800 - 1500

• Normans:

  William become king in 1066 


  Political: Harold Godwinson became King of England after Edward the Confessor died. Godwinson made a promise to him that he would become King after his death

  Religion + politics: The Pope supported him because he didn’t like the fact that Godwinson broke his word. He had God and right on his side. 

  The Normans who followed William were attracted by the opportunities for new land + wealth that England provided. 
• Jewish:

  Came in 1070


  Invite: King William invited them because he needed to secure Norman control over England by building castles and cathedrals. He needed their money. 

  Economics: Jewish moneylenders could live prosperous lives because they could charge interest on loans. They didn’t follow the Pope so didn’t have to follow the rules of Usury. 
• Low Countries:

  Politics: Hundred Years’ War broke out across Europe. It disrupted work. 

  Job opportunities: The Black Death in 1348 meant that wages were high and jobs were needed. Brickmakers, farmers, etc came for jobs. 

  Invite: King Henry III invited the weavers in 1270 because he could make more money exporting high quality wool. 
• Lombardy Bankers: 

  Came in the 1220s. 


  Economics: saw the successes of Jewish and came to do the same. But usury? Found loophole - charged more interest than usury fine. 
• Vikings - Positive

  Danelaw. 

  Had fun. Told sagas, played chess, made music.

  Held Things, made laws, decided punishments of the guilty. 

  King Cnut, 1016, was good king: allowed Saxons to hold positions of power, established earldoms 
• Vikings Negative:

  King Ethelred ordered the massacre of all Danes living in English territory: St Brice’s Day, 1002. 

  Bc he feared they would join the viking raiding to take back Danish control.
• Normans - positive

  Feudal system - gave land to some supporters
• Normans - negative

  Faced a lot of opposition, especially in the north. Used force + castles to crush
• Jews - positive

  Helped businesses and trades flourish for many years - were prosperous

  Created Jewries - separate areas of towns and cities where Jews lived

  Given special status bc invited, could shelter in royal castles
• Jews - negative

  Had to charge high interest, resentment 

  Not christian

  Propaganda stories - blood libel (blamed for death of boy) 

  1265: pope allowed italian bankers to charge usury

  1275: The Statute of Jewry forbade them charging interest on loans

  1290: ordered to convert to Christianity or leave
• Low Countries - Positive

  Settled quickly, worked with English to teach new techniques. 

  Flemish brickmakers taught English brickmakers how to make + set bricks

  Flemish weavers allowed to set up own guilds

  Weavers were prosperous + well respected

  Lombardy bankers had royal protection 
• Low Countries - Negative

  Craft guilds thought migrants were taking their jobs. Hostility bt English + Flemish cloth workers

  People resented the special privileges given to them 

  During Peasants Revolt, 1381, 150 foreign weavers + merchants murdered

  King eventually stopped repaying loans to LBs, but they worked hard
• Hansa Merchants from Germany - Positive

  Established the Steelyard in London

  Given right to trade 

  Given royal protection, payed lower tax
• Hansa Merchants from Germany - Negative

  During revolt in 1381, english attacked Steelyard, burned buildings + destroyed goods. 

  Thought that they were only interested in making money for themselves
• impact of vikings

  Language: spoke Old Norse. Words like egg, Wednesday, knife. 

  Things: foundation of democracy - laws were decided by voting 

  Women had equal rights as men: own + inherit land + speak at Things
• impact of normans

  Built castles, cathedrals, monasteries, abbeys 

  Feudal system: by 1087, only two of great landowners were English

  Slavery abolished 

  William replaced all but one saxon bishop with Norman ones - links with Christendom grew

  Langage: Old French. Words like pork and beef. 

  Laws: e.g murdrum- a fine paid by any hundred if Norman murdered and murderer not caught
• impact of jews

  Lent money to local people to help start businesses. 

  Merton College founded in 1260s w help of wealthy Jew - Jacob of Oxford
• impact of migrants from low countries:

  Economy:

  Income to crown

  Cloth-makers + merchants: cloth became England’s main source of wealth as trade with Europe grew. Economy moved from primary to secondary economy. 

  Hansa merchants: traded w europe + made England a key European trading centre. 

  Lombardy bankers: turned London into an international financial market. 

  Language from LBs: words like bank + credit are italian.
• Vikings + york - why?

  Captured york in 866

  Important trading city 

  Rich fertile land for farming 

  Roads + rivers easy to control + move around 

  Had a mint - minted own coins 
• vikings + york - migrants:

  10,000 - 15,000 Vikings migrated to York bt 866 + 950
• vikings + york - trade

  Textile workers for clothing + shoes 

  Glass makers 

  Blacksmiths produced weapons and tools

  Imports to York: oils, perfumes, furs from russia for clothing
• vikings + york - religion

  The Church continued to practise in York 

  Many Vikings converted to Christianity 

  Most coins minted in York w christian symbols (but had latin spelling errors + pagan symbols)
• Vikings:

  Raiding began in 789

  Settled in 865


  Religion: Odin, God of military victory would reward Vikings for fighting + winning 

  Agriculture: England had fertile lands and soils. Settling meant that they could farm the land and live well

  Trade: English towns were very important trading centres w Europe. They could take over the trade and become rich.