Anglo Saxon and Norman England: 1.2 Flashcards
The last years of Edward the Confessor and the succession crisis
1
Q
When did Tostig become the earl of Northumbria and when was he exiled ?
A
- 1055
- 1065
2
Q
When was Harold’s embassy to Normandy ?
A
summer of 1064
3
Q
When did Edward the Confessor die ?
A
5 January 1066
4
Q
List the main members of the house of Godwin and their relevance to the family’s power in England in regards to wealth and land
A
- Harold Godwinson
[] earl of Wessex
[] alone had power and wealth equal to Edward the Confessor’s
[] owned properties in Hereford
[] married to Edith of Mercia and later to the wife (Edith) of Llewellyn of Wales
[] made sub regulus by Edwards (leader of all the armies) - Leofwine Godwinson
[] earl of Southwest Midlands - Gyrth Godwinson
[] earl of East Anglia - Tostig Godwinson
[] earl of Northumbria in 1055
[] renowned for his military prowess
[] married to daughter of Baldwin of Flanders - Edith Godwinson
[] married to Edward the Confessor and thus gave the Godwinsons closer control over the king
5
Q
Describe how the house of Godwin came to power
A
- Godwin made one of the original four earls by King Cnut (given Wessex)
- Edward the Confessor resented Godwin for his power and influence in England
- Godwin exiled by Edward in 1050
[] came back with an army in 1051 to force Edward to reinstate him in England - challenged Edward for more powers and lands and eventually got on good terms with him
- passed on his lands and powers to his children; Edward trusted and was much closer with Harold than his father
6
Q
Describe the military powers of the house of Godwin
A
- Harold = sub regulus
- Harold and Tostig put down the Welsh invasions and threats in the west, killing the king and putting a puppet ruler in place
[] showed their military ability and loyalty to England - with lots of land, came lots of fyrdsmen to levy whenever needed
- Harold’s Hereford properties were on the border with Wales, and so continually proved himself to be a brilliant leader by defending these border properties
7
Q
Describe the political powers of the house of Godwin
A
- Edith Godwinson married to Edward the Confessor
[] gave bargaining power + closeness to Edward
[] allowed the Godwinsons a claim to the throne through legal relation once Edward died - employed their own clergymen for churches on their lands
[] could spread messages and propaganda favourable to the Godwinsons and so keep people on their land loyal to them
[] easier to organise their men etc. - owned land with very high populations and so controlled the political views of the majority of the country
- had influence in Wales and Flanders due to Harold and Tostig’s marriages
8
Q
Describe the economical powers of the Godwinsons
A
- York (in Northumbria) had the only northern mint in the country
- owned lots of land with lots of wealth
[] earls kept 1/3 of all tax collected on their lands; this made the Godwinsons extremely rich
9
Q
Why did Edward the Confessor allow the Godwinsons to grow in power so much that his own power was dwarfed in comparison ?
A
- Edward’s marriage to Edith Godwinson, thus naturally giving favour to her family
- England was under threat from Norway and other Viking regions
[] needed strong military leaders like Harold and Tostig to direct the majority of the country - Harold’s marriage to Edith of Mercia (daughter of Aelfgar) influenced Gyrth gaining East Anglia’s earldom as she likely owned many properties there
10
Q
What happened during Harold’s embassy to Normandy ?
A
- landed in Ponthieu instead of Normandy by accident and was arrested by Guy of Ponthieu
- Duke William bailed Harold out of jail and took him to Normandy
- Harold assisted William in two military campaigns
[] was rewarded richly for his help
[] this built trust between Harold and William
[] spent much time with him - Harold relayed Edward’s message to William
- swore an oath to William on religious relics; the nature of this oath is disputed, but is likely an path of allegiance to William in the case of a Norman conquest when Edward died
- retrieved two English hostages and left
11
Q
What was the purpose of Harold’s embassy according to Anglo-Saxons ?
A
to recover two Anglo-Saxon hostages from William
12
Q
What was the purpose of Harold’s embassy according to Normans ?
A
- to relay Edward the Confessor’s support for William as his successor, and to confirm an earlier promise of this in 1051
- for Harold as the most important Saxon after Edward to swear allegiance to William in line with Edward’s wishes
13
Q
Why did the rising against earl Tostig take place ?
