Life Under Normans Booklet 2 Flashcards
(33 cards)
Anglo-Saxon hierarchy
King-Earls-Thegns-peasants-slaves
- Only 6 earls they were too powerful.
- lots of slaves.
Norman feudal system:
King-barrons’n’bishops-knights-peasants-slaves.
- less salves
- more peasants
- bishops have less power and own less land.
Villeins peasants
- no freedom
- granted some land from landlord
- most peasants were these.
- ## no pay, worked 2/3 days a week.
Slaves
- No freedom
- church disapproved
- 10% of the population
- expensive to keep
Freemen
- Payed rent to the landlord,
- boon work, (unpayed work which landlord wants done)(no cash)
- numbers of these declined significantly
- most became villeins
Bishops and barrons
- kept there land under control using knights and other superiors.
- owned less land
- had less power
- kept slaves under control.
The acts of homage. And the oath of fealty
They are about swearing a oath to the lord you serve this helps the feudal system maintain control. If they broke this promise they would be punished by god. This was very significant.
Threat form wales.
The Marcher lords, join was to stop the welsh invading. They could build castles when and where they want and could demand a army when needed(without kings permission) this would of made things much quicker.
Threat from Scotland.
King malcome III, offered shelter to Edgar A. And encouraged him to claim northan England. William delt with this threat by, he made malcome swear loyalty to him. And stopped them invading again.
Anglo-Saxon inheritance.
All land and money is split between the sons.
Norman inheritance.
The property was passed on to the eldest son intact (PRIMOGENITURE). If the tenant died without any heirs the land goes to the lord. They could sell it to the highest bidder or be granted as a gift. Stopes land disputes. Makes heirachy clearer and centralises control.
The great council
The king and the most powerful people came together to make big decisions, this is simular to how the nulo Saxons used to do it with the witan.
William claiming control:
He did this through:
- putting his face on the minting system.
- rewarded loyalty.
- severely punished the un loyal.
- The government by writ was a message from the king which tells a lord what to do by when. It reinforces his dominance over them.
Changes to the government (norman England):
Gives more people less power due to the shire system, these were now known as counties. As the king was on the minting system it shows power and wealth. It indicates to the poor how the ‘class’ above them were more superior than them, this stopped uprisings.
Normans solutions to the legal system.
- more simple.
- rules and laws applied more consistently around the country.
This is compared to the anglo-Saxons.
The murdrum fine:
It protected the Normans against the anglo-Saxons. If a Norman was found dead and Anglo-Saxons ‘responsible’ if the killer did not own up or be grassed up by fellow anglo’s, the whole local area would be fined heavily.
Norman legal systems
Manor - lords - hundred - shire - kings
How the law was enforced.
HUE ‘N’ CRY: if seen a criminal offence, sound a alarm and then act apron this, anyone who ignores it is heavily fined.
WATCHMEN: prevent crime, catch criminals.
CONSTABLES: had the power to arrest people, stocked people for minor offences also broke up fights.
Trials
TRIAL BY OATH:Trials made over holy relics and if they lied god would punish them.
TRIAL BY COLD WATER: thrown into cold water which has been blessed by a priest, if floated they were guilty if they sank they were accepted by god and innocent.
TRIAL BY HOT IRON: burn 3 times with iron to the hand, 3 days later if infected the they were guilty. If not they weren’t.
Punishment:
PAY - pay compensation to person they had wronged.
WERGILD - paying the money of the value of the person they killed.
HANGING - oof
PHYSICAL MANIPULATION: cutting off limbs, this is a physical representation of how strict the normans are this made more people follow the law due to fear of this.
The doomsday book
It tells the normans:
- who owns what
- who lives where
- did serves in under a year!
- could raise taxes with it.
Mercenaries
Paid soldiers to fight for you in wars these are costly.
The poor’s housing in norman times.
- made from wattle and daub.
- slept in the Same rooms as animals.
- straw as carpet
- no windows
The poor’s diet:
- ate food they could grow.
- basic foods (bread, oats, rie)
- water was not safe to drink they had weak ale instead.
