Anglo Saxons and Norman England Flashcards
(19 cards)
Harold’s Embassy to Normandy
1064
- Edward sent Harold to Normandy to deliver a message to William
- Harold was captured and held prisoner by Count Guy of Ponthieu but William rescued him
- Harold fought for William and was rewarded
- Harold swore an oath to William
Uprising against Tostig
October 1065
- Northumbrian thegns revolt against Tostig, marching on York
- Northumbrians invite Morcar to be new Earl of Northumbria
- Edward orders earls to put down the uprising but they find ways to disobey him
- Harold agrees to rebels terms and Tostig is exiled
Battle of Gate Fulford
20th September 1066
- Hardrada and Tostig sail up the river Humber and march towards York
- Earls Edwin and Morcar meet them at Gate Fulford but vastly outnumbered and outflanked and defeated
- Harold marches North to help
The Battle of Stamford Bridge
25th September 1066
- Having led the rapid march North Harold’s army surprise the vikings at Stamford Bridge
- The Vikings had left their armour and the ships and the English broke their shield wall and won
- William invaded in the south whilst Harold was in the north
- Harold had to rapidly march back south
The Battle of Hastings
14th October 1066
- Williams scouts spotted Harold’s advancing army - Harold failed to achieve a surprise attack
- Harold’s army positioned themselves at the top of a ridge
- Williams archers were positioned out of range of English Javelins
- A feigned retreat led to the break up of the English shield wall
- Harold and his brothers, Gyrth and Leofwine were killed
The March on London
1066
- Following the Battle of Hastings Willis and his men marched to Dover and became ill with dysentery
- In London the remaining nobility chose Edgar Aethling to be Harold’s successor
- Having recovered, William led his men on a brutal march through south - east England, destroying homes and farms
- Towns and villages surrendered. William led his army around London and set up camp in Berkhamsted
The Submission of the Earls
1066
- William had seized the royal treasury in Winchester so Edgar Aethling had little to reward his followers
- Williams march around London may have threatened to cut off supplies
- Englands best warriors died in the Battle of Hastings
- Edgar, Morcar, Edwin and the other English nobles submitted
The Marcher Earldoms
1066 - 69
- William created three new earldoms to protect the Marches - the border with Wales
- The Marcher earls had special rights:
- Could create new towns to promote Norman colonisation of the Marches
- Had total control - their sheriffs reported to them rather than the King
- Did not have to pay tax on their lands, so could invest in defence
- Could build castles as they wished
Anglo Saxon Resistance
- When ?
- Causes ?
- Responses ?
- Consequences ?
1068
William initially aimed to include the Anglo-Saxon earls in governing England. However, in 1068, earls Edwin and Morcar fled Williams court and led a revolt against him.
Causes:
- Edwin’s resentment - due to marry daughter
- Bad government - unlawful seizures of land and allowance of rape
- Morcar’s resentment - earldom reduced in size
- Loss of Land - Anglo-Saxon earls lost land to Normans
- Castles - resented symbol of Norman domination
- Taxes - William imposed a heavy geld tax in 1066 and returned to Normandy in the spring of 1067 taxing English treasure with
Williams response and Consequences
- William took his forces north into Mercia and Northumbria
- Took control of the burhs of Warwick and Nottingham and built castles in their place
- Edwin and Morcar submitted and were pardoned, Edgar Aethling and other rebels fled to Scotland
Consequences
- Robert Cumin in charge of North - led to other rebellions
- Edgar Aethling’s escape to Scotland created a new centre of Norman resistance
- Castles proved effective
- Anglo-Saxons helped to stop the revolts
Uprisings in Durham and York
January - February 1069
January:
- Robert Cumin is appointed as earl of northern Northumbria
- Looting by his men triggers a rebellion in Durham: Cumin and his men are killed
February:
- An uprising in York, the governor and Norman troops are killed
- Edgar Aethling comes down from Scotland to join the rebellion
- Norman Sheriff and his garrisons are attacked
Response
- William races north with a large army and quickly ends the rebellion
- William lays waste to the whole city York and builds new castles
- William returns south for Easter
Anglo-Danish attack on York
September 1069
- King Sweyn of Denmark sends a large invasion fleet to England
- The Danish invasion forces meet up with Edgar Aethling
- 21st September: the Anglo-Danish attack on York - 3000 Normans killed
- The Danes retreat to the Lincolnshire coast
- Anglo-Saxons in the north begin guerrilla warfare, sheltered by the locals
- New rebellions begin in Devon, Shrewsbury and Chester
- The Danes bide their time protected by the marshland
Williams solutions
- Pay the Danes to leave England
- The Harrying of the North
1069-1071
- Hereward returned to Ely in around 1069 from exile
- He started a rebellion because he had lost his lands to the new Norman Lords
1070 - The Danes returned and set up base in Ely
- The Danes and Hereward joined forces and raided Peterborough Abbey
- Hereward hoped to save the treasures of the monastery from the Normans but it is believed the Danes took it and sailed back to Denmark
- Morcar and his men came to Ely and joined Hereward, they defended Ely but were defeated
- Morcar was captured and Hereward escaped
- Marked the end of Anglo-Saxon resistance against Norman rule
The Harrying of the North
Winter 1069 - 1070
The brutality of the Harrying of the North showed the extreme measures William was willing to take to gain control of England.
