anglo saxon history ppe Flashcards
what oath was taken and by who to reduce crime
free man from the age of 12 to avoid being involved with any major crime and to report those who did
what would happen if you broke the oath
- you’re disloyal and dishonourable
- family held responsible and could be punished
- you and family could be forced into exile
- relatives of victim could claim compensation (wergild)
what would happen if not settled families tried to seek revenge
blood feuds could last for many generations
what were local courts known as
hundred courts
who appointed officials in charge of courts
the king
what were the hundreds responsible for
organising the pursuit of escaping criminals
what made a tithing
- 10 families
- maintained order
- enforced murder and theft
what made a hundred
- group of 10 tithings
- elected a constable
-what made a shire or county
- made of collections of hundreds
- the head was the shire-reeve
who was in control of a shire
an earl
what were earl’s responsibilities
they had authority over the shire courts but had to pay King one third of fines or taxes
what was the class system in anglo-saxon england
royal family major nobility minor nobility free men serfs
who was universally recognised as the english royal family
house of Wessex
was succession to the throne guaranteed
no, the Witan had to the right to choose the best successor from members of the royal house
what made up the major nobility
earls
were the king’s right hand man in a shire
not hereditary
what made up the minor nobility
thegns
formed the backbone of the army
could receive lands from the king and could rise to become earls
what made up freemen
upper group of commoners who didn’t pay rent
expected to attend local courts to solve disputes
some worked on lord’s land and made money by selling crops
what made up serfs
held no land and worked for others in exchange for food and shelter
had no civil rights but could work for their own freedom
how were major towns designed in anglo saxon
fortified against enemy attack
where did most commercial activity take place in anglo saxo england and why
in towns home to skilled tradesmen and others such as doctors and merchants
who was edward the confessor
first english king after 25 years of danish rule
didn’t have any children
married edith godwin
what were edward’s connection to normandy
family - mother was norman and spent many exile in normandy
culture - when he came back he spoke norman french and his closest advisors were norman
who was the most powerful anglo saxon noble and why
earl godwin because he controlled wessex which was the wealthiest province and had a lot of military force which king relied on
how was edward related to the godwin family
he married earl godwin’s daughter edith, which was arranged by godwin
what was edward’s rivalry with earl godwin
godwin was involved in the death of edward’s brother Alfred
why did edward have no direct heir
-took a vow of celibacy
or
-hated his father in law (earl godwin)
how were the 4 claimants related to edward
- godwinson was edward’s brother-in-law
- william was a distant cousin
- hardrada had no blood ties to english royal families
- edgar aethling great-nephew of edward and last anglo-saxon prince alive
what were the 4 claimants promises
- godwinson was promised on edward’s death bed
- william claimed that both edward and godwinson had visited him and promised him the throne
- hardrada was promised kingdom of denmark by Harthacnut who was king of england, later tried to claim england because of earlier anglo-danish kingdom
- it’s likely that edward wanted an anglo saxon prince
what were the 4 claimants political realities
- godwinson was recognised as the most powerful man in England as he controlled the entire South
- william was an ambitious ruler and wanted to build up his power
- hardrada was a skilled commander and had secured control over his own land
- edgar not consider strong enough to hold kingdom
who was harold godwinson
- son of earl godwin
- earl of wessex
- brother-in-law of king
- trusted by king edward to control affairs in england
- controlled most key provinces
when did harold take an embassy to normandy
1064
why did godwinson go to normandy
sent by edward to confirm the english throne upon his death
what happened en route to normandy
harold’s ship blown off course
what happened in normandy
harold was captured but william secured his freedom so to repay harold joined william’s army
how did william gift harold
by giving him a set of chainmail
what did harold renew in normandy
the promise of the english throne to william
which earldom was tostig in charge of and why was it important
northumbria because it controlled a large amount of the north and made him powerful
why was northumbria important
next to scottish borders and near north east coast at threat of viking invasion
why was tostig unpopular
spent a lot of time away from northumbria in edward’s court
what happened in 1065
