William in Power: Securing the Kingdom 1066-87

Question 1

Who did the earls choose to be king immediately after the Battle of Hastings?

Answer 1

Who was executed after the Revolt of the Earls of 1075?

Question 2

What did William I do as he marched to London?

Answer 2

He burnt towns and villages to intimidate the locals in order for them to surrender.

Question 3

What did William’s men fall sick with after Hastings?

Answer 3

Dyssentry

Question 4

Where did William position himself rather than directly attacking the capital?

Answer 4

Berkhamstead

Question 5

How was William able to reward his followers?

Answer 5

He had full control of the royal treasury.

Question 6

How many castles is it estimated William built?

Answer 6

500

Question 7

State why the Earls submitted to William

Answer 7

• William used terror to get the Earls to submit, burning villages which caused the people to surrender which weakened the Earl’s power
• A lot of the best Anglo-Saxon warriors had died in the Battle of Hastings so they were outnumbered.
• William claimed God had chose him to won, and some Anglo-Saxons believed him

Question 8

Why did William create Marcher Earldoms?

Answer 8

Wales had proven to be a problem for Edward the Confessor, previous Anglo-Saxon kings had built their own defences along the border called the March of Wales. William wanted a secure border between England and Wales.

William also wanted to reward his followers.

William also wanted to establish control over the Anglo-Saxons. Despite only taking a small portion of their land to create the marcher earldoms, it still showed he had the ability to distribute and take land as he pleases. It also shows he didn’t want to particularly start a fight as he wanted peace, which showed him as a good King and the Anglo-Saxons were less likely to overthrow him.

Question 9

How did William reward his followers?

Answer 9

He gave gifts, which included money and land.

Question 10

Compare the size of marcher earldoms to regular-sized earldoms and suggest why William did this

Answer 10

There were much smaller and more compact than the great earldoms of Anglo-Saxon England. Their size made them easier to control but also ensured the Marcher earls were not as powerful as the King

Question 11

List the 3 Marcher Earldoms and their respective Marcher Earls

Answer 11

-Earldom of Chester
Given to Hugh d’Avranches. His father had
provided 60 ships for the invasion.

-Earldom of Shrewsbury
Given to Roger Montgomery. He had governed
Normandy while William was away.

-Earldom of Hereford
Given to William FitzObern. He was William’s
right-hand man in the invasion

Question 12

What privilege did Marcher Earls have regarding tax?

Answer 12

They were exempted from tax on their lands. This was to reward loyalty and encourage earls to spend out on settlement and defences.

Question 13

Why were Marcher earls free to build castles without applying to the King?

Answer 13

Castles were used to control the area and to launch attacks into Wales. They were essential to controlling the Marches.

Question 14

How much power of the law did a Marcher Earl have and why?

Answer 14

Usually, sheriff’s were the King’s officers but in the marcher earldoms, sheriffs worked for the earl. Sheriffs controlled the shire courts and this gave the earls almost complete power over the legal system in the earldom.

The earls became the central figures of law and could respond quickly and firmly to any unrest or disobedience.

Question 15

Describe why Motte and Baileys helped William control England. Consider the psychological affect on the Anglo-Saxons

Answer 15

They were built in strategic places, such as near rivers or mountain passes. The Marcher
earls built castles all along the English-Welsh border.

They were used as a base by the local lord and troops would be based inside.

Local people were made to build the castles, and in many cases houses would be
demolished to make way for them.

Castles dominated the local skyline and were a symbol of Norman power.

Question 16

What were the features of a Norman castle?

Answer 16

-Palisade - Large wooden fence that was very difficult to break surrounded the castle

Water-Filled Ditch - The castle was hard to attack

Gatehouse - Controlled access

Keep - Lookout Tower

Bailey - Contained barracks and stables, held Norman garrison

Question 17

What caused the revolt of Edwin and Morcar in 1068?

Answer 17

• Both Edwin and Morcar’s land had been decreased in size significantly
• William went back on his word that Edwin could marry his daughter

Question 18

How did William respond to Edwin and Morcar’s revolt?

Answer 18

William was informed of the revolt and quickly went North with his army. He went to Warrick first and built a castle; he then went to Nottingham and built another castles. As soon as William had control of Warrick, Edwin and Morcar surrendered. They were kept as ‘guests’ at William’s courts.

Question 19

What caused Edgar Aethling’s revolt and the rebellions in the North in 1069?

Answer 19

There was anger and resentment in cities across England due to William destroying housing to make room for his castles. Rebels murdered Robert Cumin after taking a large force north launching attacks on towns.

Question 20

What was the Uprising in York 1069?

Answer 20

Soon after Cumin’s murder, a similar uprising occurred in York which killed the governor of York and many Norman troops. Edgar and his supporters joined the rebels and launched an attack on the Normans

Question 21

How did William respond to the Uprisings in York?

Answer 21

William arrived quickly with a large army. William routed the rebels with the whole city of York being laid to waste

Question 22

Who attacked in September 1069?

Answer 22

King Sweyn, the King of Denmark, attacked with an invasion force which included Edgar Aethling.

Question 23

How many Normans were killed in an Anglo-Danish attack on York?

Answer 23

3000 Normans were killed in this attack.

Question 24

What was the Harrying of the North?

Answer 24

The Harrying of the North was where William and his troops laid waste to a large area up North, stretched from the River Humber to the River Tees. The immediate impacts were similar to a natural disaster, an estimated 100,000 dead.

Question 25

Why did William carry out the Harrying of The North?

