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GCSE History > Normans Unit 2 > Flashcards

Normans Unit 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

What 5 main things did the Normans introduce to ensure they had a strong and organised England?

A
  1. Feudal system
  2. Military control
  3. Domesday book
  4. Legal system
  5. Changes to the government
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2
Q

What was the order of the Anglo Saxon feudal system? START FROM THE STOP

A

King
Earls
Thegns
Peasants
Slaves

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3
Q

What was the order of the Norman feudal system? START FROM THE STOP

A

King
Barons, earls, bishops, lords and abbots
Knights
Peasants
Salves

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4
Q

Who was the most important in the Norman feudal system?

A

The king

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5
Q

Who was the most important in the Anglo Saxon feudal system?

A

The king

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6
Q

How much land did the king own in the Norman feudal system?

A

20%

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7
Q

How much land did the barons, earls, bishops, lords and abbots collectively own in the Norman feudal system?

A

55%

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8
Q

How much of the Saxon population of England were slaves? Did William agree with this?

A

10% - but William didn’t agree so he freed the slaves and turned them into villeins due to his religious beliefs

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9
Q

Characteristics of the king in the Norman feudal system?

A

Governed everything - most important

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10
Q

Characteristics of the barons, earls, bishops, lords and abbots in the Norman feudal system?

A

They are extremely rich and powerful

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11
Q

Characteristics of the knights in the Norman feudal system?

A

They fought battles for their lords
Controlled day to day village life

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12
Q

What were the two types of peasants in the Norman feudal system?

A
  1. Freeman
  2. Villeins
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13
Q

What were the two types of peasants in the Anglo Saxon feudal system?

A
  1. Ceorls
  2. Villeins
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14
Q

Characteristics of the freeman peasants in the Norman feudal system?

A

They were peasants who had rights and freedoms

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15
Q

Characteristics of the villein peasants in the Norman feudal system?

A

They worked for little pay
Couldn’t do much without their masters permission - considered property of the Lord
Made up most of the population recorded in the domesday book

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16
Q

Characteristics of the slaves in the Norman feudal system?

A

They earned no money and were the poorest of the poor - slaves were freed

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17
Q

What was given as you go down the Norman feudal system?

A
  1. William gave out land to his 200 barons, earls, bishops etc.
  2. Barons, earls, bishops etc. gave land to their knights
  3. Knights sometimes gave some land to their peasants in return for work
  4. The slaves were given no land
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18
Q

What was given as you go up the Norman feudal system?

A
  1. In return for their keep, the slaves support the peasants
  2. The peasant give loyalty to their knights
  3. The knights swear fealty to the Barons, Earls, Bishops etc.
  4. The Barons, Earls, Bishops etc. swore fealty and paid homage to the king - also promised money and military service
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19
Q

In conclusion, what did the Norman feudal system do?

A

Worked under patronage and fief - land was given in exchange for loyalty and providing military

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20
Q

Who is an example of someone that William performed patronage on?

A

Robert of Mortain - he was Earl of Cornwall for offering support to William and being his brother

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21
Q

How did the feudal system help the Norman’s coordinate and control England?

A

The King gains loyalty from the social groups below him - could be useful allies against a potential enemy
The King gets money - could be used to increase his army or build expensive castles

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22
Q

How did the feudal system not help the Norman’s coordinate and control England?

A

Some barons and earls still rebelled against the King e.g. rebellion of the Norman earls 1075 - thought they didn’t have enough power
There were land disputes

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23
Q

Anglo Saxons feudal system vs Norman feudal system: who owned land

A

Anglo-Saxon system: earls who land - these became too powerful and were abandoned by the Normans
Norman system: the distribution of land was more controlled to stop anyone becoming too wealthy

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24
Q

Anglo Saxons feudal system vs Norman feudal system: who fought/armies

A

Norman system: knights - formal and trained armies were being arranged and used
Anglo Saxon system: relied on unprofessional thegns

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25
Q

When was the Domesday book ordered?

A

December 1085

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26
Q

Why did William order the creation of the Domesday book in 1085?

