Norman Conquest Flashcards
(3 cards)
Why was the Norman invasion of 1066 successful?
Following Edward the confessors death there were 3 rivals for the throne:
Harald hardrada king of Norway
Harold Godwinson earl of Wessex
William of Normandy
The witan appointed Harold godwinson.
Harold defeated Harald at the battle of Stamford bridge then William lands in southern England 3 days later so Harold’s troops had to March down the country causing them to be highly fatigued during the battle.
Williams army was far superior to Harold’s as large amounts of the English troops were called the fryd (regular men with no training).
The Norman’s were far better equipped with archers and horsemen which made Williams tactics far more flexible.
Tactics: William used many clever tactics including a fake retreat to outwit the enemy.
How did the Norman’s take control of England 1066-1075?
Williams victory at Hastings didn’t make him king, he had to defeat a rally led by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The forces were greatly weakened and proved no challenge for Williams army and on Christmas Day he was crowned king.
1: Military efficiency and violence
Many revolts were led against Norman rule but they were never truly united due to a lack of a clear leader, so they were easily dispatched and tens of thousands civilians were killed and many atrocities committed against them. At first William was quite merciful and didn’t execute surrendered soldiers at Hastings or any surrendered rebels but in 1096 when northern earls joined forces with Scotland and a Viking fleet, many of williams castles in York were destroyed so he marched up, paid off the Dane’s and made sure that the north couldn’t trouble him by destroying large areas, burning barns and homes and killing animals, this became known as the harrying of the north, people apparently ate horses, cats, dogs and even human flesh to survive.
2: Castles,
Castles originated in France and England had none to defend their land making it easy for the Norman’s to conquer, so to protect their new land they began to build castles immediately, they forced English peasants to build them and they were a constant reminder of who was in charge, they also required a huge tax in the church.
How did the Norman’s take control of England 1066-1075? Part 2
3: Feudal system:
William had a close band of supporters and he took land away from English thegns and gave it to his Norman barons, they then divided it in between their knights and followers. In return for Land William got loyalty. This meant William could fight away in France and know his country was in safe hands.
4: Anglo Saxon administration,
William emphasised he had inherited the throne from Edward as he had promised, this helped him convince the government and sheriffs to carry out his orders, these officials collected taxes, raised armies and maintained law and order and through time the English officials were slowly replaced by Norman’s. He also promised not to take land of thegns who supported him but he also wanted to reward his supporters so over the years large amounts of land were given to his Norman followers.
5: New English church,
William knew how important the church was economically as well as for English identity so he replaced Saxon bishops and abbots with Norman’s. He also destroyed many Saxon churches and rebuilt them in a Norman style, wiping out the memory of many traditional Saxon legends.
6: The Domesday book,
Written in 1086 it’s one of the few surviving records from the time. William commissioned the survey to find out who owned what in Britain so he could develop tax laws and he surveyed thousands of landowners and even peasants.
7: the Norman Yoke,
As the Norman’s wanted to recover money lost in the conquest rents rose greatly and new conditions were imposed. Latin replaced English as the governments language and Englishmen had to learn French to be understood by their lords, however he did also do good by abolishing slavery.
