Normans Unit 2 Flashcards
What 5 main things did the Normans introduce to ensure they had a strong and organised England?
- Feudal system
- Military control
- Domesday book
- Legal system
- Changes to the government
What was the order of the Anglo Saxon feudal system? START FROM THE STOP
King
Earls
Thegns
Peasants
Slaves
What was the order of the Norman feudal system? START FROM THE STOP
King
Barons, earls, bishops, lords and abbots
Knights
Peasants
Salves
Who was the most important in the Norman feudal system?
The king
Who was the most important in the Anglo Saxon feudal system?
The king
How much land did the king own in the Norman feudal system?
20%
How much land did the barons, earls, bishops, lords and abbots collectively own in the Norman feudal system?
55%
How much of the Saxon population of England were slaves? Did William agree with this?
10% - but William didn’t agree so he freed the slaves and turned them into villeins due to his religious beliefs
Characteristics of the king in the Norman feudal system?
Governed everything - most important
Characteristics of the barons, earls, bishops, lords and abbots in the Norman feudal system?
They are extremely rich and powerful
Characteristics of the knights in the Norman feudal system?
They fought battles for their lords
Controlled day to day village life
What were the two types of peasants in the Norman feudal system?
- Freeman
- Villeins
What were the two types of peasants in the Anglo Saxon feudal system?
- Ceorls
- Villeins
Characteristics of the freeman peasants in the Norman feudal system?
They were peasants who had rights and freedoms
Characteristics of the villein peasants in the Norman feudal system?
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
Characteristics of the slaves in the Norman feudal system?
They earned no money and were the poorest of the poor - slaves were freed
What was given as you go down the Norman feudal system?
- William gave out land to his 200 barons, earls, bishops etc.
- Barons, earls, bishops etc. gave land to their knights
- Knights sometimes gave some land to their peasants in return for work
- The slaves were given no land
What was given as you go up the Norman feudal system?
- In return for their keep, the slaves support the peasants
- The peasant give loyalty to their knights
- The knights swear fealty to the Barons, Earls, Bishops etc.
- The Barons, Earls, Bishops etc. swore fealty and paid homage to the king - also promised money and military service
In conclusion, what did the Norman feudal system do?
Worked under patronage and fief - land was given in exchange for loyalty and providing military
Who is an example of someone that William performed patronage on?
Robert of Mortain - he was Earl of Cornwall for offering support to William and being his brother
How did the feudal system help the Norman’s coordinate and control England?
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
How did the feudal system not help the Norman’s coordinate and control England?
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
Anglo Saxons feudal system vs Norman feudal system: who owned land
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
Anglo Saxons feudal system vs Norman feudal system: who fought/armies
Norman system: knights - formal and trained armies were being arranged and used
Anglo Saxon system: relied on unprofessional thegns
When was the Domesday book ordered?
December 1085
Why did William order the creation of the Domesday book in 1085?
There was a threat of invasion from the Vikings in 1085
What were the 3 main reasons of the creation of the Domesday book
- Taxes - to see who was being taxed what
- To see how many soldiers William could have if the Vikings invaded
- To solve land disputes which were created by the feudal system
How many towns and villages were recorded in the domesday book?
13,418 villages
What areas of England weren’t included in the domesday book? Why?
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
How many books did the surveys taken actually fill?
2 books:
1. Little Domesday
2. Great Domesday
Why do historians think the book was called the ‘Domesday book’?
Believe it’s named after the biblical day ‘doomsday’ - the last day of judgement - created fear for the religious Saxons
How many words did the domesday book contain?
Over 2 million
What language was the domesday book written in?
Latin
Where were the surveys collected and made into the 2 books? By who?
Winchester by a man
Which monarch was the domesday book completed under?
William Rufus
How did the domesday book help William keep control?
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
What forms of military control did William put into place?
- Knights
- Marcher lords
What were the differences between the knights in the Anglo Saxons and in the Norman’s?
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
Who were the marcher lords?
Earls that were granted large areas of land near the border of wales - to prevent invasions on the Marches
Who were the 3 Earls entrusted with being marcher lords? What were their earldoms? Why?
- Earl of Chester - Hugh d’Avranches
- Earl of Shrewsbury - Roger of Montgomery
- Earl of Hereford - William FitzOsbern
BECAUSE HE TRUSTED THEM THE MOST
Why were marcher lords used in Wales?
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
What extra powers did marcher lords have?
Made their own laws
Could build towns and castles without the king permission
Had their own army
Why were marcher lords not 100% effective?
England only managed to have total control of wales in 1284 - way after the Norman’s
How did military control help Norman’s keep control?
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
What were the 3 main changes made to the legal system?
- Changes made to Courts
- New legislation
- New methods of how law was enforced
List the Norman court hierarchy system
The Kings court
Shire courts
Hundred courts
Lords courts
Manor courts
What 2 courts were introduced by the Norman’s?
