How Did William Secure Power?

• William's position after the Battle of Hastings

  He had won the battle, but not yet gained total power
• Challenges William faced after the Battle of Hastings

  • London was under Saxon control, making it easy for opposition to take over
  • William's troops were still in and around Hastings, easy to hem in if opposition mounted
  • Archbishop Stigand supported Edgar Atheling for the throne, backed by the Witan
• What William needed to do next

  1. Finish off Saxon resistance

  2. Capture London as a key power base

  3. End Edgar Atheling's claim to the throne

  4. Force the English nobility to surrender
• William's route to London


  1. Used force and intimidation

  2. Destroyed the countryside

  3. Negotiated with the English
• William's actions on the route to London

  • Attacked Romney to show his power
  • Established castles along the way
  • Crossed the Thames and built castles at Newbury and Wallingford to secure his route
  • Indirectly attacked London, destroying villages and terrifying people
• The Anglo-Saxons were so intimidated that the submission of the earls followed at Berkhamsted
• William was able to move into London and capture it with barely a fight, and was crowned king on Christmas Day 1066
• William would still face rebellions in the years afterwards, and gaining the crown was only the start of trying to crush Anglo-Saxon will and become the undisputed and consolidated ruler of England