William In Power: Securing The Kingdom 1066-87 Flashcards
When and where was William crowned king?
25th December 1066 at Westminster Abbey
What was the submission of earls?
When the Anglo-Saxon nobles (including Edwin, Morcar and Edgar) met with William and surrendered to him, finally promising to remain loyal, in December 1066.
Who did a group of powerful nobles claim was the rightful king right after William won the battle of Hastings?
Edgar Aethling, they took refuge in London with him for 2 months before surrendering.
Who were Williams threats to his rule?
- the Welsh and Scottish
- Harold Godwinsons sons in Ireland
- the danish kings believed they had a claim to the throne
- the Anglo-Saxons themselves
Which Anglo-Saxons did William allow to keep their land?
He seized the land of Anglo-Saxon nobles who had died at Hastings or refused to accept him, and allowed those who accepted his rule to keep their land.
Who did William give out the land he’d seized to?
The Norman’s who had helped him to become king
Why did William hope to carry on in the style of Edward’s reign?
He wanted the Anglo-Saxons to see him as the true successor.
Why were the marcher earldoms created?
To control the Welsh border
What were the names of the marcher earldoms?
Chester
Shrewsbury
Hereford
Who did William give the marcher earldoms to?
To his closest allies, like Roger of Montgomery and William FitzOsbern because he trusted them.
What privileges did the marcher earls receive?
Didn’t pay tax
Granted full power of law
Right to build castles
Could create towns and establish churches
What were the reasons for the Normans building so many castles?
- to prevent invasion
- as a response to Anglo-Saxon rebellions
- they were a highly visible symbol of the Normans dominance and control
How many castles were built in towns and why?
Two thirds of- helped the Normans control the urban population
What strategically important places did the Norman’s use castles to control and why?
Towns, major roads, and rivers so that Norman’s across the country couldn’t get cut off from each other, and it made it very hard for Anglo-Saxon rebels to move around freely.
What did the network of castles throughout England mean?
William could station troops all over the country, and they could be sent quickly to deal with unrest.
Why did the building of castles give the Norman’s a big military advantage over the Saxons?
The Saxons didn’t have much experience of castle warfare, and they dint have many strong fortifications to compare.
What was the motte?
A large cone-shaped mound of earth with a flat top, the help was built in top of the motte.
What was the Bailey?
A large enclosure below the motte, where most of the living accommodation was.
What was the palisade?
The high walls built around the motte and Bailey, often made from a fence of sharpened wooden stakes.
What was the motte and Bailey surrounded with?
Deep ditches, often separating the mote from the Bailey so the motte could still be defended if the Bailey was captured.
What was the entrance to a motte and Bailey castle guarded by?
A gatehouse, the entrance was via a bridge across the ditch.
Did Norman castles vary in size?
Yes, some were large and complex whilst others were small and simple.
What were the earliest Norman castles made with?
They were almost all built from wood and earth m, which meant they could be built quickly and without skilled labour. Lots were later replaced with stone castles.
What were the earthworks?
Where the earth was built up to create a mound for the Bailey.
Who did the 1068 rebellion involve?
Edwin and Morcar
What were the reasons for the 1068 rebellion?
- dissatisfaction towards Norman rule, particularly amongst nobility
- Morcars lands were seized
- Edwin angry William refused to uphold his promise to marry Edwin’s daughter
How did Edwin and Morcar start the 1068 rebellion?
They fled the royal household to launch the major rebellion in Mercia, with the support of a Welsh lord named Bleddyn.
How did William respond to the 1068 rebellion and therefore what happened?
He responded immediately by marching into Mercia and building a castle in Warwick, causing Edwin and Morcar to surrender as they lacked the resources and support to fight him.
What was the consequence if the 1068 rebellion for Edwin and Morcar?
- they had to submit to William once again
- William was lenient towards the two brothers and granted them their lives and their freedom
- William may have regretted his mild response as Edwin and Morcar rebelled again 1069
What was William response to the 1068 rebellion?
He went to Nottingham and York in order to build two more castles before returning south. He wanted to gain more control of England.
Who was Robert Cumin?
William appointed him Earl of Northumbria, he was very violent towards Anglo-Saxons which was causing resentment.
What happened to Robert Cumin?
Cumin and his troops were attacked by angry Northumbrians, and many were slaughtered. Cumin took refuge in the bishops house, but the rebels set it on fire and killed him when he was forced out.
Who was involved in the 1069 rebellion?
Edgar Aethling, King Malcom of Scotland, King Swein of Denmark
Where did the 1068 rebels kill Robert Cumin, and where did they go next?
They killed him and his troops at Durham, them marched south to besiege York.
