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History > The Normans - Unit 2 : Life Under The Normans > Flashcards

The Normans - Unit 2 : Life Under The Normans Flashcards

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1
Q

Feudal system order

A
  1. Kings
  2. Barons, Earls, Bishops, Lords, Abbots
  3. Knights
  4. Peasants (freemen and villeins)
  5. Slaves
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2
Q

Feudal system : KING

A

William owned 20%, 25% was owned by the Church and the rest was shared among his supporters

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3
Q

Feudal system: BARONS, EARLS, BISHOPS etc.

A
  • Granted land but didn’t own it and in return swore fealty and paid homage to William I as well as money and military service
  • Granted land to followers (knights)
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4
Q

Feudal system : KNIGHTS

A
  • Promised loyalty to the baron, bishop etc. in return for land
  • Served in the army and could be called Lord of the Manor
  • Granted some land to peasants who lived on their manor (in return for work(?))
  • Controlled day-day life in the manor / village
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5
Q

Feudal system : PEASANTS

A
  • Had to obey the Lord of the manor in return for land
  • Gave Lord crops and worked set days without pay
  • Most couldn’t leave without without permission
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6
Q

Feudal system : SLAVES

A

Expensive to keep = declined rapidly

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7
Q

How the Feudal System helped William keep control

A
  • giving people what they want, get something in return for their service
  • King isn’t in charge of everything ; people control the people directly beneath them in the hierarchy
  • Religious element : swearing fealty
  • People were valued and necessary
  • King gets money from tax = get money to build army and construct more castles
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8
Q

SIMILARITIES to Anglo Saxon feudal system

A

Had in general the same structure

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9
Q

DIFFERENCES to Anglo Saxon feudal system

A
  • King owned most of the land and earls only controlled it (A-S)
  • Had thegns not knights : the thegns paid the Earls, looked after their land and provided military service (A-S)
  • Religious figures in power (Normans) as they had support from the pope
  • Norman King = more power over patronage
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10
Q

Domesday Book

A

Started in 1085 by William I and finished by William II

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11
Q

Why was the Domesday Book made?

A

Threat of invasion and needed to fund soldiers and resources form Normandy (through taxes)

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12
Q

How was the Domesday Book made ?

A
  • sent officials and commissioners all over England to visit 13,418 towns and villages
  • Land in England compared to 1066

HOWEVER:
- Didn’t cover every town such as Durham ( had a bishop with the right to raise taxes (Norman’s didn’t have full control))
- Didn’t cover other areas in the north and east for the same reason as Durham
- London and Winchester = too complex

Afterwards the records were sent to be copied in Latin by one man

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13
Q

How the Domesday Book helped William keep control

A
  • If people rebelled they could just seize their lands or raise taxes for an area
  • opposite of the above if they showed loyalty to him
  • Knew who to tax and his much according to what they had
  • Knew how many soldiers he needed to stop invasion
  • Records of properties = could raise supplies and money in times of war and hardship

HOWEVER:
lessened support from the Saxons

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14
Q

What were MARCHER LORDS?

A
  • They were barons or earls placed on the borders of England to prevent invasion
  • Almost independent rulers of their area
  • Prevented raids from the Welsh, Scottish and overseas

EXTRA POWERS
- Made laws for their are
- Built castles without permission from the king
- kept their own armies
- used their castles as bases for Norman attacks on Wales

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15
Q

How did Marcher Lords help William keep control ?

A
  • Established Norman rule to neighbours
  • Pleased the barons = kept their support
  • Created fear
  • William I had access to approximately 5000 knights who were obliged to military service

HOWEVER
- Unable to take control of Scotland

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16
Q

LEGAL SYSTEM changes

A
  1. Changes to Courts
  2. Legislation
  3. Law enforcement
17
Q

Change to Courts

A

Normans had a court hierarchy system : who you were and the crime you committed influenced what court you went to.

a. KING’S Court : most powerful. King was head of the legal system

b. LORD’S Court : dealt with property disputes

c. MANOR Courts : dealt with minute crimes e.g. bad ploughing or poor labour

d. CHURCH Courts : dealt with church related crimes e.g. blasphemy

18
Q

LEGISLATION (2 pieces passed)

A
  1. The Forest Laws : compulsory for some local areas to give up land for the King’s hunting pleasure
  2. Inheritance Laws : property passed to the eldest son (rather than all sons like the Anglo Saxons did) = fewer land owners in the Norman Fuedal System
    - If land owner died without heirs all land would go to a baron or straight to the king to redistribute to others
19
Q

LAW ENFORCEMENT - Who enforced the law

A

Normans and no police force = law was enforced by a range of different people e.g. watchmen, constables, tithings etc.

