Anglo-Saxon and Norman England Flashcards
Describe 2 features of Anglo-Saxon kings
- Control over taxation - could decide when and how much
- Landownership - could take and grant land as he pleased
Describe 2 features of the Witan
- Advised the King - the King could choose a topic he needed advice on
- Did not limit the King’s power - the King could ignore the Witan’s advice if he pleased
Describe 2 features of Anglo-Saxon earls
- Collected taxes from their earldom for the King - they kept a third of all taxes
- Overseeing law and order in their earldom - they could judge cases and decide punishments
Give 2 pros and 2 cons of Edward the Confessor as King
PROS
- Religious leader - believed that God was guiding him
- Respected law-maker
CONS
- Exiled to Normandy for most of his life
- No children to succeed him
Describe 2 features of the shire reeve
- To collect revenues from the King’s lands - the King owned all land
- To judge and enforce according to the King’s laws in court - the King had power over law-making, but needed people to enforce these laws
What is a writ?
Written orders from the king
What is the fyrd?
The Anglo-Saxon army and fleet
What are ceorls?
Peasant farmers
Give 1 strength and 1 weakness of Anglo-Saxon law enforcement
PRO
- tight knit communities made it difficult for people to escape justice
CON
- almost powerless to prevent powerful men from breaking laws (e.g. earls)
What is collective responsibility in tithings?
If one member broke the law, the rest were responsible for bringing them to justice or they would be punished
What is wergild?
Compensation paid by the murderer to the relatives of a murder victim in compensation for loss and to prevent a blood feud
Give 2 reasons why England had a strong economy
- Good climate for farming
- Strong trade links
What were burhs?
The fortified main town of each shire
Describe 2 features of a burh
- People from the countryside would take refuge from Viking when there were around - the strong walls made it difficult for Vikings to attack
- All significant trade had to be done in a burh - this was then taxed
Describe 2 features of the Anglo-Saxon church
- Bishops were rich and important - they controlled large Church districts
- The Church provided all record keeping - the majority of people were completely illiterate
How were social roles flexible?
Peasant farmers could become thegns if they did well enough, but they could also become slaves if they did poorly
What were thegns?
The warrior/noble class of society. They owned a fair bit of land, and were expected to fight for the King
Who was earl of Northumbria?
Tostig Godwinson
Who was earl of Wessex?
Harold Godwinson
Describe the events of Harold’s embassy to Normandy
- Edward sent Harold to Normandy, however the purpose of the trip is unknown
- Harold was taken prisoner, however was rescued by William
- Harold fought for William, and William rewarded him with gifts
- Harold swore an oath, however the content of the oath is unknown
What do Norman sources say Harold’s oath to William was about?
They say it was Harold swearing allegiance to William, pledging him as the future King of England
Give 3 reasons why the embassy was important
- It showed Harold was Edward’s right hand man
- It was used to legitimise William’s claim to the throne
- It was used to call Harold an oath breaker
Give 2 reasons for the uprising against Tostig
- When Northumbria was attacked by Scotland, Tostig did not launch an attack as retaliation due to his personal relationship with the king of Scotland.
- He had been unjust by imposing new laws to destroy rivals and abused his political power.
- He had taxed to North very heavily, which was a part of the Danelaw and wasn’t used to such taxes.
- Tostig was a southerner and was generally disliked as the north was used to being ruled by northerners
What happened as a result of the anti-Tostig uprising?
Tostig was exiled by his brother Harold
Give 2 reasons why the Tostig’s exile was significance
- Tostig was furious with his brother for not supporting him
- Edward’s power was questioned when Harold refused to raise an army against the rising
- Harold wanted to keep the kingdom united, Tostig was a rival to the throne and Edward was becoming older and sicke
Give the 4 claimants to the throne
- Harold Godwinson
- Harald Hardrada
- Edgar Aethling
- William of Normandy
How good were Harold Godwinsons’ chance of success in becoming King?
Very good- he had good claim and the support he needed from the Witan and the people
How good were Edgar Aethling’s chance of success in becoming King?
