how did William stop the rebellions

• he introduced loads of royal ceremonies to persuade people he was the rightful king - he wore the crown which reminded people he was king - God chose Kings - God chose him
• keep troops happy by paying them with the royal treasury and taxes from Anglo-Saxons - this means they are willing fight for him and put down the rebellions
• removes aristocracy from the England to reduce Anglo-Saxon power and gave the land to his Norman followers - each earldom was now that the size of the shire - this meant he could reward his Norman followers without them getting to powerful
• built a bunch of castles to impose Norman control
• stop the Danish - paying them off - Anglo Saxons have no defences/allies/help
• William did three thing in reaction to the Anglo Saxons rebellion


  1. he destroyed the North of England in an event called the Harrying of the North
  2. he took land off Anglo-Saxon thegns and earls to give it to his Norman followers
  3. he increased his royal power
• reasons for the Harrying

  • revenge for the death of humans - Robert Cumin, thousands of Normans slaughtered in York
  • William was struggling to catch the rebels as they ran off - northern rebels would refuse to meet William in open battle, scattering as he advanced, then launching attacks on his men as soon as he went to deal with different rebellions elsewhere
  • It stopped other areas copying the northern rebels - the north triggered rebellions else where, Williams troops couldn't keep up with being dragged around the country
  • it made it harder for King Sweyn to invade
• Harrying of the North 1069-70
• Immediate impact of the harrying


  starvation, freezing to death, cannibalism = 100000 die, their crops were gone, animals were gone, no protection from cold, couldn't grow next years crops as all seeds were destroyed

  north emptied as refugees fled
• long term impact of the harrying - no further rebellions but... 20 years later

  • 60% of Yorkshire was classed as waste and without livestock, waste meant their was no economic activity going on that could be taxed
  • William started to feel guilty about it and donated lots of money to the church -> hopes to not go on hell
• harrying of the north


  burnt down villages and food

  destroyed seeds (so no food for next year)

  salts the lands - nothing would grow
• make people swear an oath of loyalty to him - swearing on the Bible
• he put his picture with the crown on, on all the silver pennies
• William put Normans in control of the church