Anglo Saxon and Norman England: 1.3 Flashcards
The rival claimants for the throne
1
Q
Describe Harold Godwinson’s claim to the throne of England in 1066, and discuss the strength of his claim
A
- claim:
[] related by law through his sister, Edith, who was married to Edward
[] was English
[] owned the majority of land in England and thus had the best support from English
[] well-liked and respected leader
[] said was promised the throne on Edward’s deathbed (witnesses wrote accounts of this, though may have been biased or forced to by Harold) - strength:
[] extremely good
[] had the support of the people and was known to be close to and trusted by Edward in life
[] would protect the English in the case of an invasion etc.
2
Q
Describe Harald Hardrada’s claim to the English throne in 1066 and discuss the strength of this claim
A
- claim:
[] King Cnut had ruled England, Norway and Denmark
[] his son, Harthacnut, took control of these when Cnut died in 1035
[] Harthacnut lost control of Norway to Magnus Olafsson soon after, and when Harthacnut died, the English throne was supposed to go to Magnus, but went to Edward instead
[] Magnus didn’t challenge for the throne despite having a good claim
[] Harald Hardrada raided up and down Norwegian coasts so much that Olafsson offered joint rule of Norway to him so he’d stop
[] when Magnus died, Hardrada assumed his position as king of Norway, as well as his claim to the English throne - strength:
[] weak claim but generally strong contender
[] the English wouldn’t have cared about the complicated claim
[] supported by Tostig Godwinson, who gave Hardrada the impression that Harold was hated in England, manipulating him into conquest for his own benefit
[] was a formidable warrior with strong army, fleet and tactics
[] the Danelaw may have welcomed a Viking king
3
Q
Describe Edgar Aethling’s claim to the English throne in 1066 and discuss the strength of his claim
A
- claim:
[] related by blood to Edward (was his nephew) and was raised by Edward
[] English - strength:
[] strong claim but weak contender
[] no power, no lands, little military experience
[] was very young
[] England needed a strong military leader to defend against foreign threats after the new king was chosen and so was ultimately not a good choice
4
Q
Describe Duke William of Normandy’s claim to the English throne in 1066 and discuss the strength of his claim
A
- claim:
[] Edward had promised him the throne once in 1051 then confirmed this in 1064 on Harold’s birthday embassy (from Norman view at least)
[] was Edward’s cousin, so was related by blood - strength:
[] strong claim, and was strong contender
[] claim lacked conclusive evidence however; based on hearsay
[] the Pope backed the claim (IMPORTANT: Pope = God’s messenger on Earth, religion very important in medieval England and so English viewed William as having God’s support, which trumped any xenophobia etc.)
[] many may have argued that Edward was basically a Norman king, as he grew up with William in Normandy and tried to instate Normans in powerful positions in England (backfired; the English hated this) and maintained Norman contacts throughout his life
[] Normans and William had EXTREME levels of military prowess and experience, and William had been ruling since he was young, giving him more experience in that regard also
5
Q
Who was elected as king after Edward’s death in 1066 by the Witan, and when was he crowned ?
A
- Harold Godwinson chosen
- crowned 6th of January 1066, same day as Edward’s funeral
[] this rush to coronation is significant, as demonstrates that the English had greatly anticipated foreign threats and challengers, particularly the Normans (usually kings waited months to be coronated)
6
Q
Describe Harold’s challenges as king
A
- challenges from other English earls that may want power, like Edwin and Morcar
- Tostig, travelling around Europe looking for powerful allies against Harold
- being accepted by the Northumbrians on account of being Tostig’s brother
- William of Normandy readying to attack England
7
Q
How did Harold Godwinson respond to his challenges as king ?
A
- went to York straight after his coronation in order to establish friendly relations with the north and gain their support of him as king
- gathered huge army and positioned them on the southern coast to defend against Willam’s fleet
[] keeping the army provisioned was expensive
[] guarded the coast all of summer but no invasion came
[] had to disband on the 8th of September due to gathering the army too early to defend against Tostig’s arrival in May and against the possibility of William as well
8
Q
When was the battle of Gate Fulford ?
A
20 September 1066
9
Q
When did Tostig and Hardrada invade England ?
A
19th September 1066
10
Q
When was the battle of Stamford Bridge ?
A
25th September 1066
11
Q
When was the Battle of Hastings ?
A
14th October 1066
12
Q
What happened in the Battle at Gate Fulford ?