A

There was a threat of invasion from the Vikings in 1085

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27
Q

What were the 3 main reasons of the creation of the Domesday book

A
  1. Taxes - to see who was being taxed what
  2. To see how many soldiers William could have if the Vikings invaded
  3. To solve land disputes which were created by the feudal system
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28
Q

How many towns and villages were recorded in the domesday book?

A

13,418 villages

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29
Q

What areas of England weren’t included in the domesday book? Why?

A

Durham and other parts of the north-east - the Bishop of Durham raised taxes there
Other parts of the north - the Normans did not yet have complete control over them
London and Winchester - could be because it was too complex a task there

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30
Q

How many books did the surveys taken actually fill?

A

2 books:
1. Little Domesday
2. Great Domesday

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31
Q

Why do historians think the book was called the ‘Domesday book’?

A

Believe it’s named after the biblical day ‘doomsday’ - the last day of judgement - created fear for the religious Saxons

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32
Q

How many words did the domesday book contain?

A

Over 2 million

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33
Q

What language was the domesday book written in?

A

Latin

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34
Q

Where were the surveys collected and made into the 2 books? By who?

A

Winchester by a man

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35
Q

Which monarch was the domesday book completed under?

A

William Rufus

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36
Q

How did the domesday book help William keep control?

A

If ensured everyone was paying the right amount of taxes and allowed William, to know how much taxes a village could pay him
Let him see how many soldiers he would have - prepared him for Viking invasion
Fear - ‘Domesday book’ reminds of the day of judgement creating for the the religious Saxons

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37
Q

What forms of military control did William put into place?

A
  1. Knights
  2. Marcher lords
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38
Q

What were the differences between the knights in the Anglo Saxons and in the Norman’s?

A

Anglo Saxons - didn’t swear an oath to their lords and most of them were untrained, thegns only provided service for 40 days

Normans - swore an oath to their Lord, they were trained and were either part of the infantry, cavalry or archers, knights provide service all year round

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39
Q

Who were the marcher lords?

A

Earls that were granted large areas of land near the border of wales - to prevent invasions on the Marches

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40
Q

Who were the 3 Earls entrusted with being marcher lords? What were their earldoms? Why?

A
  1. Earl of Chester - Hugh d’Avranches
  2. Earl of Shrewsbury - Roger of Montgomery
  3. Earl of Hereford - William FitzOsbern

BECAUSE HE TRUSTED THEM THE MOST

41
Q

Why were marcher lords used in Wales?

A

Wales was politically unstable - had 5 kingdoms all with different leaders
He wanted to prevent from the threat of attacks even though the Princes of Wales swore loyalty to William

42
Q

What extra powers did marcher lords have?

A

Made their own laws
Could build towns and castles without the king permission
Had their own army

43
Q

Why were marcher lords not 100% effective?

A

England only managed to have total control of wales in 1284 - way after the Norman’s

44
Q

How did military control help Norman’s keep control?

A

Knights - used for terror e.g. harrying of the north, king had access to them at all times and they swore loyalty to him - could use them whenever he wanted to prevent invasions
Marcher lords - had control over the border of Wales, prevented the threat of invasions on the border

45
Q

What were the 3 main changes made to the legal system?

A
  1. Changes made to Courts
  2. New legislation
  3. New methods of how law was enforced
46
Q

List the Norman court hierarchy system

A

The Kings court
Shire courts
Hundred courts
Lords courts
Manor courts

47
Q

What 2 courts were introduced by the Norman’s?

A
  1. Lords court
  2. Church court
48
Q

What was the Kings court used for?

A

The most severe cases - like treason and murder

49
Q

Who was in charge of the Kings court?

A

The king and royal officials

50
Q

What were the shire and hundreds courts used for?

A

Standard cases like unpaid debts and theft

51
Q

What were the Lords courts used for?

A

Property disputes

52
Q

What were the manor courts used for?

A

The most minute crimes like bad ploughing

53
Q

What were church courts used for?

A

Church related crimes like blasphemy

54
Q

What 2 pieces of legislation were introduced by the Norman’s?