What was Williams response to the 1069 rebellion?
He hurried to the north with a large army and swiftly put down the rebellion. He built a second castle at York to strengthen Norman forces in Northumbria.
What happened in September of 1069?
A Danish forest is by Swein arrived and joined the remaining Northern rebels. Together they took York, seized both of its Norman’s castles and took control of Northumbria.
How did William get rid of the Danes?
Be bribed them into leaving, meaning the Anglo-Saxons were unsupported.
What factors weakens the Anglo-Saxon resistance to Normans?
- many rebels motivated by local concerns, failed to form a national movement
- no single strong leader
- the rebels didn’t have a shared strategy
- many English nobles supported William or didn’t take a side
What did the 1069 rebellion show William?
His approach wasn’t working, as the Anglo-Saxons weren’t happy and therefore still a threat.
Why was she 1069 rebellion particularly dangerous for William?
He could have potentially had to fight three countries - Danes, Scotts and Vikings.
What was the Harrying of the North?
William layed waste to large parts of the North in response to the 1069 rebellion, forcing the Anglo-Saxons to submit to the Normans,
What did William and his army do to the north during its harrying?
- burnt villages
- slaughtered village inhabitants
- destroyed food supplies and livestock e.g. salted crops
What did the Harrying of the North result in?
- large areas of the north completely destroyed
- lots of refugees fleeing to different areas of England
- people were scared to rebel
What is the Norman Yoke?
This refers to the idea that the Norman’s brutally oppressed the Anglo-Saxons using methods that were unnecessarily cruel.
How many people died in the Harrying of the North?
100,000
Who led the 1070-71 rebellion?
Hereward the Wake, an Anglo-Saxon thegn.
Why did Hereward rebel?
- his land had been seized and given to a Norman
- he had been exiled
- his brothers were killed by Normans
Who supported Hereward and arrived in East Anglia 1070?
The Danes
Who supported Hereward and arrived in East Anglia 1070?
The Danes
What happened to the Danes to make them abandon Hereward?
William paid them off.
Where did Hereward start the 1070-71 uprising?
East Anglia
Who joined Hereward in 1071, and where did they go?
Hereward was joined by more Anglo-Saxon rebels, including Morcar. They went to the Isle of Ely, and tried to hold it against William’s army.
How did William eventually get to Ely?
After a few attempts, he built a bridge with small boats and wooden planks to crops the marshlands and defeat the rebels.
What happened to Hereward after the 1070-71 rebellion?
He survived, but not much is known about his fate afterwards.
What was normanisation?
William making England ‘more Norman’ by replacing Anglo-Saxon s with Norman’s in areas such as government and church:
What were some consequences of the major rebellions?
- William no longer felt the need to please the Anglo-Saxons
- William stopped trying to integrate Anglo-Saxons into nobility
- He reorganised land into much smaller estates limited to a single region
- He increased the land that he held
What was centralisation?
Increasing Williams control by centralising the government more around him.
When was the revolt of the earls?
1075
Which earls were involved in the revolt of the earls?
Ralph de Gael, Earl of East Anglia
Roger de Breteuil, Earl of Hereford
Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria
What made the Revolt of the Earls different from the other rebellions?
it was Normans and Anglo-Saxons rebelling against William
What caused the Revolt of the Earls?
The earls were unhappy with William because they thought that their power was being limited.
Where was the plan for the Revolt of the Earls hatched?
Ralph and Roger’s sister’s wedding
What was the plan for the Revolt if the Earls?
They would rebel whilst William was out of the country (in Normandy) and Lanfranc was in charge.
Which earl betrayed the others in the Revolt of the Earls?
Waltheof travelled to Normandy and confessed the plan to William, who gave the information to Lanfranc, who was able to act quickly.
What happened to Ralph after the revolt of the Earls?
He and his wife (Emma) gave up their lands and went into exile.
What happened to Roger after the revolt of the Earls?
He was captured by Williams supporters, then imprisoned for life due to his disloyalty to the king.
What happened to Waltheof after the revolt of the Earls?
He was beheaded despite confessing, treated much more harshly than the others who rebelled and it is unclear why. He was the only member of the Anglo-Saxon nobility to be executed in William’s reign.
Why could the Revolt of the Earls been a serious threat?
The earls held extensive land across the kingdom, and they had Anglo-Saxon, Norman and Danish support.
Why did the Revolt of the Earls never become a serious threat?
- AngloSaxon supports wasn’t widespread enough
- Waltheof betrayed the others
- William and Lanfrancs response was quick and effective, Ralph and Roger didn’t make it out of their earldoms
- the Danes arrived too late to provide support