Bad- he had a blood claim to the throne but had little strength or support as he was still a teenager
How good were Harald Hardrada’s chance of success in becoming King?
Good- he had almost no claim to the throne, however had a very strong army to support him
How good were William of Normandy’s chance of success in becoming King?
Quite good- he had a good claim to the throne which was supported by the pope, however lacked evidence. He had good military strength, but only if he was able to get across the Channel to England
Summarise the Battle of Gate Fulford
- Edwin and Morcar were outnumbered
- Thousands of English soldiers were injured or killed, therefore unable to aid Harold in his further battles
- Harald Hardrada and Tostig won forcing Harold to travel very far north
Summarise the Battle of Stamford Bridge
- Having led a very fast march north, Harold caught the Viking army by surprise
- The Vikings were unprepared, and Harold was victorious
- Both Hardrada and Tostig were killed in battle
What was the significance of the Battle of Stamford Bridge?
- Harold was in the north while William was now in the south
- Harold had to move quickly south again, tiring his army
- Harold’s victory may have made him complacent about William
What were the 3 main reasons for William’s victory?
- Luck
- Harold’s poor leadership
- Hardrada’s invasion
Explain how luck contributed to William’s victory
- Survived storm
- Luck in battle
- Timing of Hardrada’s invasionGive
Explain how Harold’s poor leadership contributed to William’s victory
- Failed to surprise attack William
- Racing straight down to fight William, without letting his army repair after their prior battle, and without fully completing his army
Explain how Hardrada’s invasion contributed to William’s victory
- Harold had to ride from the far north all the way south so fyrd would be tired
- Harold’s fyrd would be weakened in numbers and strength
- Harold’s victory may have caused him to be complacent, so not plan a strategy or prepare his fyrd for William
Why did the earls submit without a fight?
- William seized the royal treasury
- England’s best warriors died at the Battle of Hastings
- William’s victory may have been seen as God’s will
How did William reward his followers?
- He declared all land belonged to him, and granted land and earldoms to his loyal followers
- He set a heavy geld tax to pay his soldiers
Describe 2 features of Marcher earls
- Could create new towns - to promote Norman colonisation of the Marches
- They did not have to pay taxes on their lands - they could invest more into defence
Describe 2 features of a motte and bailey castle
- A palisade made of strong wood surrounded the motte and bailey - this made it difficult to penetrate
- The only access point to the caste was controlled through the gatehouse - this meant there was only one way attackers could come, making it easy to defend
Why were castles important?
- They were built in strategic important locations, as to keep the local population under harsh surveillance - this also had a psychological impact, making towns feel forever watched and dominated
- They were bases for war - soldiers could quickly ride out from them, and also use them as a base and protection
How were burhs different to motte and bailey castles?
- Burhs protected Anglo-Saxons; castles controlled them
- Burhs housed whole communities; castles were private and small
What main factors caused Edwin and Morcar’s revolt in 1068?
- Edwin’s resentment - William had reduced his earldom, and not gone through with his promise of his daughters hand in marriage
- Bad government
- Morcar’s resentment - William had reduced his earldom
- Loss of Anglo-Saxon lands
- Oppressive castles
- Heavy taxes
What was William’s response and the outcome of the 1068 revolt?
- William rode down to Edwin and Morcar’s earldoms, and took control of them by building castles
- Edwin and Morcar soon submitted to William
- Other accomplices in the revolt like Edgar Aethling fled to Scotland and King Malcolm III
What were the consequences of the 1068 revolt?
- William put Norman Robert Cumin in charge of the north
- William’s fast put down of rebellion demonstrates Norman power and control
Describe the events of the uprising in York in 1069
- Robert Cumin and his men are killed after they triggered a rebellion by looting in Durham
- This triggers an uprising in York, where the governor and Norman troops are killed
- Edgar Aethling comes down from Scotland to join the rebellion
- William rides quickly north with a large army and quickly stops the rebellion
- William lays waste to the whole of York, while building many new castles
Describe the events of the Anglo-Danish attack on York in 1069
- King Swegn of Denmark sends a large invasion fleet to England, which meets up with Edgar Aethling
- 3000 Normans are killed by the Danes
- The Danes remain present in England, but not attacking
Describe the further uprisings in the North as a result of the Anglo-Danish attack on York
- New rebellions start occurring across the North
- As soon as William puts down a revolt in one area, another starts
How does William stop these revolts?