- Lords court
- Church court
What was the Kings court used for?
The most severe cases - like treason and murder
Who was in charge of the Kings court?
The king and royal officials
What were the shire and hundreds courts used for?
Standard cases like unpaid debts and theft
What were the Lords courts used for?
Property disputes
What were the manor courts used for?
The most minute crimes like bad ploughing
What were church courts used for?
Church related crimes like blasphemy
What 2 pieces of legislation were introduced by the Norman’s?
- The forest laws
- The inheritance laws
What were the forest laws?
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
What were the inheritance laws?
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
Which people was the law enforced by?
Constables
Watchmen
Who were constables?
They arrested people, broke up fights, prevented fires - they were paid very little
Who were watchmen?
People who tried to make sure that people stuck to their curfew - caught criminals, prevented crime
What were the other methods of preventing crime (not singular people)?
Hue and cry
Tithing
Oaths
Murdrum fine
What was hue and cry?
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
What was a tithing?
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
What was an oath?
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
What is a murdrum fine?
If a Norman was killed and the criminal wasn’t found in 5 days, the hundred would be fined - made the king richer
What trials determined if someone was guilty or not?
Trial by ordeal (cold water & hot iron)
Trial by battle
What was trial by cold water?
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
What was trial by hot iron?
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
What was trial by battle?
When the accused and the accuser - or an experienced fighter - fought to death, God was said to protect the one in the right
Which methods of law being enforced and suspects being tried were carried on from the Anglo Saxons?
Oaths
Hue and cry
Tithings
Trial by ordeal (cold water & hot iron)
What were 2 similarities with the Anglo Saxon and Norman methods of law enforcement?
They both had:
1. Kings courts, shire courts, hundred courts
2. Hue and cry, tithings, oaths, trial by ordeal
What were 4 differences with the Anglo Saxon and Norman methods of law enforcement?
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
What was wergild?
A price paid to the family if a freeman was murdered
Why did Norman’s keep some elements of Anglo Saxon law enforcement?
Some of their system worked
To prove that they were legitimate to the Anglo Saxons
Why did Norman’s make some changes to the Anglo Saxon law enforcement?
To make it more consistent
To bring it more under royal control - would increase William profit and power
How many barons did the Norman Kings have access to?
200
What were the 4 main things the Norman’s did in the national government?
- The king offered land and titles to those who were loyal to him and those who weren’t loyal were stripped of these - patronage
- Norman kings were supported by the ‘Great Council’ (Curia Regis) - gave advice and helped make decisions - replaced witan
- They used ‘writs’ - a short document which gave order to be sent around the country - William hoped it would introduce centralisation
- The king was the only one who could make laws in the whole kingdom
What were the 2 main things the Norman’s did in the local government?
- They had shires and a sheriff was in charge of each one - could collect their own taxes and raised own armies
- They introduced castellans - they looked after royal castles and forests - replaced sheriffs
How many shires were there?
134
What were the 2 similarities between the Anglo Saxon and Norman national government?
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
What was the difference between the Anglo Saxon and Norman national government?
Only in the Norman’s:
1. The king offered land and titles in return for loyalty - patronage
What was the similarity between the Anglo Saxon and Norman local government?
They both:
1. Had shires, and sheriffs/castellans who governed them
What was the difference between the Anglo Saxon and Norman local government?
Only the Norman’s had:
1. Castellans who replaced the Sheriffs
What did a medieval peasant do?
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
What did peasants eat and drink?
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
What did peasants NOT eat? Why?
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
When did peasants have a day off? What did they do during this time?
They usually had Sunday or a Holy Day off
They would go to a church service, they wrestled and sometimes there were musicians
What did peasants do in each season?
Spring: sowed seeds
Summer: harvested crops
Autumn: ploughed fields
Winter: surviving
If harvest were poor, how did this affect peasants?
They would die from starvation - they grew their own food
Why was life difficult for peasants
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
How did a Lord make a peasants life better?
Guaranteed them safety
Maintained stability and control
How did a Lord make a peasants life worse?
They had to give 10% of harvest to the Lord - lead to less food and less selling for the peasant
What were differences between rich and poor peasants?
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
What were 3 economic consequences of the Norman conquest?
- Increased security - if there are risks of war or violence, people don’t invest or take risks
- Strengthened links and trades with France and mainland Europe - famously the wool and cloth trade with Flanders as well as England exporting raw materials
- William brought with him wealthy Jews to help manage royal finances - played a large role boosting the economy as they were moneylenders
How did the Norman conquest helping the economy of England affect peasants?
They had more opportunities to move to towns and find work
What were the differences between a village and a town?
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
What is the difference between towns in the Anglo Saxon and Norman times?
Normans introduced towns, under the Saxons, there were Burrhs
What was life like in Norman towns?
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
Why did the number of towns increase during the Norman’s?
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
Characteristics of the villeins?
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