thegns of yorkshire rebelled against tostig and called for a new earl: morcar
what did king edward do to help tostig
sent harold to try and maintain peace
what did harold realise when he reached northumbria
that there was no way tostig could have controlled it
what did the king do in response to harold’s suggestion in northumbria
listened to rebels and replaced him with morcar
where did tostig go after being replaced
went into exile for many years and become enemies with his brother
who was the most important person in anglo saxon england and why
the king because he was head of government and made all key decision
king’s responsibilities
- protect and defend his country from attack
- pass laws and make sure people obeyed them
- defend church and appoint leaders
- manage earl and nobles to help him
two groups of people to help king
- royal household
- royal court
who was in the royal household
- the king
- his family
- king’s servants
- housecarls
who was in the royal court
- king’s household
- chief landowners
- bishops
how did officials spread the word of new laws
would write them down (called writs) and spread them round to officials around the country
what does witan mean
meeting of the wise men
who did the king call when he needed advice
the witan
when did the witan meet
when the king wanted to
why did the king call the witan
although he has the final decision it shows he respects them
what were the king and his administrators known as
central government
who was at the top of local goverment
earls
what were the 4 main earldoms
wessex
east anglia
northumbria
mercia
how many shires were there
around 40
who were in charge of shires and who appointed them
sheriffs appointed by king
responsibilities of a sheriff
- collect taxes
- raise army
- enforce law and put major criminals in shire court
what was the main punishment in shires and hundreds
the wergild which was a fine paid to the victim’s families, serious crimes called for the death penalty
were there trials
yes by jury in shire and hundred courts, if verdict wasn’t decided then you were sent to trial by ordeal
who fought with hardrada at the battle of gate fulford
tostig, harold’s brother
how did hardrada enter england and what did he plan to do next
travelled up the river humber and set up camp in rickall, planned to go north to york
where was harold during gate fulford
south, defending an attack from Willaim’s army
who did harold send and what did they do instead of going to fight himself
earls of mercia and northumbria, edwin and morcar who rallied an army of 5,000
where did edwin and morcar’s army go and why
made a defensive shield wall between rickall and york to stop hardrada’s army from moving
when did the battle of gate fulford begin
10th september 1066
who had the upper hand at the beginning of gate fulford
the anglo saxons
who gained advantage in gate fulford and why
hardrada who managed to push anglo saxons back and destroyed both armies
what happened after gate fulford
york surrendered and submitted to viking army
what did york’s submission mean
recognised hardrada as king and helped to overthrow harold
when did hardrada set out for stamford bridge
25th september 1066
what did hardrada expect when he arrived at stamford bridge
prisoners and payments that were owed
what happened when hardrada arrived at stamford bridge
harold godwinson and his army
what happened during stamford bridge that didn’t help hardrada
his advantage with the river was broken up with the bridge
what did the battle of stamford bridge become
a brutal hand-to-hand combat
how did hardrada die
arrow to the windpipe
what happened after hardrada was killed
harold offered talks but was refused and viking reinforcements came
why was the battle of stamford bridge important to harold
he regained control of north and proved his military skills
what did harold do after he was told william was invading
gathered troops and marched down south to only stop in london to gather troops and supplies
what was harold’s aim for hastings
take william by surprise and defend his lands in wessex
what did harold do when he reached battle
organised troops very defensively on top of a ridge
advantages of harold’s location in hastings
gave him height and natural defences left and right
who were behind housecarls at hastings
thegns, experienced part time soldiers
fyrd, some military training
what weapons did harold’s army have at hastings
javelins, swords, bows, axes
how did william arrange his army at hastings
in three divisions, each containing cavalry and infantry
what date was the battle of hastings
14th october 1066
what did william do after unsuccessful attempts trying to break shield wall
march up the hill, proved to be fateful as his men were attacked with missiles
what happened when cavalry marched up the hill at hastings
slowed down by mud and attacked with ease by axes
what happened after william was losing numbers
harold looked like he was about to win so panic broke out and some of army fled
what did the saxons do when some of the normans fled
