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How did William control England?
How did William control England?
The establishment of Norman rule over England
The establishment of Norman rule over England
King William I's greatest concern immediately after his decisive victory at Hastings was to ensure he could consolidate power over all of England.
The young Edgar Atheling, who was briefly crowned king after King Harold II's death, surrendered to William along with the Archbishop of Canterbury Stigand. This meant that the south of England was secure, but William was faced with the problem of asserting his authority over a foreign population.
The Feudal System
The Feudal System
The Feudal System was the system of giving land in exchange for duties had existed before the Norman Conquest but William confiscated land from Anglo-Saxons, which created a whole new power structure. Norman feudalism was based on royal strength.
The Feudal System was the system of giving land in exchange for duties had existed before the Norman Conquest but William confiscated land from Anglo-Saxons, which created a whole new power structure. Norman feudalism was based on royal strength.
Just 250 people controlled all of the land in England during the Norman period. The Church held 25%, William and his family 20%, 10 Norman barons (aristocracy) held 25%, and the other 30% was shared between 170 others.
Just 250 people controlled all of the land in England during the Norman period. The Church held 25%, William and his family 20%, 10 Norman barons (aristocracy) held 25%, and the other 30% was shared between 170 others.
King directly owned 20% of the land. 25% was owned by the Church. The rest was shared out amongst William’s supporters (200 bishops and barons).
Barons and Bishops – Granted lots of land, but did not own it. In return they paid homage and swore fealty. They also provided military forces to William.
Knights – knights were promised land in return for loyalty. Also called Lord of the Manor. They provided land for peasants, and controlled the day-to-day running of the manor or village.
Peasants – had to obey their lord. Worked a set number of days and provided crops without pay. Could not leave the land without permission.
Slaves – Made up about 10% of the population in 1086. Expensive to keep and the Church disapproved.
Castles
Castles
When William arrived in England at Pevensey Bay on the 28th September 1066 (only 3 days after Harold’s victory at Stamford Bridge), he brought with him lots of pre-cut timber on board his ships.
Using the old Roman fortification that was already at Pevensey – it only took William 1 day to build a castle there. Afterwards he marched his troops to Hastings were he built another castle.
Within 2 weeks of landing he had built 2 castles! This was a key indicator of how he intended to rule England!
Why did William build castles?
Why did William build castles?
Strategic reasons
Strategic reasons
Castles housed soldiers who would put down rebellions. William did not have a great number of troops so they needed to be moved to wherever they were most needed. This was enough to deter anyone challenging the Normans.
Castles were situated in vulnerable areas including borders between Wales and Scotland, the South coast and significant towns or cities.
No significant town was more than a days march from a castle meaning that rebellions could be dealt with swiftly.
Symbolic reasons
Symbolic reasons
Castles were also a permanent reminder to the English of who was governing the country. Normans often destroyed housing in towns to make way for their castles, they forced the English to build them without paying them.
How did Castles help William control England?
How did Castles help William control England?
Location Location Location
Location Location Location
Between 1066 and 1086, the Normans built around 500 motte and bailey castles.
William built castles along the coasts of England to defend the country from invasion.
William built the majority of his castles in vulnerable areas on the borders with Wales and Scotland as well as in the troublesome North of England
Castles were built within only one days march from each other
Military Role
Military Role
Motte and bailey castes were quick and easy to erect and made use of existing geographical features, such as hills.
It only took two weeks for the Normans to build a Motte and Bailey Castle.
The castles were easy to defend with a small number of men. There were 10,000 Normans in England and 2 million Anglo-Saxons.
Fear
Fear
The Normans often cleared / destroyed the Anglo-Saxon homes in order to build their castles.
Castles were new to England and were huge constructions. The Anglo-Saxons had never seen such creations!
The Normans lived in the Keep at the top of the castle and the Anglo-Saxons either lived in the Bailey or the surrounding area (this emphasised the importance and power of the Norman rulers).
Economic Role
Economic Role
William built castles next to rivers and roads. This boosted trade and castles became economic hubs with towns growing around them.
A significant numbered of people lived and worked inside the castle walls.
Castles attracted tradesman and craftsman (such as blacksmiths, sword smiths etc.)
Castles were also used to administer the Norman estates. It was from the castle that roles would be organised, taxes gathered, land purchased and disputes settled in the Shire Courts.
The Domesday Book
The Domesday Book
What was the Domesday Book and what did it investigate?
What was the Domesday Book and what did it investigate?
The Domesday Book was a huge land survey, commissioned by William to assess the extent of land and resources available in England.
This helped him work out how many taxes he could demand from the people.
The information was collected and recorded by hand in two huge books over the space of a year.
The survey investigated:
ü Who lived where and who owned what land and property
ü The overall value of each man’s property (including animals and ploughs)
ü What taxes were owed from the time of Edward the Confessor
ü Who held wealth (and therefore power) in different parts of the country
Why did William create the Domesday Book?
Why did William create the Domesday Book?
In 1085, King William faced the threat of invasion from Danish Vikings and the Count of Flanders, so he called a war council together in Gloucester.
He needed to enforce a geld (a form of tax) to pay for his army; however, the invasion forces never came.
Soon after, William ordered an inventory (a list) to be drawn up in order to help him raise this tax. This became known as the Domesday Survey.
However, the Domesday survey could also help William with many other issues:
Ø It would help him make sure that the feudal lords were not hiding wealth from him
Ø He could record and settle arguments over land
Ø It made it clear that all land was held by permission of the King
Why was the Domesday Book important for William?
Why was the Domesday Book important for William?
Domesday did allow William to ensure that he got as much money as possible from taxes.
He could also make sure that his feudal lords were not withholding money, which could have made them a threat to his power.
In addition, William could legalise and record arguments over the ownership of land.
Therefore, whilst the true purpose of Domesday is unclear, it provides valuable evidence of not only what life was like in England after the Battle of Hastings, but also how much it changed as a result of the Norman Conquest.
William was an exceedingly powerful king to have such a detailed survey carried out with great accuracy. Everyone must have feared the consequences if they lied to the royal commissioners about the value of land.
William was extremely wealthy. It details exactly which lands everyone owned and how much they were worth so we can compare the wealth of the king and his lords.
William and his successors now had the power to tax people effectively because they knew how much income everyone had. It was impossible to claim you could not afford the king’s taxes and be believed.
Outcomes Focused, Child Centred
Outcomes Focused, Child Centred
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