Many Norman barons were displeased as they felt uneasy about having to pledge allegiance to both brothers, especially since it was known the two did not get along.
Tensions began to rise as barons questioned their loyalties + considered consequences of this divided allegiance.
How did William I become king?
William was a more able diplomat and a greater soldier than his older brother. At the time of King William’s death William Rufus was only 27 years old but was granted the Kingdom of England. William I’s decision to give Normandy to Robert and England to William Rufus meant that the two lands were now divided. William Rufus, now William II of England, fought to secure England against the supporters of is brother, Robert.
Bishop Odo was the leader of the rebellious Anglo-Norman barons and after William II defeated him and his followers in 1089, Odo was sent into exile. (William II nearly died of a fever in 1093. Believing he was about to die he promoted Anselm to the post of Archbishop of Canterbury which had been vacant since the death of Lanfranc in 1093. Anselm was famous across Europe for his honesty and religious devotion and he encouraged William II to pay for Robert Curthose’s participation in the First Crusade in 1095. William agreed on the condition that Normandy would be used as a guarantee for the large loan. As soon as Robert set off) William II began to consolidate his own position in Normandy; England and Normandy were united again under one leader.
How did Henry I become king of England?
Henry was William I’s youngest son. He was 19 when his father died and did not receive any land from William, he was given £5,000 which he would use to create alliances and gain supporters, he was crowned King of England after the death of William II.
