Normans 2 Flashcards
Lord
Anyone who has other people dependent on them for land
Anglo-Saxon feudal system hierachy
- slaves
- peasants - villeins
- peasants - coerls
- thegns
- earls
- king
Anglo-Saxon slaves
- fewest rights
- agricultural work in return for shelter and food
- property of coerls
Anglo-Saxon villeins
- few rights
- property of thegns
Anglo-Saxon coerls
- worked on thegn’s land 2/3 days a week
- paid thegn taxes - pig in return for right to keep their herd in a forest
Anglo-Saxon thegns
- looked after land for earls
- helped run local courts
- could be called upon for army for 40 days a year
- granted land to coerls
- over 4000
Anglo-Saxon earls
- controlled land (earldoms) owned by king in return for loyalty to king
- shared land among thegns
- 6 major earldoms by 1066
Anglo-Saxon king
- ruled kingdom
- richest person in kingdom
- owned most the land (some owned by church)
- responsible for protecting country from invaders
- oversaw running of country as head of government
Norman feudal system order
- slaves
- peasants - villeins
- peasants - freemen
- knights
- tenants in chief
- king
What happened to slaves after 1066
Numbers constantly decreased as church didn’t approve of slavery
Norman knights
- looked after land for tenants in chief + paid them tax
- could be called upon to serve in army
- swore fealty to king
- about 5000
Norman tenants in chief
- held land directly from king
- swore fealty to king
- provided King with knights
- shared income from land with King
- granted some land to followers
- archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, barons
Marches
- areas in between England + Wales
- always under attack
Marcher lords
- 3 most trusted barons given land on marches (became marshes)
- could make laws, raise army, build castles without asking king
Vassalic bonds
King + lords gave land to subjects (vassals) in return for loyalty - how feudal system worked
Homage
Public demonstration of loyalty - tenants-in-chief knelt before the king
How did William’s 1070 tactic change affect nobility
- William systematically replaced Anglo-Saxon nobles with Normans
- almost all replaced by 1086
How did William change estates
Divided larger areas of controlled land into smaller estates to maintain control
How did Norman primogeniture affect land
- Anglo-Saxon England - land divided equally between landholder’s children when died
- Norman England - land went to eldest son, if there wasn’t one, land went to lord
- limited landholding
- made money king + lords - eldest son had to pay for inherited land or seized (payment was called relief)
What was land of tenant-in-chief divided into
Shires
Who governed shires
Shire-reeves (became Sheriffs)
What were shires divided ino
‘Hundreds’ made up of multiple villages
Who controlled hundreds
Sheriffs and deputies
Role of sheriffs
- supervising collection of fines + taxes
- judging civil/criminal cases in local courts
- organising/leading military forces
- managing royal demesne (Norman
Problem with sheriffs
Giving them power meant earls had less influence over how their land was managed - led to resentment and maybe earls revolt
Royal demesne
Around 20% of land in Kingdom that William kept for personal use
How did William use royal writs
- legality
- more direct role in running whole kingdom
- made sure tenants-in-chiefs weren’t running their own land
How did William use chanceries
- moved around the country with the king
- produced documents (including writs) the king needed to help govern
Curia Regis
Advised king on how to govern kingdom like Anglo-Saxon witan - made up of tenants-in-chief
Why didn’t William make many changes to Saxon legal system
- already well developed and worked well
- legality
Problem with Saxon legal system
Courts operated in different ways in different parts of country
How did Normans deal with inconsistency of Saxon legal system
Made their legal system more centralised/consistent across country
What of the Saxon legal system did William keep
- tithings
- hue and cry
- trial by ordeal
- shire courts
- hundreds courts
- kings courts
Trial by ordeal
- used if court couldn’t come to verdict
- e.g- trial by cold water: convicted thrown into water blessed by priest, if floated, God rejected them - guily
Tithings
- groups of 10 men aged 12+
- brought each other to justice or all would be punished
Hue and cry
- victim shouts if crime is committed
- everyone must chase them
What laws did Normans introduce
Forest laws
Forest laws
- royal forest - large private areas for king to hunt in
- ordinary people blinded + castrated for entering
What trial did Normans introduce
Trial by combat
Trial by combat
- accused + accuser would fight to the death
- whoever won was telling truth as God was on their side
What punishment did Normans introduce
Murdrum fine
Murdrum fine
If Norman official killed, if killer not caught, whole town would pay large fine
Shire courts
- overseen by sheriff
- dealt with criminals of land/propery crimes
Hundred courts
- less serious crimes - stealing livestock or failing to repay small debts
- overseen by bailiff
New Norman courts
- church courts
- lords/honorial courts
Church courts
Dealt with ecclesiastical issues
Lords/honorial courts
Resolved land disputes between lords’s vassals
Kings courts
- overseen by king
- dealt with serious crimes - murder, treason, rape
- royal pleas heard
When was the Domesday book ordered
December 1085
When was Domesday survey carried out
1086
Why was Domesday survey carried out
- maintain control - make sure nobody had more power than king
- tax everyone according to how much money they have/earn - obtain enough money whilst facing Scandinavian threat
- provided military info for same reason - e.g- number of knights
- resolve future land disputes using records
How was Domesday survey carried out
- 13,000 manors visited
- Little Domesday - Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex
- Greater Domesday - everywhere else
Problems with Domesday book
- not everywhere covered (Winchester/London)
- only heads of households asked
- no monks/nuns asked
- William died before completion
- commissioners spoke Latin/French - communication issues
What did the Domesday book discover
- most land owned by Normans
- 63% Norman population
- 24% English population
How did peasant lives change due to Normans
They didn’t really
Where did most Normans live
- small villages, all over country
- villages corresponded to a manor (area of land) owned by lord, where peasants worked
Agricultural life of peasant in Norman villages
- farmed land for lord by hand (no machinery)
- ploughed fields + planted seeds at beginning of year
- harvested crops to to give to Lord in summer/autumn
- most peasants also had own land to grow crops on
- some villagers would be blacksmiths/carpenters
Living challenges for Norman peasants
- unpleasant/unhygienic conditions - 1 room houses, no windows, floor of earth with straw layer on top (wattle and daub)
- ate what they could grow/catch - wheat/rye/fruits/fish
- bad harvest - peasants could starve
- forest laws made hunting more difficult
How did Normans increse number of towns
- created 21 new towns 1066-1100
- about 100 towns by 1100
Features in Norman towns
- trade centres
- castles
- churches
- cathedrals
- market centres
Norman craftsmen jobs
- butcher
- baker
- tailor
- shoemaker
- carpenter
- stone maker
Norman craftsmen
- started as apprentice (teenage boy who worked for 7 years) - worked for master craftsman to learn skills
- left master to earn money themselves
Norman merchants
- conquest caused increased trade with Normandy + rest of France
- imported wine/wool
- sold goods on high street / market
Problems with town conditions
- unhygienic + crowded - spread of disease
- rubbish and waste
- low life expectancy
- some traders sold poor goods - spiced meat to hide rotten taste (difficult to preserve fresh meat)
Richer jobs in towns
- doctor
- lawyer
- Jewish moneylender