- He pays the Danes to leave England
- He begins the Harrying of the North
What were the reasons for the Harrying of the North?
- To destroy the spirit of rebellion in the north
- As punishment and revenge for the killing of thousands of Normans
- As a warning to other areas of England of what could happen to them
What were the immediate consequences of the Harrying of the North?
- As many as 100000 deaths (primarily from starving)
- Flood of refugees into other areas of England
- People turned to cannibalism
- Many left homeless and jobless
What were the long term consequences of the Harrying of the North?
- No further north rebellion
- Criticism of William’s brutality
- Many areas impacted not recovered many years on
What were the 3 main consequences of the Harrying of the North?
- 100,000 deaths
- Thousands of peoples livelihood destroyed (crops, homes, livestock etc)
- No further rebellions
Describe 2 features of the Harrying of the North
- Livestock and seed destroyed - no food
- Homes destroyed - nowhere to stay
What did Anglo-Saxons have to do to redeem their inherited land?
Pay the king
By 1087, what percentage of land was held by Anglo-Saxon aristocrats?
Just 5%
What happened when Anglo-Saxon thegns died?
Their land was given to Norman followers, not the thegns’ children
How were ceorls impacted by the Norman takeover?
They had less freedom- they were now unable to move from lord to lord
Give 2 royal powers of Willam
- Land ownership- he could grant and take land
- Control of the military- tenants-in-chief must provide knights for him
Give 2 royal ways William imposed himself as the new King
- Oathtaking- he held oathtaking ceremonies in which people swore allegiance to him
- Coinage- William’s coin featured his image, reinforcing his role as King
Give 2 other ways William imposed himself as the new King
- Military strength
- Religious influence
What 3 earls were involved in the revolt of the earls?
Roger de Breteuil, Earl of Hereford, Ralph de Gael, Earl of East Anglia and Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria
Give 3 reasons for the revolt of the earls
- Loss of power- Earls lost lots of their power
- William’s absense- William was temporarily in Normandy
- Presumed Anglo-Saxon support- they believed the Anglo-Saxon people would support the revol
Summarise the revolt of the earls
- Waltheof decided against being in the revolt, and informed Lanfranc, perhaps in the hope he would be rewarded for his loyalty; instead he was executed
- This warning gave Lanfranc time to prepare for the revolt; he tried to convince Roger to not act but he ignored him
- Rather than supporting him, much of the Anglo-Saxon population actually acted against the revolt, stopping it’s progress
- By the time the Danes arrived with their impressive fleet, the revolt had ground to a halt, and they decided against invading
What does the Anglo-Saxon defence of William’s rule show?
Some Anglo-Saxon support of William as King
What is homage?
A public display of allegiance to a lord
What is the order of the feudal system?
William I
Tenants in chief
Under tenants
Peasants
What did the King give to tenants in chief?
- Granted land
- Granted tax concessions (being exempt from taxation)
- Provided law and protection
What did tenants in chief give to the King?
- Knight service
- Tax
- Loyalty
- Law keeping
What did tenants in chief give to under-tenants?
- Granted land and other privileges
What did under tenants give to tenants in chief?
- Military service
- Tax
- Law keeping
What did the feudal system ensure for the King from a military standpoint?
That the king had military power without having to pay directly for it. Instead he received knight service in exchange for land
What did the feudal system ensure for the King from a political standpoint?
That he had control over everyone under him, in particular barons. If they became too powerful, they would begin demanding greater political influence
What was forfeiture?
It meant that William had the power to take away and grant land to others if they acted against him
What was the importance of the Church in society?
- The Church was a major land holder
- The country was highly religious, so the Church had great influence on the opinions of the people- they used this to praise William, causing the public to view him in a more positive light
Who was Stigand?
The Archbishop of Canterbury
Why was Stigand removed from his position of Archbishop?
