Part One: Conquest and Control Flashcards

1
Q

Who became King of England in 1042?

A

Edward the Confessor

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2
Q

Who did the new 1042 King marry?

A

Earl of Wessex’s daughter: Edith Godwin

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3
Q

What did the Godwin family do in 1051? What was the outcome of this?

A

In 1051, the Godwin family rebelled against Edward the Confessor, which, as a result, exiled from England

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4
Q

Name the four men who believed they should be the next King of England after Edward the Confessor died?

A
  • Edgar Atheling
  • Harald Hardrada
  • Harold Godwinson
  • William Duke of Normandy
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5
Q

Why did Edgar Aetheling believe he should be the next King of England after Edward the Confessor died?

A

He was the closest blood relative to Edward the Confessor

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6
Q

What evidence is there that Edgar Aetheling should NOT have been the next King of England after Edward the Confessor died?

A
  • He was only 14 years old in 1066
  • He had:
    • no money
    • no soldiers
    • no military experience
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7
Q

Why did Harald Hardrada believe he should be the next King of England after Edward the Confessor died?

A
  • There was an agreement made between his father and Harthacanute which made him believe he had a right to the throne.
  • He was also an experience ruler and seasoned warrior
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8
Q

What evidence is there that Harald Hardrada should NOT have been the next King of England after Edward the Confessor died?

A
  • He was already King of Norway for 20 years
  • His father had already had an opportunity to take action for the throne
  • The promise was not made by Edward
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9
Q

Why did William, Duke of Normandy, believe he should be the next King of England after Edward the Confessor died?

A
  • He was a distant cousin of Edward the confessor

- In exchange for his help defending the throne, Edward had promised he would inherit it

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10
Q

What evidence is there that William, Duke of Normandy, should NOT have been the next King of England after Edward the Confessor died?

A
  • He was illegitimate so his relationship to Edward was flawed
  • He was not the only person to be promised the throne
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11
Q

Why did Harold Godwinson believe he should be the next King of England after Edward the Confessor died?

A
  • He was the king’s brother-in-law
  • He was the richest man in England
  • King Edward’s dying wish seemed to be that Harold became King
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12
Q

What evidence is there that Harold Godwinson should NOT have been the next King of England after Edward the Confessor died?

A
  • He and his family tried to overthrow Edward in 1051 and were exiled
  • Had earlier sworn a sacred oath of allegiance to support William’s claim to the throne
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13
Q

Who finally became King of England when Edward the Confessor died in January 1066?

A

Harold Godwinson

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14
Q

What did William Duke of Normandy do when he heard who had been crowned King after Edward the Confessor died?

A

He sent messengers to Harold asking him to honour his oath to support William’s claim

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15
Q

What two preparations did Harold make as soon as he became King?

A
  • Demanded for ships from around the country to create a navy to stop the Norman fleet from landing
  • By May he had raised several thousand troops that were stationed across the South Coast of England
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16
Q

What were ‘Housecarls’?

A

The King’s small band of loyal, professional soldiers

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17
Q

What were Thegns?

A

Lords that the King would call upon during times of battle

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18
Q

What was the Fyrd?

A

The ordinary people called up to fight when needed

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19
Q

What weaknesses did Harold’s army have?

A
  • No cavalry

- No archers (key feature of Norman Warfare)

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20
Q

Who was Tostig?

A

The Earl of Northumbria until 1065 when he was exiled

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21
Q

Who did Tostig ally himself with and why?

A

He allied with Harald Hardrada simply hoping to advance his own position

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22
Q

What did Tostig do in May 1066? What was the outcome?

A

His ships and soldiers raided towns along the Sussex coast but the threat of Harold’s army scared him off to Lincolnshire who then repelled him to Scotland where he waited for Hardrada

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23
Q

By August 1066, how big was William’s army?

A
  • 7,000 soldiers
  • 3,000 horses
  • around 700 ships
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24
Q

Why did Harold Godwinson have to disband his army after the 8th September?

A
  • They’d exhausted resources
  • His soldiers needed paying and feeding
  • Many needed to go back to their villages to help with the harvest
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25
Q

At the same time as Harold disbanding his army, whose army landed at York in the North of England? How big was this army?

A

Tostig and Hardrada’s fleet of 300 ships and possibly up to 8,000 soldiers

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26
Q

What happened at the Battle of Fulford?

A

Earls Edwin and Morcar were defeated but not killed and York soon surrendered to Hardrada

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27
Q

What did Harold Godwinson do when he heard of the Viking invasion?

A

He re-gathered his army and swiftly marched north covering nearly 200 miles in under a week

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28
Q

When did the Battle of Stamford Bridge happen?

A

25 September 1066

29
Q

What was the outcome of the Battle of Stamford Bridge? What happened to Tostig and Harald
Hardrada?

A

Harold’s men won a stunning victory, Hardrada and Tostig had both been killed and many of their men slaughtered

30
Q

What news did Harold Godwinson hear three days after the Battle of Stamford Bridge?

A

William had landed in England

31
Q

When did William’s army reach England? Where did they land? Why was this a good place to land an army?

A

On the 28th September
At Pevensey
It was good as the Roman fort offered some protection and it was a safe bay to land his army and supplies

32
Q

What did William’s army do as soon as they landed?

A

Quickly built their first castle

33
Q

What did Harold Godwinson do when he heard about the Norman invasion? What effect do you think this had on his army?

A

He travelled quickly to London, putting even more strain on his already weary soldiers

34
Q

When and where did the Battle of Hastings take place?

A

14th October 1066, they met at a place called Senlac Hill

35
Q

How many soldiers did each army have in the Battle of Hastings?