Constables : power to arrest people, break up fights and prevent fires, paid very little

Watchmen : tried to make sure that people kept to the curfew so prevented crime and caught criminals
They were volunteers or given the job as a duty

Hue and Cry : system for catching criminals - everyone had a duty to raise the alarm if they saw a crime taking place and everyone who heard the alarm had to catch the suspect

Tithing : 10-12 freemen all promised to prevent each other from committing a crime
- If one did commit a crime they had to revela who was guilty or risk all of them being punished usually by a fine. Many guilty men escaped or sought sanctuary in the Church

20
Q

LAW ENFORCEMENT : How they enforced the law

A

Oaths : People who knew the accused were called to give an account - not necessarily giving evidence but to give a comment on the accused’s character
- to ensure they told the truth they had to swear an oath to a holy book or relic

Trial by cold water : water was blessed by a priest, people believed that holy water would repel a sinner so guilt float and innocent sink. If a Norman was killed and their murderer hadn’t been found within 5 days, the hundred (local community) would be fined

Trial by hot iron : accused carries a hot iron in hand for 3 paces then bandages the hand and it’s inspected 3 days later. If the wound is infected they’re guilty and if not here innocent

Trial by battle : takes place between accused and accuser or use champions to fight in their behalf. The theory was that God would favour whoever was right

Murdrum Fine : system designed to protect Norman’s for Anglo Saxon hostility

21
Q

How well the Norman legal system worked

A

The A-S legal system worked well so the Norman’s didn’t change it very much just added more violent methods like trial by hot iron.
- the Normans barely changing the legal system made them seem more legitimate as leaders to the English

22
Q

The NATIONAL Norman government

A
  • King = only one who could make laws for the entire kingdom e.g. raised tax on a national level
  • Norman kings had the support of the Great Council (Curia Regis) = decision making and advice for the king (replaced Witan which was A-S)
  • Give land and titles to people to encourage loyalty - patronage
  • Writ : laws were written down
23
Q

The LOCAL Norman government

A
  • Used shires and put a sheriff in charge of each shire England = 134 shires
  • Each shire and taxes, raised their own armies and made an annual payment to the King
  • Normans slowly replaced A-S sheriffs with Norman ones and assigned new roles such as castellans who were in charge of castles
24
Q

Similarities between Norman and Anglo Saxon governments

A
  • A-S also had a writ but only on a local level
  • Norman shire system was the same as the A-S shire system
25
Q

Differences between Norman and Anglo Saxon governments

A
  • Normans advised by the Great Council, A-S advised by the Witan
  • Norman sheriffs not Anglo Saxon ones
  • Norman government by writ was national
  • New roles within shires e.g. castellans
26
Q

Rich villager

A
  • no physical labour
  • income comes from produce farmed by their peasants
  • Stone heated houses
  • Ate meat e.g. Pheasants and partridge
  • Didn’t eat lots of veg
27
Q

Poor villager

A
  • Worked long hours in the field
  • Struggled to grow enough food to survive
  • Houses dark, damp and smoky
  • Ate porridge, stew and bread
28
Q

Life in Norman TOWNS

A
  • Residential and commercial buildings
  • Churches and religious houses
  • Market place
  • Castles (in some cases)
  • Houses were closer together and larger top floor
  • High street
  • Crowded = poor health and safety
29
Q

Economic consequences of the Norman conquest

A
  • Taxes and rent increased and money collected was spent on Normandy
  • Land taken from almost all English land owners
  • Increased trade with Europe e.g. wool and cloth
  • William I bought wealthy Jews with him to help manage royal finances = borrowing money helped traders and merchants = boosted the economy
30
Q

How towns developed under the Norman rule

A

Number and size of towns increased due to
- Better QOL
- Increased number of castles = increased towns built around them
- Increased rights and freedom
- Marcher Lords built armies = towns established

History (14 decks)

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