history anglo-saxons Flashcards
The king and the earls
the king was the most powerful person in the land. in order to govern the country the king gave some of his power to earls and took advice from the witan.
Power of the king:
- only kings could make new laws
-king grant land to loyal men or take it as punishment
- fyrd: king could raise the fyrd army and fleet
- king was chosen by God to lead his people
- decided when and how much a tax should be paid
The Witan - a council that advised the king, but it didn’t limit the king’s power.
The Earls - the most important men in the country after the king and governed large areas of England for the king.
the rival claimants for the throne
Harold Godwinson:
-appointed successor by the king on his deathbed
-supported by many including the Witan
Edgar Aethling:
-royal blood, descendant of king Alfred the great
-strong in theory but had nothing to back it up with
-however, a teenager and the threat of invasion would have been too great.
Harald Hardrada:
-based on a secret deal between two other Vikings
-his claim however was weak
-Hardrada had 300 ships and 15,000 warriors so had a decent chance of success
William of Normandy:
-an agreement with King Edward following Harold’s embassy to Normandy.
-backed by the pope but lacked evidence.
-good chance of success based of military strength
Gate Fulford and Stamford Bridge
Events of Battle of gate Fulford:
-Edwin and Morcar were outnumbered
-Hardrada hit the English from the side as they formed a shield wall to attack Tostig’s weaker troops
-Many English were killed/wounded and unavailable against the Norman invasion. Hardrada and Tostig also took many hostages
-Harold was forced North to deal with Hardrada and Tostig, with consequences for Battle of Hastings
Battle of Stamford Bridge:
-Harold’s army surprised the Viking army at Stamford Bridge
-Harold was victorious and both Hardrada and Tostig were killed
-As they were surprised the Vikings left their armour on the ships and the English broke their shield wall.
However, when Harold was in the North William invaded the South.
Battle of Hastings
Norman knights:
-highly trained, heavily-armoured mounted knights with a height advantage leading devastating attacks
-horses were vulnerable to attack and were bad whilst attacking up a hill
English knights:
-disciplined shield wall, housecarls had good chemistry
-if shield wall breaks, very vulnerable mainly to arrows
Key events:
-Harold’s surprise attack failed as William’s scouts saw
-William had to attack up hill and the battle was 8 hours
-English shield wall knew how to catch Norman’s arrows
-William’s foot soldiers and knights were beaten by the shield wall. English housecarls great damage to horses and men
-Norman army fled when they thought William had died and the English fyrdsmen broke the shield wall meaning the Norman knights then charged them and caused great damage and killing Harold.
