The House Of Godwin

Question 1

Who did Earl Godwin marry and what 2 things did this give him?

Answer 1

Gyrtha, the daughter of a Danish earl which gave him danish allies, 9 children

Question 2

Who was Edith Godwin?

Answer 2

Godwin’s eldest daughter who married King Edward

Question 3

Who was Swein Godwinson?

Answer 3

Godwin’s eldest son who should have taken over the title of Earl of Wessex but he kidnapped a nun and was exiled from the family. Died when walking barefoot to Jerusalem as sorrow for his sins

Question 4

Who was Harold Godwinson?

Answer 4

He became Earl of Wessex when Godwin died, he was the Kings deputy and he had control of both the army and a lot of land

Question 5

Who was Tostig Godwinson?

Answer 5

He was the Earl of Northumbria until 1065 which gave the family power in the north

Question 6

Who was Garth Godwinson?

Answer 6

Became the Earl of East Anglia

Question 7

Who was Leofwine Godwinson?

Answer 7

Became the Earl of an area in the midlands

Question 8

How much money did the Godwinson brothers make from their land?

Answer 8

£8500 a year

Question 9

How much money did the king make?

Answer 9

£6600 a year

Question 10

What did Harold and Tostig do between 1055 and 1063?

Answer 10

Led a series of military campaigns to end violence caused by rebellious local princes

Question 11

Who were Harold’s two wives?

Answer 11

Edith Swan-neck and Edith of Mercia

Question 12

What did Harold embassy involve in 1064?

Answer 12

He took an oath over relics, renewing the Kings promise to William of the English throne

Question 13

What does the Bayeux Tapestry do after Harold’s embassy?

Answer 13

Leaps forward to Edwards death and Harold’s coronation, showing that Harold broke a sacred oath

Question 14

What happened in October 1065?

Answer 14

The thegns of Yorkshire rebelled against Tostig and occupied York, Morcar became Earl of Northumbria and Tostig was exiled

Question 15

How was Godwin close to King Edward? 4 ways

Answer 15

Godwin was at the centre of government under both King Cnut and King Edward. Supported King Edward when he became King in 1042. His daughter Gyrtha married King Edward. Edward gave Godwin privileges and spoke highly of him so this opinion was shared throughout the country

Question 16

When did Godwin die and who succeeded him as Earl of Wessex (richest earldom in England)?

Answer 16

1053. Harold Godwinson

Question 17

In what year were the Godwinson brothers significantly more powerful than Edward?

Answer 17

1065

Question 18

Why were the Godwinson’s the most powerful family in England? 4 reasons

Answer 18

Family connection to King, military control, land ownership, Danish allies

Question 19

How did the Godwinsons have so much military power?

Answer 19

King Edward relied on them to build an army because they were Lords over hundreds of thegns and also they were Earls who could call upon their peasants to fight for them whenever necessary and has 2500-3000 housecarls

Question 20

How was Harold Godwinson a military prowess?

Answer 20

He was in charge of defending England’s coastlines which made him more important than other earls and showed that Edward trusted him and valued him highly as England was often a target for foreign threats and did not have many castles as defence

Question 21

How did the Godwinsons prove to be successful in their military role?

Answer 21

In 1062 Tostig and Harold helped King Edward defeat a potential threat when the Welsh King Lleweyn had been supporting enemies of Edward. Tostig and Harold attacked and killed the Welsh King and sent his head to Edward. As a reward, Harold became ‘sub regulus’ meaning king’s deputy and was put in charge of the army

Question 22

How did the Godwins have Danish allies?

Answer 22

Earl Godwin (head of family) married Gytha (daughter of a Danish Earl)

Question 23

Why did the Godwins land ownership make them powerful? 4 points

Answer 23

The more land you had, the more valuable you were during this time period. They earned more money than the King who was at the top of the hierarchy, Godwin’s sons controlled each of the main earldoms in England, they were so rich that they could afford to buy more land

Question 24

As earl over the whole of the north (Northumbria), what was Tostig’s duty?

Answer 24

Defend the North against Scottish invaders and defend the North East coast against Danish and Norwegian raiders

Question 25

Why was Tostig never accepted in the North? 3 reasons

Answer 25

People were suspicious of him because he was an outsider from the South. When they challenged him he dealt with them heavy-handedly which made him less popular. Also he spent a lot of time away from Northumbria at King Edward’s court

Question 26

When and how did thegns in Yorkshire rebel against Tostig?

Answer 26

In October 1065 they occupied York, killed Tostig’s officials and called for a new earl -they wanted Morcar, the brother of Earl of Mercia

Question 27

How did King Edward and Harold respond to the rebellion against Harold? 4 points

Answer 27

Tostig asked Harold to send troops to get the area back under control but Harold and other advisors of the King decided Tostig was to blame for the rebellion because he had killed 2 nobles that he didn’t trust, King tried to raise an army but Harold did not obey his command so the King had to agree Tostig was to blame, they replaced Tostig as Earl of Northumbria with Morcar, Tostig was exiled

Question 28

Why might Harold have betrayed his brother?

Answer 28

The King was getting old so Harold wanted to clear away anyone who might challenge him for the throne -he saw Tostig as a rival

Question 29

How did Tostig respond when he was exiled? 2 points

Answer 29

Accused Harold of encouraging the rebellion against him, tried to raid the coast around the east of England but earls Edwin and Morcar defeated him

Question 30

Why was Northumbria a difficult area for Tostig to control?

Answer 30

Tostig was expected to collect taxes and maintain peace but a lot of Vikings settled in the area and they had different laws and customs than the English. Viking area was known as Danelaw