broke out and chased after them and were then slaughtered, but shield wall remained
what did william do when it was said he was dead
lifted his helmet and showed his face to his men, lifted their spirits
what did william do after a short break in battle
feigned another retreat so he could weaken the shield wall
what did william do after feigned retreat
rallied troops to do final push with arrows and cavalry marching
what happened after william rallied his troops
harold was killed and many of his troops fled
what happened after harold’s troops fled
william forced his way up the hill and won the battle
why did william have good military experience
fought many battles in normandy prior to hastings and had experience in large scale warfare after french invasions
what lessons did william learn from his previous battles
taught him discipline and leadership and taught him tactics such as feigned retreat
what did william do before setting off for england
had plenty of time to prepare his army and made sure his troops were fit and able, and made sure equipment was okay
who did william send before setting off for england
spies to locate harold’s army
what did william build when in england
a castle
why was harold’s army physically weaker than wiliam’s
harold had a smaller number of troops and had lost crucial troops in battle of hastings and had marched a long way
why was harold’s army mentally weaker than williams’
lacked discipline because many housecarls quickly replaced with peasants with little to no military skill
why did william have luck on his side
- harold had just fought another battle
- wind change allowed william to sail to england unchallenged
what were some bad choices made by harold in hastings
rushed down south without properly resting and reinforcing his military, also could have let edwin and morcar catch up
how did william provoke harold before hastings
attacked harold’s earldom of wessex so that william’s troops wouldn’t starve
what did william do after hastings on his way to london
destroyed land showing that he was a powerful person
who met with william and submitted to him
edwin and morcar and the Witan
what is one of the reasons earls submitted to William
they hoped William would allow them to keep their wealth
what did the Witan do before William was made King
briefly crowned Edgar who then quickly submitted to William
what was one thing william did to reduce chances of rebellion and work with the english
kept edward’s laws and worked with existing english lords
who did william let retain their titles
edwin and morcar, kept their lands
stigand and aldred, kept their places as archbishops
who did william offer to buy back their lands
english thegns who did not fight at hastings
whose lands did william give his followers
english landowners who had died at battle
who received the land of wessex
william fitzosbern who was loyal to william
what was william’s main concern at the marchers
powerful Welsh princes who could join forces with english rebels
what did william create to help bring peace to marchers
three new earldoms which he gave to his loyal followers:
- chester
- shrewsbury
- hereford
what did the three new earls do successfully
brought peace to their earldoms and conquered some parts of wales bringing further stability
where did william go in 1067 and who did he take
normandy, powerful englishmen to bring stability to both kingdoms
who did william leave in charge when he went to normandy
bishop odo
william fitzosbern
what years caused the most unrest for william
1067-71
main features of william’s first castles
temporary ringwork castles that were fenced and had a bank or ditch
main features of motte and bailey castles
- low mound called a motte that had a wooden tower for defence
- timber used because plenty of supply, later replaced with stone
- bailey would be area where soldiers would live and store their weapons and war horses
why were motte and bailey castles built later
ringwork castles could be erected very quickly, important for william maintaining his control
m and b castles took a while because the earth had to be dug up for the motte
why were castles important for william
- used to control local areas
- used as a base for launching attacks and area of safety from defending attacks
- store war horses and protect them from rebels
why were war horses important to the normans
a knight in chainmail on a horse could cut through foot soldiers with ease
where were castles located
all over england, most in towns where they could dominate the most in england
which vulnerable areas were casltes built in
on the coast so they could defend against attack from scots and danes, and on border with wales
what was destroyed to build castles
many people’s property, for example in york nearly 300 houses destroyed to make space
what year did edwin and morcar revolt
1068
where did edwin go and who with in 1067
morcar, archbishop stigand and edgar aethling to normandy
what did william show to edwin in normandy
