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Whibley's Norman History > Part Two: Life Under The Normans > Flashcards

Part Two: Life Under The Normans Flashcards

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1
Q

What was the Feudal System?

A
  • A hierarchy of land ownership

- A system of government used to rule England

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2
Q

Describe the power and responsibilities held be each person/group within the feudal system:

King

A

Directly owned 20% of the land, 25% was owned by the church

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3
Q

Describe the power and responsibilities held be each person/group within the feudal system:

Barons and Bishops

A

Granted large areas of land. They swore fealty and paid homage and promised money and service.

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4
Q

Describe the power and responsibilities held be each person/group within the feudal system:

Knights

A

Promised to be loyal to their Barons and Bishops for land.

They controlled day-to-day life in their manor or village.

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5
Q

Describe the power and responsibilities held be each person/group within the feudal system:

Peasants

A
  • Had to obey the lord of their manor for land.
  • Gave some crops and worked some days without pay.
  • Most could not leave without permission.
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6
Q

Describe the power and responsibilities held be each person/group within the feudal system:

Slaves

A
  • Made up 10% of the population.

- Rapidly declined as they were expensive to keep and the Church disapproved.

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7
Q

In what way was the Anglo-Saxon feudal system similar to the Norman feudal system?

A
  • Based on land ownership

- King controlled the most land

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8
Q

Explain the main changes William made to the feudal system when he became king

A
  • Normans replaced Anglo-Saxons
  • The King had far more power
  • The peasants were more exploited
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9
Q

What was ‘Forest Law’ and why did he cause so much hatred amongst the English population?

A

Reserves for Royal Forests that Anglo-Saxons could not use. If they did, punishments included being blinded.
It deprived the rich of their sport and the poor lost a source of food and their crops were often damaged.

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10
Q

Describe the role of a knight in Norman England

A
  • Made an oath to their Lord
  • Always had to carry out military service as a part of the more formal feudal system.
  • Probably had to serve for at least 40 days
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11
Q

What were ‘Marcher Lords’ and how ere they different to the other barons within the Norman feudal system?

A

They were almost independent rulers in their areas, tasked with preventing any raids from the Welsh.
They could:
- create their own laws
- keep their own armies
- build castles without the King’s permission

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12
Q

What was the ‘Curia Regis’?

A

The King’s Great Council who would give advice and play a part in decision making

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13
Q

What was the role of the king in Norman England?

A
  • They were the only one who could make laws for the whole kingdom.
  • Could control taxes on a national level.
  • Serious cases (royal pleas) were only heard by the King or his court
  • Had to be a good warrior, just, pious, and generous
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14
Q

How did ‘Inheritance Law’ change under the Normans?

A

Property was passed on intact to the eldest son. If there was no heirs it returned to the Lord, and if he was underage it was kept temporarily.

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15
Q

What was ‘Government by Writ’?

A

It was a short document which gave notifications and orders to be sent around the country.
An order issued in writing which was called a writ

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16
Q

What was the role of a Sheriff / Castellan in Norman England?

A
  • Making annual payment the King
  • Presiding over shire courts
  • Collecting taxes
  • Raising armies
  • Looked after royal castles and forests
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17
Q

Describe the court system in Norman England and the role of each court within this system

A
  • King’s Court: murder, treason, arson, robbery, rape
  • Shire Courts: disputes over land, crimes involving violence or theft
  • Lord’s Courts: dealt with crimes, disputes property transitions or announced new laws
  • Hundred Courts: dealt with minor disputes
  • Manor Courts: dealt with day-to-day life in the village
18
Q

Describe how the law was enforced by the following groups within Norman England:

Constables

A
  • Power to arrest
  • Break up fights
  • Prevent fires
  • Held the key to the stacks
19
Q

Describe how the law was enforced by the following groups within Norman England:

Watchmen

A
  • Tried to make sure that people kept to the curfew
  • There to prevent crimes
  • Catch criminals
20
Q

Describe how the law was enforced by the following groups within Norman England:

Hue and Cry

A

The system for catching criminals after an offence. Everyone had the duty to raise the alarm.

21
Q

Describe how the law was enforced by the following groups within Norman England:

Tithing

A

A group of 10-12 freemen who promised to prevent each other from committing a crime.
If one did, they had to reveal who or the whole group would be punished

22
Q

Describe the following ways that suspects and criminals were tried in Norman England:

Oaths

A

People who knew the accused were called to give an account and comment of the character.
To ensure they told the truth, they had to swear an oath on a holy book or relic.