A

Evenly matched with about 6 - 7000 troops each

36
Q

What tactic did the Anglo-Saxon army adopt in the Battle of Hastings?

A

Seized the hill top and formed a shield wall

37
Q

Which army seemed to have the better position at the start of the Battle of Hastings? Why?

A

The Anglo-Saxons were better suited to a defensive battle at the top of the hill so it was easier to push back and defend themselves. It also slowed the foot-soldiers and cavalry

38
Q

Which army seemed to have the better soldiers at the start of the Battle of Hastings? Why?

A

William had the better soldiers as it included many archers, soldiers armed with shields and swords and a powerful cavalry

39
Q

Why was the Norman cavalry not very useful at the start of the Battle?

A

They could not charge up the steep and uneven ground so they had to fight at close-quarters

40
Q

What rumour started to go around the Norman army? How did William react to this?

A

It was said that William had been killed and the Norman soldiers on the left flank and fled. William shouted to his men brave words that restored their failing courage.

41
Q

What does ‘Feigned Retreat’ mean? How did this help the Normans?

A

It is the tactic of deliberately retreating in order to tempt the English to break rank. Once pursued, they could turn and attack the ‘out if position’ enemy.

42
Q

How does the Bayeux Tapestry depict Harold Godwinson’s death?

A

One soldier has an arrow in his eye
Another is being hacked to death by a mounted soldier
We don’t know which one is Harold

43
Q

Why did William ultimately win the Battle of Hastings?

A

He had better tactics
He was a more effective commander of his troops
The Norman army was also more flexible

44
Q

Who did the English Earls and Lords want to be the next king of England after Harold died?

A

Edgar Aetheling, Edward the Confessor’s nearest relative

45
Q

What did William do to the town of Romney after the Battle of Hastings?

A

He wanted to punish the town for their role in killing Normans. He probably burned much of the town and killed key people - although there is no detailed evidence of what happened

46
Q

When was William officially crowned King of England?

A

25th December 1066, Christmas Day

47
Q

How did William try to gain the loyalty of the remaining English Earls?

A

They were allowed to keep their titles and their land. He tried to ensure there was continuity from Edward the Confessor’s reign.

48
Q

What did William do to the Earls that fought against him at the Battle of Hastings?

A

Seized their land, disinherited their families and gave it to Normans who had fought for him

49
Q

What happened throughout England during 1067? Why did this happen?

A

During 1067, small local risings took place, Normans were murdered by resentful Englishmen.
They were foreign invaders, wanted tax and allowed violence, including plunder and rape.

50
Q

Describe what happened in the following areas between 1067 - 1068:

The Welsh Borders (1067)

A

Two Welsh Kings and Eadric ‘The Wild’ took a great amount of plunder but could not gain control of the border

51
Q

Describe what happened in the following areas between 1067 - 1068:

Northumbria (1067)

A

William appointed Copsig to rule but he was ambushed and his head hacked off by his predecessor.

52
Q

Describe what happened in the following areas between 1067 - 1068:

Kent (1067)

A

Persuaded Eustace of Boulogne to try and seize Dover castle. He didn’t attack with enough force and was defeated and returned home

53
Q

Describe what happened in the following areas between 1067 - 1068:

The South West (1068)

A

The town surrendered after 18 days, the English Lords gave into William and their people were taxed less harshly as a result

54
Q

Who were the two main Earls who rebelled against William? What did they do?

A

Edgar Atheling and Gospatric joined with the locals and led an attack on York

55
Q

What happened when Robert Cumin became Earl of Northumbria? What eventually happened to him?

A

The house where Cumin was staying was set alight. The Earl was killed on the 31st January

56
Q

What did King Swein of Denmark do in 1069? How did William deal with him?

A

He captured York in September 1069. William offered the Danes generous terms if they were to leave by the following spring

57
Q

What was the ‘Harrying of the North’? What effect did this have on the North of England?

A

William dealt with the rest of the northern rebels with:

  • mass killings
  • burning of homes, animals and crops
  • plundering
  • covered the land with salt
58
Q

Who was Hereward the Wake? What did he do?

A
  • Hereward the Wake, was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman and a leader of local resistance to the Norman Conquest of England.
  • He was exiled at the time of the Battle of Hastings
  • He found out his brother had been slain by the Normans so had good reasons to rebel
59
Q

Who were Roger, Earl of Hereford, and Ralph Gael? What did they do? What happened to them?

A

Roger was dissatisfied with his position as his father had been able to rule over much more territory and had much more influence, so he began to plot against William with Ralph Gael
Persuaded English Earl Waltheof to get involved
Results:
Roger and Ralph lost all their land.
Waltheof was beheaded
This was the last major revolt against William

60
Q

Which areas in England were the most Norman castles built? Why were they built in these areas?

A

In vulnerable areas including the borders of Wales and Scotland, the South Coast, significant towns and cities etc…

61
Q

What are the two main reasons William built so many castles in England?

A

Strategic: they housed soldiers who would put down ant attempted rebellion
Symbolic: permanent reminder to the English of who was now governing their country

62
Q

What were the early Norman castles called?

A

Motte and Bailey

63
Q

What were the weaknesses of ‘Motte and Bailey’ castles?

A

The wooden structure could be burnt or might rot

64
Q

When did William die?

A

9th September 1087, at the age of 59

65
Q

Who became King after William died?

A

His second surviving son, William Rufus

66
Q

Why was there and issue between William’s three sons?

A

Robert, his eldest, had hoped to rule both England and Normandy
Rufus ruled England
Henry, his youngest, was given money but no land

67
Q

What happened to William Rufus?

A

2nd August 1100, he was killed in a hunting accident in the New Forest by an arrow fired by a friend

68
Q

Who became King after William Rufus?

A

His younger brother Henry