Establishing And Maintaining Control

Question 1

When did William win the battle of Hastings?

Answer 1

14th October 1066

Question 2

Name some ways William established control

Answer 2

Terror, military presence, patronage (E.g. giving land and positions or power to people to insure their loyalty) concessions (E.g. compromising or giving enemies what they want to make them support you) and legality ( William showing he was the rightful king of England)

Question 3

How did William use terror when dealing with the powerful English lords?

Answer 3

Sealed the land and disinherited the families of those who dies at Hastings giving it normans who fought for him making them loyal

Question 4

How did William use use military presence to deal with early revolts and when?

Answer 4

1067 - 1068 normans built castles wherever they went usually forcing the English to build them for them

Question 5

How did William use terror when dealing with the early revolts and when?

Answer 5

1067 William violently crushed rebellions that got more serious over the following two years

Question 6

When was the harrying of the north?

Answer 6

1069

Question 7

Give evidence suggesting William used terror in the harrying of the north

Answer 7

• 100,000 were killed and the domesday book written in 1086 records 80% of Yorkshire as waste
• in jan 1069, Norman wake Robert of Comines was murdered
• bishop of Durham’s house was set on fire

Question 8

How did William use concessions in the Harrying of the North?

Answer 8

William payed the Vikings to return to their 240 ships that invaded in the summer of 1069 and leave

Question 9

Why was it serious the earls revolted?

Answer 9

They were high in power

Question 10

Who was willing to help the Northern Earls overthrow William?

Answer 10

Anglo Saxons, Normans, Danish king court, Brittany and France

Question 11

Give examples of resentment against William

Answer 11

• Waltheof got lands in south England amd became Earl in 1072 but was only given the northern half of Northumbria and was much less wealthy than Norman Earls
• in 1069, Ralph defended Norwich against Danish attach but didn’t have as much power as his father

Question 12

Give some opportunities for Earls to revolt

Answer 12

-The rebels timed their attack for when William was in Normandy
-William introduce his sheriffs into marcher earldoms instead of the Earls being able to control everything themselves causing Roger
Earl of Hereford to experience a loss of authority

Question 13

What gave Ralph earl of Norfolk opportunity to revolt?

Answer 13

By inheriting most of his fathers lands and tittles after his death in 1069

Question 14

How were the armies of the Earls prevented from combining?

Answer 14

Troops of Bishop Wulfstan of Worcester and abbot of Evesham used their troops to stop Roger crossing the servern river

Question 15

Why did the revolt fail?

Answer 15

Poorly planned with little support and Danes didn’t arrive in time to provide support for the rebellion

Question 16

What did the Archbishop use excommunication for?

Answer 16

To cut off Roger from the church until he dropped his plans for the revolt

Question 17

How many castles did the Normans build and when?

Answer 17

1066 - 1086, built around 500 motte and Bailey castles

Question 18

What was the motte of a castle?

Answer 18

Large mound of earth around 5-7 meters high, fireproof and was quick to build with enough peasant labour (though around 4-9 months to build)

Question 19

What was the keep of a castle?

Answer 19

Strong wooden tower lookout point and attack position for archers to defend

Question 20

How could you access the keep of a motte and bailey castle?

Answer 20

Up steep steps into the motte or sometimes through a sort of bridge

Question 21

What was the Bailey in a motte and bailey castle?

Answer 21

Enclosure between the motte and protected the palisade and outer defences allowing local people and livestock to take shelter their during attacks

Question 22

What was the palisade of a motte and bailey castle?

Answer 22

Strong fence made of solid timber

Question 23

What was the gatehouse of a motte and bailey castle?

Answer 23

Controlled access to the castle

Question 24

What was the ditch around a motte and bailey castle for?

Answer 24

To protect the palisade and sometimes a drawbridge could be pulled up to defend the gatehouse

Question 25

What did Anglo Saxons used to build?

Answer 25

Burhs ( fortified towns )

Question 26

When where stone keeps added?

Answer 26

1070 and by 1100, all new castles were made of stone

Question 27

What did castles symbolise?

Answer 27

Norman suppression of Anglo Saxons as they were a visible distinction between the rulers and the ruled

Question 28

What were Norman castles primarily built for?

Answer 28

To protect nobility from hostile locals

Question 29

How close where castles, what did this allow?

Answer 29

No significant town was over a days march from a castle allowing the Normans to deal with any rebellions swiftly

Question 30

Why did Hereward the Wake rebel against William?

Answer 30

William and the Northern Earls confiscated heward’s fathers land and his brothers

Question 31

Give a famous attack involving Hereward the Wake

Answer 31

The attack on Peterborough when in 1070, Hereward, king Sweyn and Moncar launches a series of Guerrilla style attacks in the marshlands and Finland’s of East Anglia

Question 32

How did William first try to stop Hereward?

Answer 32

Besieged the island of Ely and built a 3km long compartment with a castellion which then sank into the marshland as too many Norman soldiers crossed at once

Question 33

What was the second thing William did to try and stop Hereward?

Answer 33

Built a sledge tower and brought in a local witch to torment rebels but then Hereward set fire to the area burning the sledge tower and bridge. Hereward was then betrayed by monks and disappeared after the rebels surrendered

Question 34

How did William clear a path for his coronation?

Answer 34

-Burned down much of Romney for killing Normans
-made citizens of Canterbury swear loyalty out of fear of violent attacks
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Question 34

How did William peacefully deal with powerful English lords?

Answer 34

• claimed he was promised the throne by Edward the Confessor
• gave new Norman lords land for fighting in Hastings (1067-1069)
• gave land to English lords who pledged loyalty