A
- Gate Fulford at border of York
[] YORK MOST SIGNIFICANT CITY IN THE NORTH
[] if Hardrada and Tostig gained control of York, they would have the northern mint and the most important tradepoint in England - Edwin and Morcar met Hardrada and Tostig at Gate Fulford and attempted to defend York
[] Hardrada put Tostig’s weaker troops forward first, then sent in his stronger troops from the side to cut down the English
[] English troops got caught in the swampy territory when they tried to turn and flee
[] Edwin and Morcar’s armies DECIMATED; Vikings boasted that they didn’t get their feet wet in the swamp since they could just walk over the English
13
Q
Why was the Battle at Gate Fulford such a tactical fumble on Edwin and Morcar’s part ?
A
Could have easily stayed behind York’s strong fortifications and waited for reinforcements instead of wasting troops and resources that would have been invaluable in the Battle of Hastings
14
Q
When did Harold march north to meet Tostig and Hardrada’s army ?
A
20th September 1066 (likely learned about their invasion through beacon signals and didn’t yet know about Gate Fulford)
15
Q
Why did Harold march north and why was it a poor tactical decision ?
A
- why he did it:
[] it was late in the year; September storms were bad and would most likely have decimated some of or all of William’s fleet
[] when Harold left, the winds were blowing from the north, probably preventing William from crossing the channel
[] Harold knew William would have struggled to provision his army for so long and guessed that they were close to disbanding - poor because:
[] William DID attempt to cross the channel and was successful
[] going so far north would mean that Harold would arrive in the south too late if William invaded
[] if it came to it (it did), back to back battles combined with the long marches up and down the country would leave Harold’s army tired and thus disadvantaged
16
Q
What was good about Harold’s march north ?
A
- demonstrated that Harold was a king who cared about his people
- was a massive military feat to gather men whilst travelling from one end to the country in only five days
[] showed Harold to be a great leader
[] the fact that he was able to do this so quickly shows that he had respect and support from the English, as such a feat demanded the utmost cooperation and trust - gave Harold the advantage in the Battle of Stamford Bridge, as Tostig and Hardrada were not expecting an attack
17
Q
What happened during the Battle of Stamford Bridge (25/9/1066) ?
A
- Tostig and Hardrada were at Stamford Bridge to exchange hostages
[] many left their armour in the ships but kept their weapons
[] around a third of the army had stayed back in the ships
[] morale of their armies was high, but they were tired from the battle just 5 days before - Harold achieved surprise
- eventually, his housecarls broke the Viking shield wall and Hardrada and Tostig were killed
[] reported that only 24 out pf the original 200 Viking longships returned to Norway
[] shows endurance, skill and training of Harold’s housecarls - the Viking troops fought slightly worse in this battle due to shock mainly
[] surprise of attack from Harold
[] Tostig had misled the Vikings into thinking that the English hated Harold and would not (willingly) fight for him, so Vikings felt betrayed by Tostig
18
Q
Discuss the significance of the Battle of Gate Fulford and the Battle of Stamford Bridge for the Anglo-Saxon loss at the Battle of Hastings
A
- took Harold’s army away from the southern coast, where William would’ve attacked, slowing the English response and allowing William to set up properly and get comfortable in his army’s situation before battle, giving a greater chance of Norman success
[] HOWEVER, the southern fyrd had already disbanded; would’ve needed to gather men again anyway - Edwin and Morcar lost thousands of men that would’ve been vital to the English army
[] HOWEVER, Harold marching north before he knew about Gate Fulford suggests that he knew Edwin and Morcar would likely fail against Hardrada and Tostig - Edwin and Morcar (likely) didn’t fight at the Battle of Hastings after Gate Fulford, as they aren’t mentioned in any sources, thus weakening Saxon forces
[] HOWEVER, this evidence is mostly weak - marching up and down the country and fighting 2 battles in the span of around 4 weeks would’ve significantly tired Harold’s housecarls and forces, making them less battle-ready and weakening their decision-making and endurance
[] HOWEVER, morale was insanely high after beating the famed Hardrada so swiftly, so would’ve given some energy and drive to the soldiers - winning the battle in the north may have made Harold and his army overconfident, damaging their chances and preparation for the Battle of Hastings
[] HOWEVER, Harold and the Witan had been preparing for William’s attack as soon as it had become clear that Edward’s health was in decline, so a lack of preparation is unlikely
