What impact did the Norman conquest have on English society? Flashcards
What sort of evidence was collected in the Domesday Book?
It lists settlements, who owned the land, what resources there were, who lived there and what they did.
It listed the value of the resources- William wanted to find out how rich his new kingdom was
The book compares 1086 (when it was made) to 1066
How was the information in the Domesday book collected?
Commissioners were sent out by the king to record the information. Groups of 4 commissioners each did a circuit of counties
Many people had no written proof of land ownership so shire courts were used to make final decisions at sessions called inquests
Why did William create the Domesday Book?
Possible reasons:
Taxation- it allowed him to know how much he could tax his people
A way of establishing land ownership
It was a demonstration of William’s power over England
The way the book is laid out makes it less useful for tax collectors
Shows the significant change in land ownership and makes these changes legal
How were Williams supporters rewarded?
Land was taken from Saxon lords who supported Harold and given to William’s supporters
Some saxon lords couldn’t prove their land ownership and William removed them
What percentage of land was held by different groups in 1086?
King 20%
Church 25%
Norman lords 50%
English lords 5%
What was the new upper class like?
Norman elite were small in number
Spoke French
Established fuedalism
What did the new norman lords do to the land ?
Normans built castles in the centre of their estates
Anglo-Saxon thegns had divided up their land when they died but norman lords passed it all on to their eldest son
What was the impact on people living on the manor (in the countryside)
Farming life continued as before
Number of free ceorls fell- they became dependent on their local lord
Number of slaved declined
Rents increased making english poorer
Restrictions on english eg forced to build castles, prevented from fishing, had to pay to use mills
What was the impact on people living in towns (10% of the population)?
Towns more likely to be attacked during rebellions
Areas of towns cleared to build castles
Decline in population
Markets were under Norman control and taxe heavily
What impact did the Normans have on laws?
Used and adapted many Anglo-Saxon laws but some new laws:
The murdrum fine= if a norman was murdered then the local community had to pay a hefty fine until they handed over the murderer
The Forest Laws= only the king could hunt in royal forests, punishments for breaking the law included chopping off hands and gouging out eyes
How did the Normans change language?
Latin was used by the Normans and the church for official records and government
French was spoken by norman ruling class
English was the spoken language of the english
Many words of the used in the spoken language were danish in origin
language was used to keep the english in their place
What changes did the Normans make to the church?
Stigand was replaced by Langfranc, a Norman
Most English bishops were removed- only one left by 1086
New cathedrals were built eg York and Winchester
Restored many monasteries with monks coming to England from Normandy
Saxon churches were destroyed and new Norman churches were built dedicated to norman saints
