Normans Flashcards
1
Q
The nature, structure and diversity of Anglo-Saxon England
A
- England was divided into shires (counties) which each had several royal burhs (fortified towns) where local people could go for safety
- England was efficiently governed, with kings setting up mints which produced coins to encourage trade and ease taxation, making it one of the most wealthiest states in Europe
- The King had advisors - the Witan - made up of earls who helped the king make decisions, as well as choose the next king. Earls owned lots of land were rich and powerful. Thegns were below earls who collected taxes and ran local courts for the king
- Ceorls farmed the land and owned some land of their own or paid rent to a lord. They were expected to serve in the kings ‘fyrd’ (army). Thralls were at the bottom and were slaves. They had no value and were poorly treated
2
Q
Religion in the late Anglo-Saxon England
A
- Roman Catholic Church came to England in 597 and Anglo-Saxons gradually converted
- The English didn’t follow the church’s rules such as eating and drinking too much and being sexually immoral
- The Church was reformed by St Dunstan in the 10th century by ending corruption, and rebuilding monasteries, abbeys and churches. However, the Viking invasion stopped reformations and the church wasn’t able to recover
- Stigand was made Archbishop of Canterbury in 1052 but he was very corrupt and broke many Church rules such as holding two church positions at once. The Pope disapproved
3
Q
Anglo-Saxon culture
A
- Anglo-Saxons made many fine pieces of artwork, made with precious jewels and metals. These included some of the finest examples of engraving
- Anglo-Saxon literature had a huge variety with many pieces of literature, maps and sermons, such as Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon chronicle
- Anglo-Saxon buildings were made from wood with some being beautifully decorated with carved woodwork, fine plasterwork and painted walls. Some churches were made of stone but many were wooden with a stone cross where people worshipped around
4
Q
Norman society, culture and warfare pre-1066
A
- Normandy was one of the strongest fiefs in France, starting as a Viking colony. They doubled their territory and brutally crushed rebellions under Rollo the Walker. This made Normandy very stable
- Dukes built up the strengths of their private armies, providing loyal supporters with armour and weapons. They had also mastered fighting on horseback which proved to be advantageous. Many knights were brutal thugs who used their own power to take as much tax and rent as they wanted from the people who lived on the land under their control
- Knights defended their land that gave them their wealth with castles - ringwork or motte and bailey
- The Normans gradually converted to Christianity and built many fine new monasteries
- When William was 8 years old, his father had died making him Duke of Normandy. However, he was far too young to rule and many knights grabbed what land and power they could. This made Normandy very unstable. In 1047, a full-scale revolt broke out which William brutally crushed. He then made a political marriage to Matilda of Flanders
5
Q
The succession crisis
A
- Edward the Confessor had no children and 4 claimants to the throne: Edgar Aethling, Harold Godwinson, Harald Hardrada and William of Normandy
- Harold Godwinson became king in 6 January with the support of the Witan. William did not accept this and took action
- William said that in 1-51, Edward promised him the throne with Harold sent in 1064 to confirm the promise and also swear an oath to support William’s claim
- The English however, said that Harold went fishing and his boat was blown across and he was forced to swear an oath before William let him go
- William prepared for invasion and had the support of the Pope, with a papal banner to carry into battle as a sign God was on their side
6
Q
The battles of Fulford, Stamford Bridge and Hastings
A
- Hardrada invaded England with Tostig, Harold’s brother who was angry after losing his earldom. Harold had to march up to the North with Edwin and Morcar driven back by Hardrada in the Battle of Fulford
- Harold launched a surprise attack on a river crossing called Stamford Bridge. Hardrada and Tostig were killed and the Norwegians surrendered
- On 28 September, William’s army landed on at Pevensey and he encouraged his men to raid the area. He quickly built defences
- On 14 October, The Battle of Hastings began with the Normans pounding the English defensive wall. The wall didn’t budge until the Normans feigned a retreat. This caused the English to break line and end up being killed. The Normans did the same and Harold was killed by an arrow. The English tried to flee but were killed by the Normans
7
Q
The first uprisings (1066-68)
A
- After the Battle of Hastings, William rested his troops for 2 weeks. The surrender never came and Edgar Aethling was made king. He torched all houses outside the walls of London and eventually Edgar surrendered the kingdom
- Edric the Wild, with the help of Welsh princes led some raids which were never serious. He lost most of his lands to Norman knights so he carried out these raids
- Gytha (Harold’s mother) fled to Exeter and sent her grandsons to gather an army in Ireland to drive out the Normans. She also contacted the Danish king, hoping they would invade as well. William send his army out and they surrendered. William pardoned them and in return for their loyalty, they weren’t punished
8
Q
Rebellions in the North (1068-70)
A
- In the summer of 1068, William heard that the North were planning a rebellion, led by Edgar Aethling. William gathered an army and headed north, building castles at Warwick and Nottingham. When he got to York, the rebels left and Edwin and Morcar surrendered so he built a castle. On his way back, he built more castles at Lincoln, Huntingdon and Cambridge
- In 1069, William appointed Robert of Comines to put down the rebels in Durham but everyone was killed, sparking Aethling to rebel in York. William retook York.
