Part 1: The Norman Conquest Flashcards

1
Q

Who was the King of England Before 1066

A

Edward the Confessor

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2
Q

What was England like before 1066

A

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

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3
Q

What was important about the Godwin family

A

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

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4
Q

What was the link between England and Normandy

A

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

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5
Q

How was William related to Edward

A

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

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6
Q

Who were the 4 claimants to the throne

A

Harold Godwinson
William the Duke Of Normandy
Harald Hardrada
Edgar

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7
Q

What is the Witan

A

The council that chose and advised the king

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8
Q

What was the criteria for the Witan

A

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

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9
Q

What was Harold Godwinson’s claim to the throne

A

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

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10
Q

What was William’s claim to the throne

A

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

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11
Q

What was Harald Hardrada’s claim to the throne

A

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

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12
Q

What was Edgar’s claim to the throne

A

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

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13
Q

Who became the king after Edward

A

Harold Godwinson

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14
Q

How did Harold Godwinson prepare for the invasions

A

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

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15
Q

How did Harald Hadrada prepare for war

A

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

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16
Q

what happened at the battle of Fulford Gate

A

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

17
Q

What happened at the battle of Stamford Bridge

A

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

18
Q

What was the Battle of Hastings

A

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

19
Q

How did William secure control of England

A

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

20
Q

How were Mott and Bailey Castles used as Defensive Buildings

A

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

21
Q

What 3 methods did William use to establish control

A

Terror/Violence
Strong Military
Patronage

22
Q

What was the Harrying of the North

A

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

23
Q

What was the Rebellion in East Anglia

A

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