his duchy and the people in it
what was one reason edwin was angry with william
he was promised to marry one of william’s daughters
why was edwin not being able to marry william’s daughter important
he could have joined the royal family and he started to question william’s honesty
why did morcar not trust william
replaced someone else as earl of northumbria even though he was promised to keep his land
what happened in 1068 in relation to edwin and morcar
edgar aethling fled to scotland and edwin and morcar fled to midlands and north to rally against william
who did edwin and morcar ally with to go against william
welsh princes
how did william respond to edwin and morcar’s revolt
- attack edwin’s lands in mercia
- ordered building of castles in warwick and nottingham
- marched to morcar’s land in northumbria
how did edwin and morcar respond to william’s actions
surrendered before any war took place
what did william do during his response to edwin and morcar’s revolt
did a lot of harrying by destroying land and crops to scare them
what happened in january 1069
a norman army led by robert of comyn was sent north to ensure peace in area
what happened to robert of comyn’s army
attacked by local rebellions in durham and was burnt to death
what happened after robert of comyn was burnt
english army was gathered led by edgar aethling who crossed scottish border and laid siege to castle of york
what happened after william heard news of castle of york
broke up the siege and rebellions fled, built a second castle before returning to winchester
what threats did william face in the summer and autumn of 1069
- large danish fleet invaded north east coast
- edgar aethling led english rebels and took control of york
- a threat of invasion from king malcolm of scotland
- rebellions in south west and welsh border
- normandy being attacked
why was second rebellion in 1069 dangerous for william
real threat for william’s position as attacks were not centred in one location
why was it dangerous for william that the rebellions in different locations
if scots, danes and welsh all attacked at once he would have had to split his army so he couldn’t attack with speed and surprise
what was there a real threat of towards william in 1069
the scots danes and northern english all joining together under edgar aethling which would have been a force too big
how did william defend against revolts in 1069
dealt with threats quickly and ruthlessly and stormed with fast pace to york
what did william’s force and speed lead to
the english fleeing
how did the danes help william with revolt threats
they didn’t do anything or joined forces and remained on their ships
how did edgar aethling help william with revolt threats
didn’t have an army and scottish didn’t invade so he only had to fight against one enemy
when did the harrying of the north take place
1069-70
what was the harrying of the north
events in winter 1069-70 where william attacked the countryside and villages of north and north midlands
where did harrying of the north start
yorkshire, then moved north to durham and northumberland
where did harrying of the north continue
across penines to lancashire chesire and welsh border
hallmarks of harrying of the north
- burning of homes
- destruction of crops
- killing farm animals
what did william’s actions at harrying risk
the local people starving to death
who did william kill in harrying of north
people who tried to hide valuables or resist norman invasion
what were some motives of harrying of north
- anger at english leaders not accepting william as king
- revenge for william’s men dead at rebellions
- frustration/punishment at repeated rebellions
- fear/warning of future rebellion
what were immediate impacts of harrying of the north
- loss of life
- famine
- entire villages destroyed with no residents
- value of vilages decline
what were long-term impacts of harrying of the north
- greatly reduced the chances of further rebellion
- confirmed norman control of north
what were some of the ways william maintained power
- destruction of villages during harrying of north
- ordered the mutilation of rebels by gouging out eyes and having hands and feet cut off
- castles built to minimise threat of invasion, 2 built in york which was a big trouble spot
- confiscation of lands and titles from english earls and giving them to norman lords
- imprisonment of english earls such as morcar
- domesday book kept an accurate record of all of england
- generosity to loyal supporters and those faithful to him
how much of england’s land did the church hold
25% and was very wealthy
what did william speak to the pope about before he invaded england
convinced the pope that the anglo-saxon church was corrupt so he could approve of william’s invasion
what did william do to the church in 1070
appointed lanfranc as archbishop of canterbury
who was lanfranc
trusted bishop from st stephen in normandy
what was william’s statement with appointing lanfranc
