How Did William Secure Power?

• William was crowned king on Christmas Day

  1066
• William secured England by winning the Battle of Hastings
• It wasn't a foregone conclusion that William would win overall
• Harold was dead and the Saxons were fleeing, William had won the Battle of Hastings
• William needed to finish off some resistance, capture London, end Edgar's claim to the throne, and force the English nobility to surrender
• Archbishop Stiggened put forward Edgar Atheling for the throne after hearing of Harold's death
• Edgar Atheling was supported by the Witten despite being about 14 years old at the time
• William needed to capture London as a key power base
• William decided to take an indirect circular route to London, establishing castles along the way
• William needed to defeat remaining English resistance to his rule
• William attacked London indirectly, destroying villages and terrifying people in a circular route around London
• Castles helped to secure William's position
• The English earls submitted to William at Burkhamsted
• William was crowned king on Christmas Day, becoming the undisputed king of England
• William would suffer rebellions in the years afterwards
• Getting the crown was only the start of trying to crush Anglo-Saxon will and become the undisputed and consolidated ruler of England