- In September 1069, the Danes invaded aided with the rebels led by Aethling. They plundered York and withrew in Lincolnshire. Rebels occurred along the Welsh border, and in the south-west
- In 1070, William paid the Danes to leave, and sent his troops out in the Harrying of the North, leading to famine and many people dying
9
Q
Rebellions in the East (1070-71)
A
- In 1070, the Danes arrived back in England, and captured Ely. Hereward - an English thegn - joined forces with the Danes
- William persuaded the Danes who were hungry and tired to leave with their loot. Hereward stayed and gained power, with many leaders such as Edwin and Morcar joining their sides, as well as warriors for a rebellion
- By 1071, William marched to Ely and ordered his soldiers to build a causeway. His army reached Ely and the English surrendered with leaders imprisoned and rebels’ hands cut off or eyes gouged out. Hereward fled and this was the last major uprising against William
10
Q
Pre-Conquest fortifications and the first Norman castles
A
- Anglo-Saxons had royal burhs (fortified towns) and sometimes burh-geats, to show status
- Castles were vital to William’s conquest to help him secure land. At Pevensey, William used the remains of a Roman fort and strengthened the walls. At Hastings, the Normans used the remains of an Iron Age fort. In London, William built the Tower of London
11
Q
The distribution and design of Norman castles
A
- Castles were unpopular among Anglo-Saxons as the English were often forced to build the castles. William also raised taxes to build castles and the locals were treated badly by Norman lords
- Castles were built in key towns to protect the road so William could move his army around England. The Tower of London and Norwich castle were both built of limestone to show wealth and status. The Tower of London was also used to dominate the English capital and Durham castle was built to impose power over Scottish borders and crush rebellions
- By 1071, 35 castles were built across England. When William died in 1087, there were around 500, used to settle and manage the land
- Most castles were motte and bailey. built from timber on top of a motte. Few were built from stone with some having ringworks if they were built on existing defences instead of a motte
12
Q
Domesday Book - Creation and purpose
A
- Ordered in December 1085 when The Danes and Count of Flaunders had joined forces to invade England. Little Domesday (covering Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk) and Great Domesday (the rest of the kingdom) was ordered to record every piece of land and item of property in the country
- In spring of 1086, inquests - special sessions of the shire court - were held to make final decisions on who owned what land
- The Domesday book was created to see if William could get more money to defend the country as well as show that the Normans had the legal right to the land, and William was the undisputed ruler of England
13
Q
The social structure of Norman England including changes in land ownership and the elite
A
- William rewarded the men who fought for him by giving land of English earls and thegns who died in Hastings. By 1086, only 4 of William’s 180 tenants-in-chief were English. Many English elite migrated to Scandinavia
- William made sure his nobles couldn’t build a power base to challenge him by spreading out their land. Normans often built castles and treated the people who lived on these lands harshly with high rents
- Areas that rebelled had harsh consequences, such as Yorkshire being 25% of the 1066 population due to the Harrying of the North. Most people worked on the land with peasants being forced to build castles and pay high rents. Norman landowners increased their oncome of lands by 30% from 1066 to 1086
- Normans took control of markets, charging traders high rents and tolls, as well as exploiting the efficient system for collecting taxes
14
Q
Changes and continuities: language, laws and Church
A
- Two new laws were introduced - if a Norman was killed, the local community would have to pay a huge fine called the Murdrum and the Forest Law introduced harsh punishments for hunting in William’s royal forests. Killing a rabbit would get two fingers cut off
- The ruling class spoke French, the difference clear between conquerors and conquered. However, the languages began to blend, making English richer and more flexible
- William rebuilt the cathedrals, replacing them with larger, Norman style buildings. He also revived monasteries, building new ones and replacing old ones. Few Anglo-Saxons saints survived as the Normans dedicated churches to their own saints