that a norman was head of the church of england
what did william do to bishops during his reign
replaced every english bishop with a french one except for one
what did william do to abbots during his reign
replaced all except 3 english abbots with french ones
what did lanfranc do to the church
changed it to normanise it and consolidate his own power
what did lanfranc do to the position of archibishop of canterbury
made him more powerful than the archbishop of york
what did lanfranc arrange
regular councils with different bishops to push a reform in the church, whereas before they were very rare
which role did lanfranc create
deputy bishops, these had a post but were not as important and made sure church services ran smoothly
what was lanfranc’s aim with the anglo-saxon church
to rid it of corruption
what did lanfranc do with monasteries
increased the amount and improved the education that monks received to allow them to spread message
what buildings did lanfranc establish
church courts to deal with religious and moral crimes, priests tried here instead of king courts
what opposition did lanfranc face
- removal of relics caused outrage
- monks and priests disliked norman service and prayer
- opposition became violent. e.g. at glastonbury cathedral knights brought in and 3 monks killed
what was the aim of the feudal system
to provide william with an army to defend his conquest of england
what were the ranks of the feudal system
- king
- tenants-in-chief
- knights
- villains
role of the king in the feudal system
- owned all the land
- gave land to most important supporters
- held land but did not own it
role of tenants-in-chief in feudal sytem
- held land given by the king
- in return paid homage
- king chose their successor
- gave land to knights who brought an army for the king
role of knights in feudal system
- knights looked after one or a few villages
- village provided him enough to pay for war horse, armour and weapons
- knights agreed to do military service for tenant-in-chief
what did knights do with the land they were given
gave most away to locals but kept some for himself, locals worked on knight’s land in return for their own
role of villains in feudal system
- didn’t own any land
- worked on knight’s land 2-3 days a week ensuring they had enough supplies
- in return could work on land they received
what did william need to develop after his conquest
a government that ran efficiently as well as being loyal to him
why did william not need to make significant changes to government used by saxons
- william ruled with strength of his character
- made sure no one challenged his power
- secured his position in central goverment
- consulted earls on important decisions and made them feel valued
- retained most of land to himself giving him power and income
did fitzosbern and bishop odo do a good job
yes, a few rebellions but none were successful
why did william make smaller earldoms
so that earls couldn’t get too powerful
when did william order the domesday survey
christmas 1085
what was the goal of the domesday survey
to detail how much land that he, lords and bishops owned
how long did the domesday survey take
under a year using the efficient anglo saxon system
how did william record land in the domesday survey
sent his men all around the country to measure value of land and record results in domesday book
what did the domesday book allow wiliam to do
- tax his people effectively because he knew everyone’s income
- showed the english people he was a powerful and rich man
what did the domesday book prevent
people lying about their wealth and avoiding tax
what is one possible reason of the domesday book
in 1085, faced a threat of danish invasion and had to raise an army which cost him lots
what is another possible reason of the domesday book
gave land to bishops in 1066 and didn’t record who he was giving it to
how was bishop odo related to william
half-brother
why did william appoint odo as bishop of bayeux
william wanted someone he could trust as bayeux very important
what was bishop odo’s main interest
military and political issues rather than the church
what was the value of the land that william gave to bishop odo
£3,000 a year which was a lot in comparison to other wealthy men who were £750 a year
which earldom was bishop odo head of and why was it important
kent which was important against rebellions and invasions, proved his worth by defending kent in 1067 against william’s former ally
who did bishop odo share his power with while he was regent
archbishop lanfranc
what role did bishop odo have during the revolt of the earls in 1075
led the army which ended earl of norfolk which won william the battle
what role did bishop odo have in 1080
lead the army that devastated northumbria after killing of bishop of durham
why did william imprison odo
failed to obey order when told to stop a planned military exedition to italy, which contained troops william needed in 1082
when was odo released from prison
5 years after
