Anglo Saxon and Norman England: 2.2 Flashcards
The causes and outcomes of Anglo-Saxon resistance, 1068-71
1
Q
Describe the key events of the rebellion of Edwin and Morcar in 1068 (with important dates)
A
- 1068; Edwin + Morcar fled from William’s court
[] shows that William didn’t completely trust Edwin and Morcar to obey him and thus kept them in his court - Edwin + Morcar joined other rebels including Edgar Aethling, Gospatric and Waltheof
[] massed a huge army - when William heard of this, led forced north and built castles as he went as a show of force
[] shows that William understood the intimidation of castles
[] quick reaction shows that William was a good leader and knew that he had to stamp out rebellion as fast as possible + expected rebellion due to loyal informants stationed around country - Edwin + Morcar surrendered to William when he had control of Warwick
[] showed that the castles worked to intimidate them
[] also showed that Edwin + Morcar understood William’s power + leadership - Anglo-Saxon rebels sent hostages to William in York and Northumbria as a show of peace
- Edgar Aethling fled to Scotland and was taken in by Malcolm III, where he began to rebuild his forces
2
Q
Describe the main causes for Edwin and Morcar’s rebellion in 1068
A
- anger at William for reduction of earls’ power
[] reduced legal powers of the earls
[] reduced the sizes of earldoms in order to have better control - general Anglo-Saxon resentment of castles
[] constant reminder of Norman rule
[] forced Anglo-Saxon peasants to build them
[] had to clear Anglo-Saxon homes to make space for them, displacing many - Norman land-grabs
- William’s broken promise to Edwin to let him marry his daughter
[] would have given a lot of power, similarly to how the Godwinsons had power over Edward because he married Edith - anger at William’s heavy taxation of England
[] especially in the Danelaw, this was a HUGE problem - Odo and William FitzOsbern’s abuse of power in 1067
[] whilst away in Normandy to celebrate his victory in England, left his half-brother Odo and cousin FitzOsbern as regents
[] they went mad with power essentially
[] raped Anglo-Saxon women, robbed people of their lands and money
[] in the Anglo-Saxon chronicle, one monk author said that Odo was able to act like a “second king”
[] shows how much power William gave to his most loyal followers and those close to him (valued loyalty over popularity - this shows that William was wary of Anglo-Saxon rebellion and needed those in power on his side)
3
Q
Discuss the outcomes of Edwin and Morcar’s revolt in 1068 and why the revolt failed
A
- the revolt collapsed after Edwin and Morcar surrendered to William
- Edwin and Morcar were again kept as guests at William’s court so they could be monitored more closely
- William’s show of force via castles convinced many rebels that rebellion is useless
[] William was not forced to compromise because of this - THE REBELS’ CAUSE WAS NOT UNITED
[] caused differences in fighting and conviction and weakened the overall forces
4
Q
Why were the Marcher earls’ attacks into Wales significant ?
A
Welsh resented the Normans and so were likely to back Anglo-Saxon rebels if asked
5
Q
Describe the key events of the rebellions in the North in 1069, starting with the death of Robert Cumin and ending with William paying off the Danes (include key dates)
A
- 31st January
[] Robert Cumin killed by Northumbrians on account of his destruction and pillage of Northumbrian villages with a large force - February
[] Northumbrian rebel uprising in York
[] Norman governor and lots of troops killed
[] Edgar Aethling and Scottish forces joined the uprising
[] William took a large force north and stopped the uprising
[] Edgar Aethling fled back to Scotland
[] William FitzOsbern made the new castellan in the new castle built in York - 13th April
[] William in Winchester for Easter
[] shows William’s seriousness about being seen as a legitimate king and thus having to go to traditional Anglo-Saxon kingly obligations like religious ceremonies and tours of the country - 8th September
[] large Viking force led by king Sweyn of Norway arrived
[] SIGNIFICANT: the Vikings must have thought William’s rule was weak, as large Viking forces only gathered when there was a high chance of success - 21st September
[] another uprising in York
[] Norman troops, whilst trying to put down the rebels, set fire to York; complete destruction
[] ~3000 Norman troops killed
[] both castles in York destroyed by the fire
[] the Vikings carried any plunder back to their nations
[] William took a force north to fight the rebels, but they scattered when he arrived - December
[] William paid the Vikings to go away
[] the Harrying of the North
6
Q
Describe the reasons for the Harrying of the North, 1069
A
- Anglo-Saxon guerrilla warfare making it impossible to stamp out resistance
[] no way to tell who are rebels and who are innocent - murder of Robert Cumin + Norman troops