23
Q

Describe the following ways that suspects and criminals were tried in Norman England:

Trial by Ordeal

A
  • Cold water: Blessed by a priest, the guilty would float and the innocent would sink
  • Hot iron: Accused would carry a red hot iron for 3 paces. 3 days later, if the wound was infected, they were guilty. If not, they were innocent.
24
Q

Describe the following ways that suspects and criminals were tried in Norman England:

Trail by Battle

A

For serious offences, between the accused and the accuser.

In theory, God would intervene to help the person in the right.

25
Q

How were offenders usually punished under the Norman legal system?

A
  • If innocent, the accuser was punished by paying compensation to the King and accused.
  • If guilty, pay compensation to the victim, if a serious offence, punished by hanging or physical mutilation
26
Q

What was the Doomsday Book/Survey and when was it created?

A

It showed exactly who owned what in virtually every part of the country. It was created in 1085.

27
Q

Why did William have the Doomsday Book created?

A

Problems with land was common, they took up court time and caused unrest.
A survey would reveal exactly who owned what and how it had changed since 1066.
It would reduce disputes and allow William to charge rents and tax people more efficiently.

28
Q

Why was it called the ‘Doomsday Book’?

A

It refers to the Last Judgement. ‘Doom was the English term for judgement. The name ‘Domesday’ was used from the twelfth century onward.

29
Q

Which areas were not included within the Doomsday Book and why?

A

Northern areas such as Westmorland and Cumberland were not included as they were not yet fully controlled by the Normans.
Other parts of the North East were excluded as the Bishop of Durham could raise taxes there.

30
Q

What was the difference between the Great Doomsday Book and the Little Doomsday Book?

A

Great Doomsday covers six areas.
Little Doomsday covers Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.
In all, the details 13,418 towns and villages were recorded across these books.

31
Q

Why was the economic impact of the Norman Conquest negative to start of with?

A
  • Much of the taxes raised were spent in Normandy.
  • Took land away from almost all English land owners which led to some poverty.
  • Desolated large areas of the North
  • Other towns saw castles
  • Many couldn’t afford the increased rent so reverted to being villeins.
32
Q

Why did the economy in England start to get better under the Normans after 1090?

A
  • Increased security: threat of invasion diminished so trade flourished.
  • More European Outlook: strengthened links between England and mainland Europe.
  • Money: wealthy Jews boosted the economy
33
Q

Describe the key features of daily life in a Norman village:

Work for the Poor

A
  • Most people were peasants farmers.

- Most needed a blacksmith, a miller, carpenters and weavers.

34
Q

Describe the key features of daily life in a Norman village:

Work for the Rich

A
  • Bishops had the job of running a diocese of the church.
  • Lords didn’t have to do physical labour but spent time running estates.
  • Knights owned military service.
35
Q

Describe the key features of daily life in a Norman village:

Housing and Health

A
  • Houses were dark, damp and smoky. A larger single room without windows.
  • Hygiene was poor, life expectancy was low, forty years was considered a good age
36
Q

Describe the key features of daily life in a Norman village:

Diet for the Poor

A
  • The staple foods were bread, oat porridge and vegetable stew.
  • Meat was a special treat as animals were valuable.
  • Kept hens for eggs and used milk to make their own cheese.
37
Q

Describe the key features of daily life in a Norman village:

Diet for the Rich

A
  • Much more varied that the poor.
  • Roast meats were popular.
  • Fruit was generally served in pies or preserved in honey.
  • Probably less healthy than the poor.
38
Q

Why did the number of towns in England increase so much under the Normans?

A
  • Towns grew as trading centred mainly in livestock, fish, salt and wool.
  • They attracted people who wanted to set up shops and businesses.
  • Many also developed around important castles and abbeys.
39
Q

What were the advantages and disadvantages of living in a town?

A

Advantages:

  • Living in a town gave ordinary people the opportunity to have more comfortable lives
  • Many did become richer
  • Another way to get rich was through education

Disadvantages:
- If you were poor, the only chance of any education was to become a monk or a priest

40
Q

Describe the key features of living in a town in Norman England

A
  • There were residential and commercial properties
  • Churches and religious housing
  • A market place
  • Sometimes a castle
  • A high-street is the main road, it would have been wider than the rest.
  • Streets were narrow.
41
Q

How did towns such as Nottingham change under the Normans?

A
  • A new Lord
  • A castle which triggered further growth
  • A new Norman Church
  • A new market (and later annual fair)
  • The town increased in size
42
Q

What were the typical jobs that people did in a town in Norman England?

A
  • Blacksmiths were skilled craftsmen
  • Bakers, bread was the staple food of medieval times
  • Moneylender, there were no banks so they were useful
  • Barbers, not only cut hair, they extracted teeth and even amputated limbs
  • Apothecaries sold remedies
  • Armourers, armour had to fit each individual
  • Carpenters built furniture, roofing, siege engines and wood panelling

Whibley's Norman History (4 decks)

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