Answer 25

• Earl Robert Cumin and thousands more Normans had died at York, William swore revenge
• Northern rebels refused to meet him in open battle, scattering then launching attacks on his men as William went away to deal with other rebellions.
• The North resented rule from the south, it was clear that William needed different tactics.
• Rebellions in the North were triggering rebellions elsewhere in the country
• Threat of Danish Invasion, at the same time threat of invasion from from neighbouring Maine.

Question 26

How did Anglo-Saxons lose their land?

Answer 26

By Forfeit - The King owned all the land in his Kigndom so if anyone acted against the King, his or her land could be forfeited.

New earldoms - William new earldoms and other blocks of territory that he granted toh is followers. These were created to defend troubled spots.

Land Grabs- This was the illegal way in which Anglo-Saxons lost their land. There were thefts and seizures of land and corrupt dealings. Norman sherrifs were particularly notorious for this.

Question 27

Explain why changes in land-ownership made resistance against Norman control less likely after 1071.

Answer 27

• There was increase in land-holders, there were now 192 , two of which were Anglo-Saxon. These land holders had much smaller areas of land which meant it was difficult to raise an army to oppose the king.
• A majority of these land holders were Norman, they were unlikely to revolt against of of their own. This would help him control England as there were many of his own men in positions of power so they could assist him in controlling the people.
• William was the ONLY land owner, so he had a lot of power. Anglo Saxons would have to redeem their land, (paying William for the right to keep their land). Anglo Saxon’s land could also be forfeited if they went against the King, like William did to the Earls who fought against him in the BOH

Question 28

How did increasing the amount of land holders help William I to establish control?

Answer 28

• William increased the amount of land holders, 192 tenants in chief compared to only 5 Earls. Smaller earldoms meant that people couldn’t challenge the King’s power, as they weren’t able to raise an army strong enough to oppose the king.

Question 29

Were tenants-in-chief usually Anglo-Saxon or Norman? Why?

Answer 29

• A majority of these land holders were Norman, they were unlikely to revolt against of of their own. This would help him control England as there were many of his own men in positions of power so they could assist him in controlling the people.

Question 30

Who owned all land in Norman England? What was redeeming?

Answer 30

• William owned all land, and Anglo-Saxons had to pay William for the right to keep their land, this was called redeeming.

Question 31

Describe 5 ways how William maintained powe

Answer 31

Military Strength - People wouldn’t dare to challenge such a warrior known for his ruthlessness. Anglo Saxons also respected him more as he was a warrior king.

Royal Ceremonies - Wearing the crown showed that he was the true ruler. Oaths made him more accepted by Anglo-Saxons

Legitimate Successor - William claimed God had chosen him to defeat Harold. By increasing legitimacy, Anglo Saxons were more likely to accept him as their new ruler.

Coinage and Writs - The coins had William’s image on them, so normal people had contact with him. Coins were double-sided, half warrior half king.

Oath-Taking - Breaking Oaths was a very serious offence to God, William made important land holds swear loyalty to him in 1069 when another great Viking invasion seemed imminent.

Question 32

How did rewarding his Norman followers help William to establish control?

Answer 32

William rewarded the people who stayed loyal to him and assisted him in battle. For example,

• He gave land to all his family members and advisers. His half brother, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, was given all of Kent. Gospatric was made Earl of Northumbria.
• He sent rich gifts to the pope and Church supporters in Normandy
• He introduced a heavy geld tax to pay mercenaries

This helped him establish control as it encouraged more people to stay loyal to William and assist him in battle. He also established a network of loyal Normans in England across the country to help him control England.

Question 33

Describe the events of Hereward the Wake and Rebellions at Ely

Answer 33

Hereward the Wake was a former Anglo-Saxon noble who returned to England to find his land taken over by Normans and his brother’s head hung up on display. In 1070, a Danish fleet returned to England with King Sweyn as their leader, they made allies with Hereward. They carried out an attack on Peteborough.

Question 34

Describe the attack on Peterborough

Answer 34

They attacked Peterborough together, Hereward wanted to stop riches falling into the hands of Normans. Morcar also joined this force. However, the Danes ran away with the treasure.

Question 35

Describe how William I responded to rebellions at Ely

Answer 35

William paid the Danes off so that the rebels were outnumbered and had less support so were easier to defeat.

The Normans managed to capture Ely by bribing monks to show them a secret way in through the marches.

Question 36

Who rebelled in 1075?

Answer 36

Ralph de Gael
Robert de Breteuil
Earl Waltheof

Question 37

What caused the Revolt of the Earls in 1075?

Answer 37

• Robert de Breteuil was William Fitzozbern’s son, and claimed his English titles and land when he died. By 1074, Roger was increasingly unhappy about the little land he received and blamed William
• Ralph de Gael was also upset that the size of his land had been reduced
• Earl Waltheof was threatened as he was the last Anglo-Saxon Earl
• William was away in 1075, so the monarchy was vulnerable.

Question 38

Why did the Revolt of the Earls fail?

Answer 38

• They didn’t have the expected support of the Anglo-Saxon people. For example, Bishop Wulfstan stopped Roger’s forces, Bishop Wulfstan was an Anglo Saxon
• Earl Waltheof alerted Lanfranc of their plans, so they had time to prepare
• Norman Barons, loyal to the King, defeated Ralph in East Anglia

Question 39

Who contacted King Sweyn of Denmark to ask for support for the Revolt of the Earls in 1075?

Answer 39

Ralph de Gael

Question 40

How did Ralph de Gael and Roger de Breteuil align their powers against the king?

Answer 40

Ralph’s sister married Roger

Question 41

Who was executed after the Revolt of the Earls of 1075?

Answer 41

Waltheof