Medieval realms Flashcards
What is a fyrd?
A fyrd is a normal person with no training called to fight for the king
What is a housecarl?
A full time fully trained soldier. Armed with a heavy battle axe.
What is a rebellion?
An attempt to overthrow someone in power.
Shield wall?
A wall of shields held together to form a wall
What happened in the battle of Stamford bridge?
300 longboats carried Harald Hardrada’s men to England. On September the 25th, Harold and his army surprised the Vikings with and attack. The. I kings didn’t expect him to be here so early, and they were caught napping. They were unprepared and The battle of Stamford bridge began. There was one brave Viking who guarded Stamford bridge alone, and he killed lots of Saxon men. The Saxons, unable to get past him, had to get rid of him. He was finally killed when a Saxon floated down the river in a barrel and stabbed him from under the bridge. After, Harold’s army charged in to fight Hardrada and Tostig’s men ( Tostig was Harold’s brother who supported hardrada’s claim to the throne.) Finally, Hardrada was killed and so was Tostig, and Harold won this round.
What happened in the battle of Hastings?
On the 14th of October, 1066, the battle of Hastings took place. The Normans had landed in Pevensey and took over Hastings, to provoke Harold to come down and fight. Harold, after fighting Hardrada at the North, had to march down immediately from the north. The two armies met in senlac hill, the hill named “lake of blood” after the battle of Hastings. The Saxons settled themselves at the top of the hill, in which the not,and settled at the bottom. This was an advantage for the Saxons as they had height advantage. As well as that, they formed a tight shield wall the deflect arrows and other things. During the battle, it was thought that William had died, but when the Normans started getting downhearted, William pulled off his helmet and shouted words of encouragement. At first, William couldn’t possibly break through the shield wall, but later, he thought of a cunning plan to break through. He ordered his men to pretend retreat.the Saxons, thinking they had won, chased after them. The Normans then turned around and killed the Saxons. The Saxons were slowly wiped out one by one, as the Normans kept repeating the same trick. At last, Harold was killed after a wound in his eye and William won the battle of Hastings. Most of the housecarls fought till the end, but many fyrds ran away.
When was William crowned?
Christmas Day, December, 1066.
What were William’s 4 problems after the battle?
- The possibility that Vikings will invade from the north.
- The possibility that London is taken over
- A fort near Dover is filled with angry soldiers and William must prevent them from rebelling.
- William’s army is tired.
What caused the harrying in the north?
William gave Northumberland to Robert. The english didn’t like the idea and rebelled against him.
What did the English do during the harrying of the north?
The English went and killed Robert and his men.
What did William do in the harrying of the north?
Angry, he ordered his army to kill the English but the Vikings turned up and killed his army. Therefore, William himself marched up to fight the Vikings, killed them and burnt the crops in the north to starve the people as a punishment.
Why did William burn his crops?
William burnt the crops to cause famine. This sent a message to the English- if you mess with William, you die. 100,000 people died of starvation.
Define motte:
Mound of earth where the small look out fort was located.
Bailey?
A large yard with storerooms, kitchens, stables and guard rooms.
Keep?
A tower which was the highest and safest place in the castle.
Ditch?
A hole around the castle. If filed with water called a moat
Drawbridge?
A bridge that could be lowered down to allow people to cross the ditch.
Palisade?
The wooden fence surrounding the Bailey.
What was the doomsday book? Why was it made?
It was made to let the new king know more about his new country. It filled two books at contained every single detail of what each person possessed. It contained more or less 2 million words and ensured that the king knew how much he could tax people and how much his country was worth.
How did the feudal system work?
The king owned all the land, and he shares them out between his barons. In return, the barons had to do homage, pay tax and provide knights for the king. The barons then shared their land between Knights, where the Knights had to swear loyalty to them, pay for land and fight for them if needed. The Knights then lent land to the peasants who worked the land and in return had to farm the land and pay tax. Anyone who was above you in this system was called your Lord.
Why did William build castles?
To defend himself because of rebellions.
What was wrong with square towers?
They could be undermined and they would collapse.