Control of the Population

• William needed to ensure that when he controlled England, he faced no threats to his power such as rebellions from the Anglo-Saxons.

  Certain areas of English were more rebellious than others and required a closer watch such as the north of England.

  William relied on trusted and loyal men known as tenants-in-chief which included the Bishops to help him control the country.
• Durham Cathedral was well placed to deal with threats of rebellion. It was for this reason that the Prince Bishop was based at Durham Cathedral and given extensive military and political power over the region as well as its religious authority.
• The cathedral represented a spiritual power and suggested that resisting Norman authority meant that you were going against the will of God. Bishop Æthelwine was a useful man to have as Bishop of Durham because of his good relations to Malcolm, King of Scotland, and William was to use him as a go-between when negotiating peace with the Scottish King.
• After the Norman Conquest, Robert de Comines, the new Norman Earl of Northumbria ignored Æthelwine's warnings about the dangers of the area. Comines was trapped and burned to death in the bishop's house in January 1069 which, along with the rebellion that followed, prompted William to retaliate with the Harrying of the North
• William saw the church as a source of power. The Bishops and heads of monasteries were the church's tenants-in-chief and they controlled large areas of land. They needed to be loyal supporters of William. He used pre-existing Anglo-Saxon Bishops to accept the new Norman conquerors. However they were gradually replaced by Norman bishops who were trusted.
• The Normans also created new bishoprics which were areas a bishop was responsible for. These bishoprics became flourishing urban communities that were defensible. These areas allowed for a more structured system of church governance and administration.