Reasons
- Destroy spirit of rebellion in the North
- Avenge the death of Robert Cumin and other Normans
- Prevent Viking’s using Yorkshire as a base for future attacks
- Warning to other areas of England
- Military response to the guerrilla warfare used by the rebels and locals
Features
- Livestock killed
- Homes destroyed
- Seeds destroyed so no food to plant for next year
Immediate consequences
- Death of thousands from starvation
- Floods of refugees to other parts of England
- Reports of families selling themselves to slavery to survive
- Reports of cannibalism
Long Term Consequences
- Criticism of Williams brutality
- No further rebellion from the north and no further Anglo-Saxon rebellion from 1071
- Danish invaders in 1070 went to Ely rather than York
- English aristocracy replaced with Normans
The Revolt of the Earls
Roger de Breteuil - Earl of Hereford
Ralph de Gael - Earl of East Anglia
Waltheof - Earl of Northumbria
1075
Reasons for Revolt
- Loss of privileges - William changed the feature of the Marcher earldoms so the sheriffs answered to the King
- Loss of power - Under Anglo-Saxon rule earls had the majority of power and these earls wanted that
- Anglo-Saxon rebelliousness - assumed Anglo-Saxons would join revolt
- Powerful allies - King Sweyn of Denmark’s son put together a fleet to come help
- William’s absence - In 1075 William had temporarily returned to Normandy and left England to his regent - Lanfranc
- Loss of Land
Features
- Waltheof informed Lanfranc of the revolt
- Lanfranc tried to convince Roger not to rebel
- When Roger did not give up plans Lanfranc excommunicated him
- Bishop Wulfstan and abbot of Evesham blocked Roger from taking his troops across the river
- Anglo-Saxons helped to stop Ralphs troops breaking out of East Anglia
- When Danes arrived with 200 ships the revolt had come to a halt - the Danes raided and returned to Denmark
The defeat of the revolt
- William returned to England and oversaw the defeat of the revolt
- Roger captured and imprisoned for life
- Ralph escaped
- Waltheof fled but was tricked into coming back and was executed
Church Reforms
1070 +
Criticisms of Stigand
- Stigand was a pluralist - he was bishop for more than one area increasing his land and revenue
- He was accused of simony - giving out jobs in return for money
- Lanfranc believed only the church or the King should appoint bishops but Stigand was appointed by the Godwins
- Stigand had no real control over the other bishops and archbishops
Lanfranc’s Reforms
- Archbishop of Canterbury in control of the Church of England
- Lanfranc then reorganised Church councils to be held more frequently to push through his reforms
- Archdeacons brought in to control parish priests
- The King controlled communications between the Church and the Pope
- Clergy were to be tried by Church-Only courts
- Priests should be celibate and marriage was banned
- Numbers of monasteries and nunneries increased
The Domesday book
1085
Contained
- 13400 place names
- Recorded England’s population ad how it was split in the feudal hierarchy
Uses
- Meant the King could see where Landholders should be paying money and who could be paying more
- Allowed him to see how many knights his tenants should provide for knights service
- Records of Anglo-Saxon claims that Normans had taken their lands
Williams Death
9th September 1087
Robert Curthose’s Revolt
1077-1080
1077- Robert’s younger brothers played a prank on him that led to a real fight that William had to break up
- Angry that his father hadn’t punished his brothers, Robert and his men took control of Rouen castle
- William led troops against Robert and his men, Robert fled to Flanders
- Williams enemy, King Philip of France, gave Robert a castle on the border of Normandy and Robert used this to launch an attack
- William raised an army against Robert and in 1079 the two fought and Robert won
- Matilda (Williams wife) organised a reconciliation between Robert and William at Easter 1080
Robert and Odo - The Rebellion
1088
Reasons
- The disputed succession - Robert was the eldest and the barons had sworn allegiance to him. However, William Rufus had his fathers deathbed letter to Lanfranc suppotring his claim
- Roberts conflicts with his father meant William did not trust him to be King of England
- Robert had a weak character and some barons thought they could exploit him but not William Rufus as he had a strong character like his father and could threaten the power of the barons
- Norman tradition - eldest son inherits
- Barons wanted England and Normandy under one Lord
Events
- 1087 - Odo released from prison
- 1088 - Odo lead rebellion against William in support of Robery
- The majority of English barons and population supported William
- Odo and his brother took refuge at Pevensey castle
- Odo escaped to Rochester castle waiting for Robert Curthose’s support which never came and Odo was forced to surrender.
