Topic 1 : Conquest And Control Flashcards
(27 cards)
What role did the catholic church play in society before 1066
Played an important role
Provided rules for living , was a landowner, heard legal cases, set rules on marriage and inheritance
Why was England a target for Viking raiders?
It was very wealthy and had many natural resources to trade with other countries e.g. Denmark, France ( Normandy) and Norway.
This meant it had one of the most advanced economic systems in the world at this time.
Who controlled most of southern England?
The Godwin family controlled from East Anglian in the east to Cornwall in the west.
Normandy’s relationship with England.
5 points
Edward the Confessors mother, Emma had Norman relations.
(1016) When her husband died she sent Edward and his brother to Normandy for their own safety.
(1040) Emma summoned them back to England to help their half brother Harthacnut take the throne and Edward brought back Norman friends and Advisors with him.
(1042) Edward inherits the throne
(1051) Edward sends his Norman friends back after he falls out with earl Godwin over their increasing influence on him.
What were Normandy’s links with England?
William was a distant cousin of King Edward the Confessor
William had become friends with Edward when he lived in Normandy and visited him many times in England
What did Duke William being seen as illegitimate lead to?
There were several attempts to assassinate him
As a result, William had to learn to defend himself from a young age and so
became a successful military leader and politician.
1060s: William led successful campaigns in Sicily (Italy) and Maine (France) – as a result, he was given the title ‘Conqueror’
Ways to inherit the English throne
1) A son of the king could inherit the title or a previous male relative
2) Post obitum which meant ‘after death’ and was a nomination while the king was alive.
3) Alternatively the king could name this heir on his deathbed which was known as novissima verba.
4) Use of force - Challenging each other for the crown.
Difference between Norman and English customs in naming a king.
English : regarded kings dying words as more important than any promises the King made previously.
Norman : Earlier promises were final and could not be undone later on - even on the kings deathbed.
William of Normandy claims to the throne
A distant cousin of Edward the Confessor. Edward had himself been raised in Normandy and when he faced a rebellion from Earl Godwin in 1051, William sent in Norman soldiers as protection. In exchange for his help, Edward promised William the throne. The Normans claimed that while visiting Normandy in 1064, Harold Godwinson had promised under oath on holy relics to support William’s claim to the English throne.
Edgar Aethling claims to the throne
Closest blood relative, lived with Edward and was raised as an adopted son, was an Anglo Saxon giving the support of many Earls, he was still young and would not be able to defend England.
Harald Hardrada claims to the throne
The King of Norway, he was a powerful Viking with a large and successful army, He was related to King Cnut who had ruled until 1035, Hardrada claimed that Harthacanute, had made an agreement with his father which in turn meant that Hardrada had a claim to the throne.
Harold Godwinson Claims to the throne
Brother in law of Edward. Godwins were the most powerful family in England and controlled Wessex, Harold inherited this making him the richest man in England. Harold acted as sub-regulus to Edward. Harold was also a skilful military leader who had beaten a Welsh invasion and therefore had the support of the English lords. Edward’s dying wish had been that Harold become king of England.
Harold’s preparations for the Battle of Hastings ( Navy)
Harold expected an invasion from Normandy so needed a navy to stop the Norman fleet from landing. He did not have ships of his own, so demanded them from sailors around the country. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says that he created a navy bigger than any one had before.
Harold’s preparations for the Battle of Hastings (Army)
At this time, an English king did not have an army but instead had a small
band of professional soldiers called housecarls.
When there was a battle to be fought, the king would call on his thegns (lords) to come and fight for him and
bring the fyrd (ordinary people called up to fight) with them.
The housecarls were Harold’s most experienced fighters. The fyrd were less well
equipped and experienced but were not useless. Harold’s main weakness was that
he had no cavalry and no archers. Cavalry and archers were both part of Norman warfare.
Harold raised an army of several thousand by May 1066. These troops were mainly
stationed in the south east of England, and his navy was stationed off the south coast.
However, William did not arrive
William’s original preparations for the Battle (Army)
William had no army, and called on his lords to bring themselves and their
knights to support him. By August, William had 7,000 soldiers including archers
and cavalry, with 3,000 horses.
William’s preparations for the Battle (Navy)
William also had no navy and therefore asked his vassals to provide ships, however they did not provide enough. Therefore, William ordered hundreds of ships to be built, which took more time. By August, he had 700 ships.
William’s preparations for the Battle ( Tactics )
William had also thought about how to secure his position in England when he landed. To save time and to defend their positions quickly, the Normans built pre-fabricated castles which had pieces of wood cut to the correct size and bolts to
secure them together.
William also went to Rome and convinced the Pope that he wanted to reform the English church and the pope gave him the papal banner. This made it a holy war and more people wanted to be on his side as even if they died they would go to heaven.
Why does Harold’s army go home
Harold faced a problem in keeping his army of 6,000 fed and watered while he waited for
William for three months. Many of Harold’s soldiers were ordinary men, part of the fyrd, who
needed to get back to their villages to bring the harvest in.
September 8th, Harold sent his army home, his fleet of ships disbanded and he went to London. His timing was bad;
William began to move his ships into position to wait for a favourable wind to sail to
England. At nearly the same time, Tostig and Harald Hardrada set sail from Scotland
Battle of Fulford Gate
Tostig and Harald Hardrada sailed down the River Tyne and landed near York. While Hardrada’s claim to the throne may have been weak, he was a fearsome warrior. On the 20th September, the Battle of Fulford took place. Anglo-Saxon earls Edwin and Morcar were defeated, but not killed, and York surrendered to Harald Hardrada.
Harold marches north
When Harold heard that Hardrada had landed in England, he called his army back and marched them north. They were so quick that they caught Tostig and Hardrada by surprise at Stamford Bridge of September
25th.
Harold Godwinson won the battle killing Hardrada, Tostig and a large number of the Norwegian army. However, within 3 days, Harold received news that William had landed in England
What support did William have ?
New French king was only 14 so wasn’t a threat
William was the most powerful man in Nirth-west Europe after extending his control across much of France even as far as Italy
Military preparations of William - army
William recruited men from all over France and Sicily
Many wanted to be part of a ‘holy war’ (it might help them get to Heaven), but they
also wanted the land and riches William had promised them
Around 8000 men were ready to sail across the Channel to England
Military preparations of William - fleet
William didn’t have a navy - used large number of flat – bottomed boats that could transport horses and ‘flat pack’ castles that could be built quickly on arrival
Getting across the channel:
William positioned his fleet to the mouth of the River Somme, halving the journey to England to around 20 miles
He made them wait for the right time to cross the Channel (when the weather
conditions were right) but made sure they were well – fed whilst they waited
Hastings - Battle style
Anglo Saxons - Shield wall formation, most soldiers were infantry, Harold on foot in the centre
Normans - Archers wear down enemy, used flags to communicate, cavalry used lances, horses trained to kick and bite