A
  1. The forest laws
  2. The inheritance laws
55
Q

What were the forest laws?

A

When some local areas were forced to give up land for the Kings hunting pleasure
Ordinary people couldn’t use the kings land for hunting

56
Q

What were the inheritance laws?

A

Property was passed only to the eldest son - primogeniture - meant there were fewer landowners in the Norman system
If a land owner died with no heirs, the land was passed to a baron or straight to the King - giving the king more power

57
Q

Which people was the law enforced by?

A

Constables
Watchmen

58
Q

Who were constables?

A

They arrested people, broke up fights, prevented fires - they were paid very little

59
Q

Who were watchmen?

A

People who tried to make sure that people stuck to their curfew - caught criminals, prevented crime

60
Q

What were the other methods of preventing crime (not singular people)?

A

Hue and cry
Tithing
Oaths
Murdrum fine

61
Q

What was hue and cry?

A

When everyone in an area was on the look out for crime - if they saw crime happening, they’d alert the others and they would try and catch the criminal

62
Q

What was a tithing?

A

This was a group of 10-12 freemen - promised to prevent each other from committing a crime
If one of them did, they had to reveal the guilty one or risk the whole group being punished - but many guilty men escaped or joined the church

63
Q

What was an oath?

A

When people who knew the accused were called to give an account - to ensure they told the truth an oath was used where they swore in the Bible they weren’t lying

64
Q

What is a murdrum fine?

A

If a Norman was killed and the criminal wasn’t found in 5 days, the hundred would be fined - made the king richer

65
Q

What trials determined if someone was guilty or not?

A

Trial by ordeal (cold water & hot iron)
Trial by battle

66
Q

What was trial by cold water?

A

When water was blessed by a priest, the accused would be thrown into the river with stones tied to their legs - those who sank were innocent, those who were guilty floated

67
Q

What was trial by hot iron?

A

The accused would carry a red hot iron in their hand, their hand would be bound and inspected three days later - if the wound was infected, they were guilty

68
Q

What was trial by battle?

A

When the accused and the accuser - or an experienced fighter - fought to death, God was said to protect the one in the right

69
Q

Which methods of law being enforced and suspects being tried were carried on from the Anglo Saxons?

A

Oaths
Hue and cry
Tithings
Trial by ordeal (cold water & hot iron)

70
Q

What were 2 similarities with the Anglo Saxon and Norman methods of law enforcement?

A

They both had:
1. Kings courts, shire courts, hundred courts
2. Hue and cry, tithings, oaths, trial by ordeal

71
Q

What were 4 differences with the Anglo Saxon and Norman methods of law enforcement?

A

Normans introduced:
1. Church courts, lords courts
2. Constables and watchmen
3. Murdrum fine and trial by battle
4. They replaced wergild with hanging and mutilation

72
Q

What was wergild?

A

A price paid to the family if a freeman was murdered

73
Q

Why did Norman’s keep some elements of Anglo Saxon law enforcement?

A

Some of their system worked
To prove that they were legitimate to the Anglo Saxons

74
Q

Why did Norman’s make some changes to the Anglo Saxon law enforcement?

A

To make it more consistent
To bring it more under royal control - would increase William profit and power

75
Q

How many barons did the Norman Kings have access to?

A

200

76
Q

What were the 4 main things the Norman’s did in the national government?

A
  1. The king offered land and titles to those who were loyal to him and those who weren’t loyal were stripped of these - patronage
  2. Norman kings were supported by the ‘Great Council’ (Curia Regis) - gave advice and helped make decisions - replaced witan
  3. They used ‘writs’ - a short document which gave order to be sent around the country - William hoped it would introduce centralisation
  4. The king was the only one who could make laws in the whole kingdom
77
Q

What were the 2 main things the Norman’s did in the local government?

A
  1. They had shires and a sheriff was in charge of each one - could collect their own taxes and raised own armies
  2. They introduced castellans - they looked after royal castles and forests - replaced sheriffs
78
Q

How many shires were there?

