Norman Conquest: Causes for Conquest Flashcards
1
Q
The Norman connection
A
1016 - Aethelred the Unready dies and Canute is King. Emma, Alfred and Edward flee to Normandy; Emma is forced to return by Richard Duke of Normandy
1017 - Emma marries Canute
1035 - Canute dies
2
Q
The English connection
A
- English’s was ruled by Canute as part of the empire
- divided into 4: Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria and East Anglia
- Earls become the most powerful men: Wessex was the wealthiest
3
Q
The Viking connection
A
- 10th Century the English paid the Vikings to stop raiding, but they never did
- 1016, Canute killed Aethelred and ruled over England for the next 20 years
4
Q
Society and people
A
- organised into a hierarchy where people were ordered by their level of importance
- King and church at the top followed by Earls and peasants at the bottom
- there were 2 million people living in Britain but very few lived in the northern and western parts of the country
5
Q
Religion
A
Anglo Saxons were very religious and were all Christians who followed the Roman Catholic Church
- believed the the people was God’s personal representative on earth
- the church provided rules for living, was a major land owner, heard legal cases and set rules on marriage and inheritance
6
Q
Wealth
A
- very wealthy and often a target for foreign raiders like the vikings
- had many good natural resources and could establish good trading links with other countries
- Canute encouraged trading with Denmark and Norway, Edward had strong trade links with France as he grew up in Normandy
- it had one of the most developed economic systems on the world
7
Q
Defence
A
- the king and earls has around 2500 to 3000 Housecarls who were professionals well trailed soldiers
8
Q
The Godwin’s
A
- powerful ruling family who controlled the Earldom of Wessex
- most powerful of the four Earls after Canute
- it was wealthy yet controlled and run by Earl Godwin