[] close to William
[] Norman murder unacceptable and a huge sign of rejection by the Anglo-Saxons - repeated rebellions in the north began to spark rebellions throughout the country
[] needed to make an example of the north to scare the country into submission - threat of Danish invasion
[] needed to show Vikings that William’s rule was not weak and he had control of his country - the north tended more to rebellion than the south of England due to the culture in the Danelaw
[] needed more violent, overt tactics
7
Q
Describe the short-term impacts of the Harrying of the North, 1069
A
- 100 000 people died
[] most died of murder via Norman troops, starvation or freezing - livestock killed, crops burned and seeds destroyed
[] caused widespread famine - any remaining population of Northumbria tried to go to London
[] most died on the journey of exhaustion, starvation etc. - reported cannibalism
- reported mass selling into slavery in order to get food
[] forced submission to Normans, giving up ALL remaining power
8
Q
Describe the long-term impacts of the Harrying of the North
A
- 80-150 000 less people in the north
- even 15 years after, most Northumbrian land classed as “wasteland” in the Domesday Book (meaning no significant economic or social activity)
[] no livestock, very few people - massacre meant that the strong Anglo-Danish alliance in the north had weakened and almost completely disappeared
- the land was salted, so no crops could be grown for many years after the Harrying
- the Pope massively criticised William and many began to see him as brutal and tyrannical
[] William spent the rest of his life in repentance and penitence for his actions - only one more uprising at Ely, then no more significant Anglo-Saxon rebellions for the rest of William’s reign
9
Q
Describe the key events of the rebellion at Ely (1070-71)
A
- 1070
[] Hereward the Wake exiled before the Conquest and angry that William had seized and redistributed his land whilst he was gone
[] had been fighting a guerrilla war with other rebels in East Anglia
[] King Sweyn led massive Viking fleet to England and joined with these rebels - Anglo-Danish forces raided Peterborough Abbey
[] Hereward had wanted to protect the riches there from the Normans
[] the Vikings simply took the riches and abandoned Hereward instead - Hereward + his forces joined with Morcar’s forces and prepared to defend Ely from William
[] William bribed local monks to show him around using their local knowledge of the swampy territory that the Normans didn’t have and took control of Ely - Morcar imprisoned for the rest of his life, Hereward fled and was never heard of again
- William took Edwin (killed by his own men in 1071) and Morcar’s lands
- no further noteable Anglo-Saxon rebellions after 1071
10
Q
Describe the key events of the rebellion at Ely (1070-71)
A
- 1070
[] Hereward the Wake exiled before the Conquest and angry that William had seized and redistributed his land whilst he was gone
[] had been fighting a guerrilla war with other rebels in East Anglia
[] King Sweyn led massive Viking fleet to England and joined with these rebels - Anglo-Danish forces raided Peterborough Abbey
[] Hereward had wanted to protect the riches there from the Normans
[] the Vikings simply took the riches and abandoned Hereward instead - Hereward + his forces joined with Morcar’s forces and prepared to defend Ely from William
[] William bribed local monks to show him around using their local knowledge of the swampy territory that the Normans didn’t have and took control of Ely - Morcar imprisoned for the rest of his life, Hereward fled and was never heard of again
- William took Edwin (killed by his own men in 1071) and Morcar’s lands
- no further noteable Anglo-Saxon rebellions after 1071
11
Q
What were the threats that William had to deal with when establishing power in England, and how did he solve them ?
A
- Danish invasion threat
[] paid them to go away
[] thus, it was easier to defeat the rebels without Danish help - Anglo-Saxon guerrilla warfare
[] Harrying of the North
[] rapid shutdown of further unrest
[] replacing nearly all Anglo-Saxon aristocracy with Normans
[] thus had better control, and made it clear to William that he could not trust Anglo-Saxon leaders to stay loyal to him - discontent from Norman troops/followers about marching up and down the country, especially in winter
[] William had strong leadership
[] promised rewards
[] thus, took money from the Church, taxes and lands from the Anglo-Saxons to reward his army and pay for provisions etc. - Edgar Aethling as a more legitimate kingly rival
[] went to royal ceremonies, religious duties, took on most traditional kingly duties in England
[] pushed the narrative that God had let the Normans win because he had more faith in them than in Edgar
[] emphasised that he had the Pope’s backing during the Conquest
[] as such, the English supported him as king and were willing to fight for him against rebels