A

134

79
Q

What were the 2 similarities between the Anglo Saxon and Norman national government?

A

They both:
1. Used ‘writs’
2. They both had advisors but Norman’s had the great council/Curia Regis BUT Anglo Saxons had the Witan

80
Q

What was the difference between the Anglo Saxon and Norman national government?

A

Only in the Norman’s:
1. The king offered land and titles in return for loyalty - patronage

81
Q

What was the similarity between the Anglo Saxon and Norman local government?

A

They both:
1. Had shires, and sheriffs/castellans who governed them

82
Q

What was the difference between the Anglo Saxon and Norman local government?

A

Only the Norman’s had:
1. Castellans who replaced the Sheriffs

83
Q

What did a medieval peasant do?

A

They ploughed land and sowed crops, they carried out reaping and hay making
Some peasants were millers who made flour out of corn or brewers who made beer from crops

Worked in exchange for protection from their lord and his knights

84
Q

What did peasants eat and drink?

A

Rye bread, vegetables that they grew themselves
Would drink homemade cider or beer
River fish was eaten by anyone who got a hold of some

85
Q

What did peasants NOT eat? Why?

A

Meat, fruits and sugar was rarely eaten - it was expensive
BUT
The Lord of the manor would eat meat and fish daily as well as pastries

86
Q

When did peasants have a day off? What did they do during this time?

A

They usually had Sunday or a Holy Day off
They would go to a church service, they wrestled and sometimes there were musicians

87
Q

What did peasants do in each season?

A

Spring: sowed seeds
Summer: harvested crops
Autumn: ploughed fields
Winter: surviving

88
Q

If harvest were poor, how did this affect peasants?

A

They would die from starvation - they grew their own food

89
Q

Why was life difficult for peasants

A

Peasants paid taxes or rent to landlord and a tax to the church called tithes
Had to work for free in church land
After taxes, they kept rest of money but had to buy seeds for next season which they didn’t have enough for sometimes

90
Q

How did a Lord make a peasants life better?

A

Guaranteed them safety
Maintained stability and control

91
Q

How did a Lord make a peasants life worse?

A

They had to give 10% of harvest to the Lord - lead to less food and less selling for the peasant

92
Q

What were differences between rich and poor peasants?

A

Rich: houses made of stone and heated, didn’t have to do physical labour, ate meat such as pheasant
Poor: worked long hours, mainly ate porridge and stew, houses were dark and damp, struggled to grow their own food

93
Q

What were 3 economic consequences of the Norman conquest?

A
  1. Increased security - if there are risks of war or violence, people don’t invest or take risks
  2. Strengthened links and trades with France and mainland Europe - famously the wool and cloth trade with Flanders as well as England exporting raw materials
  3. William brought with him wealthy Jews to help manage royal finances - played a large role boosting the economy as they were moneylenders
94
Q

How did the Norman conquest helping the economy of England affect peasants?

A

They had more opportunities to move to towns and find work

95
Q

What were the differences between a village and a town?

A

Villages: focused on farming, were smaller, didn’t have a castle but had a Manor House
Towns: focused on trading and markets, were bigger and better populated, some had castles

96
Q

What is the difference between towns in the Anglo Saxon and Norman times?

A

Normans introduced towns, under the Saxons, there were Burrhs

97
Q

What was life like in Norman towns?

A

There were residential, commercial properties, churches, religious houses and sometimes castles
They had a market place
Houses built closer together & it overcrowded - leading to poor health and less safety
They were a high street with narrower streets coming off it

98
Q

Why did the number of towns increase during the Norman’s?

A

There was more trade - more shops needed & more job opportunities
There was no Lord dictating how you can go about your business - increased rights and freedoms in towns
Safer - they had walls and castles so were better protected than in villages
Rebellion of York and harrying of north led to refugee crisis - more had to be built

99
Q

Characteristics of the villeins?

A

They had no power - couldn’t rebel - worked for their Lord and that was all that their lives were about
Considered property of the Lord
Were the largest group of people recorded in the Domesday book

GCSE History (14 decks)

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