Norman England Flashcards
Why was Edward appointed king after harthacanute?
He was his half brother.
harthacanute invited him probably because he was ill.
Who were the Godwin family?
A very powerful family
What did the Godwin family do in 1051?
Rebelled against Edward
What happened to Edward In 1066
He died with no heir to the throne
What did Harold godwinson do next?
Made himself king the day after Edwards death
What was harolds claim to the throne, name 3 reasons.
- he was the richest man in England
- Harold was a skilful military leader
- has the support of the Witan (kings council)
- he claimed before Edward died said he wanted Harold to be the next king
What was William duke of Normandy’s claims to throne, name 3
- William was a distant cousin of Edward
- there had been strong trade links between Normandy and England
- Normandy helped england against the Viking threat
- William has sent soldiers to help Edward deal with the Godwin rebellion
- William was a powerful day arrive who had won many battles
What was Harald hardradas claim to throne, give 3 reasons
- Because of a promise made to his father
- an experienced ruler
- famous warrior
- harald was supported by tostig godwinson one of harolds brothers
- people supported a Viking king up north
Who were the most important soldiers in harolds army
The housecarls- full time professional soldiers in the Saxon army
Who else fought for Harold
- thefts(knights)
- ordinary men(Fryd)
- subjects to provide a navy to defend south coast
Did William have an army
No
He called on his lords to bring themselves and their knights to fight with him
Why did the people of Normandy agree to fight for William
Because of his reputation of being a warrior
Papal banner which the pope had given him to show that god was on his side
What did William ask his vassals to give him?(lords)-vassals
Ships
600-700 ships in total
How many men did William have
7000 and up to 3000 horses
Who did Harold have to deal with before he had to deal with William
The Vikings- harald hadrada and tostig godwinson
What did harald and tostig do at the battle of fulford
They defeated English earls Edwin and morcar, and the Viking’s captured York
What did Harold do next??
Regathered his army and marched north quickly
For a surprise attack
What happened on 25 September - give a brief summary - battle
Hardradas army was out of town to collect payments and hostages from local leaders and Harold army surprised them at Stamford bridge and won a stunning victory. Hardrada and tostig were killed. And the vikings were destroyed
While Harold was still up north what did William do
He landed in pevensey and immediately secured his position
What were the advantages for William of pevensey
It had an old roman fort and large bay so was a perfect landing spot
And the normans quickly built a castle and built castles in Hastings too
What did Harold do next
Marched to London and gathered a new army there.
But rather than wait in London Harold set off to fight William to surprise him and stop Norman’s terrorising the locals
Was William shocked about this attack?
No. He expected it and his army rode out to meet harolds on the morning on 14 October
What did harolds men do?
Formed up on senlac ridge a hill near Hastings, the sides of the army were protected by woodland and the ground was damp and difficult
-the Saxons formed a shield wall on foot, a strong defensive position, Harold only needed to stop the normans from taking the hill
What did Williams men then do
William attacked them shield wall with archers and foot soldiers. The hill made it difficult for the cavalry to charge at a great speed so the English shield wall stayed firm
