Norman England - Part Two - Life under the Normans

Question 1

Feudilism

William asserting his authority

Answer 1

• introduced after 1066
• william took land from anglo saxons - gave to loyal norman barons (everyone had to swear loaths of loyalty)
• king owned all land -> gave some to barrons (tenants in cheif) -> gave some land to knights (in return for military service) -> gave land to villeins (in return for crops)
• introduced primogeniture so land would not get so divided. (only the first born son gets the land + if no son land returns to william

Question 2

Domesday Book

Answer 2

• established type of land, population, resources
• dec 1085
• commisioners sent around each shire
• established normans are legal owners of england
• sorted out legal disputes over land
• established possible military services
• saw the taxes possibles

Question 3

Norman towns - changes + growth

Answer 3

Growth
- normans encouraged people to be attracted to markets -> increasing trade
- cathedrals + abbeys + castles attracted people
- towns grew around ports + important roads
- people moved to learn new skills

Changes

• ## at a certain size towns could apply for charters from the king to become independent -> govern themselves (e.g set own taxes and elect a mayor + concil)

guilds - joined together trades

Question 4

Norman Villages - Changes and Differences

Answer 4

Structure:
- 90% lived in country
- controlled by lord of the manor
- lived in cottages + grew crops + grazed animals
- central stone church
- open field system fields for crops divided in strips of land (not by hedges)
- peasants worked in the land - owned by landowner

Differences
- only main difference had a new norman land lord

Question 5

Importance of Sheriffs

Answer 5

• directly choosen by the king
• controlled shires
• replaced anglo-saxon sheriffs

legal control:
- had their own courts for minor issues
- allowed royal court to only handle important matters
- allowed william to have trusted employees all across the country
- organized the fryd

finacial
- collected taxes
- gave william guarrenteed income from each area -> used in event of war
- also collected rents + debts _ fines

Question 6

Changes to Keeping Law and Order

Answer 6

Shire Courts - divided into shires, met twice a year for land disputes + taxes + crime -> large A-S earldoms replaced with smaller norman earldoms

Hundred Courts: shires divided in 100rds (120 acres) courts sorted local issues (e.g. land) -> met more frequently than sire courts + run by sheriff deputy

Iheritance: common to deivide land amongst families in A-S -> primogentire

The oath system: A-S people made oath of allegince + whole family punished if they commited major crime -> Murdrum fines

Murdrum fines - fine for whole area is norman earl murdered

Question 7

Law and Order - Ordeals + Punishments

Answer 7

Anglo-Saxon Law:
- blood feud
- trial by ordeal (gods test):
cold water - (men)
hot water - (men) hand into boiling water -> lift out object -> arm banaged -> innocent if in three days it was healing
trial by hot iron - (women)

Norman Law:
- kept trials
- intro duced trial by combat: if nobleman accused on crime hed fight the accuser + winner was right
- forest laws
- laws written in latin - easir to enforce