history

• after defeating harold godwinson in the battle of hastings william of normandy was crowned king of england on christmas day 1066
• william introduced new laws which made it easier for him to collect taxes from his subjects.
• the doomsday book recorded all landowners, their holdings and how much tax they paid
• william built castles across england to control the country more easily
• william is remembered as a harsh king who was cruel to his people and was not liked by the people
• william married edith swan-neck in 1089
• matilda's death left william with no legitimate children so he needed an heir
• edith died in childbirth in 1075
• harold had been crowned king just days before william arrived at hastings
• william landed on sussex coast in september 1066
• the battle of hastings took place on october 14th 1066
• william promised that all land would be returned to its rightful owners but this didnt happen
• after the battle of hastings, harold fled into the forest where he was killed by arrows from archers
• in 1069-1070 the harrying of the north occured
• harald hardrada invaded england with norwegian troops
• hardrada defeated edwin at stamford bridge
• mottle and bailey castles were built from wood and the keep was made of stone
• the motte is an earth mound which had a wooden tower on top
• motte and bailey castles were protected by a moat and a wooden palisade
• castles were built as symbols of power and wealth
• norman castles were built using stone, timber and earth