A
- imposed laws from the Anglo-Saxon south on the Anglo-Danes in the north
[] people were unused to this change and were unhappy about the sudden increase of laws
[] imposing new laws meant people were likely to forget about the laws and thus technically commit crimes, which Tostig could take advantage of to confiscate money, power and land from people - failed to try and understand the culture and customs of those he governed
[] causes tensions due to the culture barrier
[] demonstrates his ultimate lack of care towards the people as a whole - was a southerner, so faced xenophobia in the north
[] northerners were generally left to govern themselves
[] placing a southerner in power could have been read as a threat to northern autonomy and power, which would have been resented - unfairly accused people of crimes to take their money, power and land
- enforced higher taxes on the north
[] northerners paid lower tax than the south on account of being Anglo-Danish in the Danelaw and not having to pay towards the Danegeld
[] paying higher taxes took more money, which would have caused resentment
[] resentment also caused because of seeming loss of independence from the culture and traditions of Anglo-Saxons, which the Anglo-Danish valued greatly (were proud of their Danish heritage) - was good friends with the Scottish king, Malcolm III and so failed to protect the Scottish border from frequent and violent raids
[] left people destitute, dead and unconfident in their leader’s care about them
[] people wanted a leader who cared about their people - Tostig ordered the assassination of high-born Northumbrian rivals (followers of aristocrat Gospatric) of his WHILST THEY WERE HIS GUESTS
- assassinated Gospatric (greatly respected in the north) whilst on his way to complain about Tostig to Edward the Confessor
[] this was the final trigger for the rebellion
14
Q
What good things did Tostig do for Northumbria ?
A
- Northumbria plagued by bandits who waited for travellers and robbed then killed them
- upon coming into power, Tostig ordered the hunt and killing of all such bandits, or mutilation if they were high-born
[] decisiveness meant that people could travel and trade safely again until his exile in 1065 - HOWEVER, Tostig abused this, extorting money from rich families so he wouldn’t blame them of being bandits and suffer the wrath of the Northumbrian people
- IMPORTANT because shows that powers of the earls can be useful for solving major issues, but also misused for the earls’ own benefits in spite of good governance
15
Q
Describe the events of the rising against earl Tostig in October 1065
A
- rebels marched on York, killing Tostig’s housecarls and servants
- declared Tostig an outlaw
- proposed Morcar of Mercia to be their new earl
[] very democratic choice, since he was English but made much more of an effort to care about the Northumbrians and to understand them
[] proposing an Englishman as their new earl showed to Edward how their problem was not one purely of xenophobia, but of Tostig himself being problematic
16
Q
What was the response to the rising from Harold, the earls and Edward the Confessor ?
A
- Edward held conference with earls to discuss the rising
[] Edward wanted to raise an army and put down the rising
[] the earls refused, making excuses, as all agreed that Tostig had pushed too far
[] Edward had no choice but to accept the rebels’ terms because of this
[] Harold travelled to Northumbria to meet with the rebels and relay that Edward had agreed to their terms
[] Tostig furious at Harold, saying conspiring against him to replace him
[] Tostig fled to Flanders (had relations bc of his wife), then looked for support to challenge his brother for the throne; eventually went to Norway and allied with Hardrada
17
Q
Why did Harold Godwinson exile his brother ?
A
- knew that Edward was to die soon after and needed the best chance to become king
[] Tostig would have fought Harold for the throne
[] needed a united kingdom instead of mutinies between north and south, as a Norman or Viking invasion was likely after Edward’s death and civil war would’ve weakened defences and troops - Harold was allowed to marry Edith of Mercia (Morcar’s sister) and inherit large amounts of land in Mercia as a result of exiling Tostig
18
Q
What did Edward allegedly say to Harold on his deathbed and where is this recorded ?
A
- “I commend this woman with all the kingdom to your protection”
- recorded in various Anglo-Saxon sources
[] MAY HAVE BEEN BIASED ON ACCOUNT OF BEING ANGLO-SAXON ACCOUNTS - an image of Harold and Edith by Edward’s deathbed, Edward’s hand outstretched to Harold, is in the Bayeux Tapestry
[] Bayeux Tapestry was commissioned by Bishop Odo, a Norman and one of William’s biggest supporters
[] seems to be evidence that Edward did actually support Harold as uis successor