He was accused of encouraging corruption in the church, such as through granting jobs in the Church for money
What did Lanfranc do to gain complete control over the Church?
- He removed Stigand from his position
- He took on the role of Archbishop of Canterbury
- He convinced the king to make Archbishop of Canterbury the head of the Church, answering only to the king and the pope
Give 3 of Lanfranc’s reforms
- Priests should be celibate and unmarried
- Clergy were to be tried by Church-only bishop courts
- The number of monasteries and nunneries increased
What were the changes to slaves from Anglo-Saxon to Norman England?
In Anglo-Saxon England, slaves made up around 10% of the population
In Norman England slavery was viewed as wrong, and many slaves were freed
What were the changes to ceorls from Anglo-Saxon to Norman England?
In Anglo-Saxon England, many ceorls were free and could move from lord to lord
In Norman England they were bound to one lord, and often they were worked harder
What were the changes to earls from Anglo-Saxon to Norman England?
In Anglo-Saxon England, earls owned lots of land and were very powerful, so much so that they posed a threat to the king
In Norman England, all earls became Norman, their earldoms were smaller and they had less power
Give 3 continuities from Anglo-Saxon to Norman England
- The processes of government continued the same, such as use of writs
- The geld tax was continued to be levied heavily
- Towns kept trading rights and privileges
Give 3 changes from Anglo-Saxon to Norman England
- The imposition of the feudal system gave much more control and power to the king
- Lanfranc imposed many reforms, which changed aspects of the Church, as well as making the AB of C the head of the Church
- Almost all Anglo-Saxons in positions of power were removed, and replaced by Normans
Give 3 ways the king reduced the power of Earls?
- Made earldoms smaller
- Increased the power of sheriffs (who answered directly to him)
- Made earls dependent upon him for keeping their land
Describe 2 features of Norman sheriffs
- They controlled their shire- they were responsible for law and order
- They were anointed directly by the king- they answered solely to him
Give 2 reasons why sheriffs were resented
- They took a share of all revenue produced for the king in their shire- this meant they tended to “squeeze” the people, in order to maximise their profits
- They were involved in many land grabs, and their power made it hard for the public to regain that land
Give 2 reasons why forest laws were resented
- Local people were often evicted from houses in an area of royal forest
- It meant hunting and logging, which were vital in providing food and fires for families, was now illegal
What was the significance of the royal forest?
- Underminded William’s claim to be a fair and just leader- peoples’ livelihood suffered just so he had more grounds to hunt on
- Made other land grabs seem more legitimate, as the king himself was doing it also
- The forest became a source of royal revenue, through fines for breaking laws and other nobles paying for access to them
What were the uses of the Domesday book?
- The king could see where land owners should be paying more money
- The king could see the extent of the land and resources being owned in England at the time
- The king could see the extent of the taxes he could raise
- The king could see how many of each class there was, so how many for example he would have as an army
What does the Domesday book tell us now in present day?
- It gives us an estimate of the population of England at the time
- It gives us information about social roles and the distribution of them
Who was Bishop Odo?
- William’s half brother
- Supporting William throughout the conquest
- Rewarded greatly and favoured strongly by William
- However eventually imprisoned by William, and when he was released he led a revolt against William II
What were William’s good points as a king?
- He put down many revolts, preventing England from takeover
- He was deeply religious- he founded many abbeys and promoted Church reform
- He was intelligent- he was aware and prevented anyone from overthrowing him
What were William’s bad points as a king?
- Incredibly brutal- he led the Harrying of the North
- He was greedy- he introduced many things that increased his wealth such as forest laws, forcing people to pay him to inherit land
- He wanted and had complete control of England- the feudal system and reducing the power of earls made him by far the most powerful person, and control over everything
Who was Robert Curthose and what did he do?
- He was William’s eldest son
- He was mistreated by his brothers, and thought by William not suitable for leadership
- After a fight with his brothers, Robert and his men fled, and then battled William and won
- He was named heir to Normandy by William
What happened about William’s succession?
Robert and William Rufus were both William’s children and were both contenders for the throne.
They both had things supporting their claim, however William Rufus was able to defeat Robert and Odo’s failed rebellion, and become king
