Part 1: The Norman Conquest

Question 1

Who was the King of England Before 1066

Answer 1

Edward the Confessor

Question 2

What was England like before 1066

Answer 2

Peasants worked on farms
There was a minting system
It had lots of recourses
Anglo Saxons were Christian
The land was divided into 6 Earldoms
England was ruled peacefully
It had Hardly any Castles
Most people were populated in the south

Question 3

What was important about the Godwin family

Answer 3

Edith Godwin was married to King Edward
The Godwin Earldom was the largest in the kingdom
Harold Godwinson would keep the county running whilst Edward was being religious

Question 4

What was the link between England and Normandy

Answer 4

Emma a sister of a Duke Of Normandy was married to a king CNUT
Emma sent her sons Edward and Alfred to Normandy
They agreed their son would be king but instead CNUT’s first son HarthaCnut was king
Emma then called back Edward and Alfred
In the end Edward was the heir to HarthaCnut but Alfred died
HarthaCnut then died in 1042

Question 5

How was William related to Edward

Answer 5

Williams Grandfather was the brother of Emma which was the mother of Edward

Question 6

Who were the 4 claimants to the throne

Answer 6

Harold Godwinson
William the Duke Of Normandy
Harald Hardrada
Edgar

Question 7

What is the Witan

Answer 7

The council that chose and advised the king

Question 8

What was the criteria for the Witan

Answer 8

If you were an experienced leader
If you were a good soldier
If you were English
If you were related to the old king

Question 9

What was Harold Godwinson’s claim to the throne

Answer 9

Was an Anglo Saxon
Richest man in the kingdom
Had experience as a leader
Related to the old king
Claimed that Edward promised him the throne on his deathbed

Question 10

What was William’s claim to the throne

Answer 10

Related to Edward
The Pope supported William
Was a strong leader and a good soldier
Bayeux Tapestry shows that Harold Godwinson swore that William would be his successor on religious relics so if he did not fulfil the promise he would be going against god

However:

William was not English

Question 11

What was Harald Hardrada’s claim to the throne

Answer 11

Harald Hardrada was a fierce leader and a powerful warrior
He Claimed that his father was promised to be the king after HarthaCnut

However:

He was not English

Question 12

What was Edgar’s claim to the throne

Answer 12

Nephew of king Edward
His father was Heir to the throne
Was English

However:

He was only 15
Had no experience as a leader
Had no experience as a soldier

Question 13

Who became the king after Edward

Answer 13

Harold Godwinson

Question 14

How did Harold Godwinson prepare for the invasions

Answer 14

He put most of his troops down in the south where he expected William to invade England first
However, the winds changed and William could not get to England
Harald Hadrada landed in the north

Question 15

How did Harald Hadrada prepare for war

Answer 15

Harald Hadrada had support of Tostig Godwinson who joined Harald after losing his land and being exiled from England
This made it more likely that Harald would be supported by England

Question 16

what happened at the battle of Fulford Gate

Answer 16

Harald Hadrada took 300 ships and 10,000 men to England
The battle was against the Earls Edwin and Morcar
There was a river separating the 2 sides
The English Made a Shield Wall
Harald positioned Tostig and the weakest soldiers at the front and hid with his best soldiers behind raised land
When the water subsided, the battle begun and Harald went with his most experienced fighters behind the English and trapped them
Hardrada was victorious and made York surrender
To make peace 150 hostages would be exchanged at Stamford

Question 17

What happened at the battle of Stamford Bridge

Answer 17

Harald was not prepared for an invasion in the North but was instead waiting for an invasion from the south
He went North as soon as he heard about the invasion
Harold used Housecarls and the Fyrd
Harald Hardrada was celebrating and awaiting the hostages
The Vikings armor was left in their ships 25 km away
The only thing separating Harold and Harald was a river with a bridge
A single Viking warrior, with no armor, held back the entire English armor and killed 40 men but died to a spear being thrust from underneath
Harald Hardrada sent his fastest riders back to the ships for reinforcements
Harald Hardrada created a shield wall on a hill
Harold Godwinson’s army also created a shield wall and advanced
Harold Godwinson offered Tostig to switch sides but he refused
Harald Hardrada and Tostig were killed
The reinforcements arrived as the Vikings fled
Harald Hardrada’s son Olaf survived and Harold Godwinson let the army flee on the conditions that they don’t come back
Only 24 ships were needed for the remaining army to go back to Norway

Question 18

What was the Battle of Hastings

Answer 18

William Prepared for an invasion with 700 ships and 7000 men
He was backed up by the Pope
However as he was about to sail to England, strong winds stopped him
2 Days After Harold Godwinson defeated Harald Hardrada, the winds changed and William set sail
William arrived in England and instead of advancing he provoked Harold to come to him by destroying his Earldom and building a castle in Pevensey
William waited for Harold and then marched forwards to confront him
The English created a shield wall
The Normans had 2000 cavalry which the English had not fought against before
The Normans also had archers and crossbows
The Normans used the Feigned Retreat to get around the English and Broke the Shield Wall
Harold Godwinson was killed and defeated

Question 19

How did William secure control of England

Answer 19

The Witan decided to support Edgar
He secured control of multiple cities by using castle
He controlled Canterbury and made the Archbishop of Canterbury submitted to him
He also took control of England’s money by building the Worcester castle
The Earls Edwin And Morcar submitted to him
On Christmas day, William was crowned king to show make the people trust him more as it was a religious day
He distributed land known as shires for the people who helped him battle
He used the Feudal system

Question 20

How were Mott and Bailey Castles used as Defensive Buildings

Answer 20

Firstly, You would have to get past the Outer Bailey Wall which had very high walls and lots of lookout posts
Then, You had to get through the Out Bailey and past the moat
The only way to get past the moat is going through the gatehouse which had a drawbridge that could be raised
Then, You would have to get through the Motte and to the Keep Which was designed with narrow stairs so only 1 person could go up at a time
The powerful people would be up the keep and there would be guards waiting for the invaders to come up the stairs and stab them

Question 21

What 3 methods did William use to establish control

Answer 21

Terror/Violence
Strong Military
Patronage

Question 22

What was the Harrying of the North

Answer 22

Edwin And Morcar ordered a rebellion
They were taken as hostages but escaped
Morcar lost his Earldom
They killed the New Earl and 900 of his men
William responded by burning farmsteads and killing everyone
They ploughed salt into the land so people could not farm

Question 23

What was the Rebellion in East Anglia

Answer 23

Hereward a exiled rebel secretly returned and saw his land taken by Normans and his brothers head on the front door
Outraged, he killed 3 men and put their heads on the door
Joining with the Danes, Edwin and Morcar Hereward Besieged a monastery in an Island in East Anglia
William’s first approach was to build a mile long wooden bridge but it collapsed whilst the soldiers were on it so they drowned
William then changed his approach to using a witch to curse the rebels but, Hereward burnt the witch tower
William changed his approach to bribing local monks to get to the rebels
William stopped the Rebellion, killed Edwin and Morcar was imprisoned