1066 - 1088 ( norman England)

• Feudal system:

  • King owned all the land
  • King kept royal demesne for himself and gave fiefs to followers
  • Heirs had to pay relief to inherit land
  • King could take land away through forfeiture
  • All landholders had to perform an oath of homage
  • Tenants-in-chief provided military service for the king
  • Knights did 40 days of knight service for their tenant-in-chief
  • Knights gave land to peasants who had to do labour service
• Society:

  • Slavery gradually ended
  • Higher-ranking peasants had fewer rights
  • Earls were less powerful
  • People had to pay high taxes
  • Peasants were made to build castles
  • Economy in the south recovered after the battle of Hastings
  • England remained wealthy and well-organised
  • Anglo-Norman marriages increased
  • French names and words became fashionable
• Maintaining royal power:

  • William presented himself as Edward the Confessor’s legitimate successor
  • He travelled around England to be visible to important families
  • Held crown-wearing ceremonies three times a year
  • His image appeared on coins and the royal seal
  • Held oath-taking ceremonies for people to pledge allegiance to him
• The Church:

  • Archbishop of Canterbury, Stigand, was replaced by Lanfranc
  • Lanfranc reformed the English Church
  • Simony and pluralism were banned
  • Priests could no longer marry
  • Church services were in Latin
  • Focus on Jesus was encouraged
  • More monasteries were built
  • Churches were rebuilt as large stone buildings with stained-glass windows
• Government:

  • Shires and hundreds were maintained for administration
  • Norman administrators replaced Anglo-Saxon ones
  • Latin was used for official documents
  • New punishments were introduced
  • Trial by combat was used
  • Regent system was used when William was away
  • Norman sheriffs were powerful and reported directly to the king
• Aristocracy:

  • Normans introduced chivalry for knights
  • Norman aristocrats shaved their heads and spoke French
  • New ceremonial methods and hairstyles were introduced
  • Normans built grand buildings like Winchester Cathedral and Westminster Hall
• The forest:

  • Norman forests were reserved for the king's hunting
  • Peasants were not allowed to cut wood or hunt there
  • Harsh punishments for those caught hunting
  • Forests showed the king's power and demonstrated Norman brutality
• In 1085, William ordered the creation of the Domesday Book, which was ready by 1086
• The Domesday Book had legal, financial, and military purposes for William
• Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William's half-brother, supported William's invasion of England and held powerful positions in England, but was imprisoned after upsetting William
• William the Conqueror's eldest son, Robert Curthose, had conflicts with his father and his brothers William Rufus and Henry Beauclerk
• Robert Curthose's revolt in Normandy from 1077 to 1080 involved conflicts with his father William and his brothers, resulting in his exile from England
• William the Conqueror's death in 1087 led to chaos and uncertainty about the next king of England, with his favorite son William Rufus eventually becoming king
• King William Rufus defeated Robert Curthose and Odo of Bayeux after they plotted to remove him from the English throne
• the church owned land which provided income to support itself
• the church had its own legal system, courts and judges
• the church was the most powerful institution in medieval society