Early Rebellions 1068-1071

• There were three main rebellions against Norman rule between 1068 and 1071
• None of the rebellions succeeded in overthrowing William the Conqueror
• Revolt of Edwin and Morcar


  1068
• Edwin and Morcar


  • Formerly firm allies of Harold Godwinson
  • Led the charge at Stamford Bridge in 1066
• Edwin and Morcar gambled

  William would not be able to control land stretching from Normandy to Northumbria
• Causes of the revolt

  • William went back on promise to let Edwin marry his daughter
  • William did not trust Morcar to defend the North
• William's response

  1. Built castles in Warwick, Nottingham and York

  2. Allowed his men to destroy crops and housing as a warning
• William showed some leniency to Edwin and Morkar compared to later rebellions
• Edgar Atheling and rebellions in the North (1069)


  Caused by resentment over Norman takeover, Edgar Atheling hoping to be king, Anglo-Saxons thinking Danes and Scots would help, fear of losing land
• Events of the 1069 rebellion

  1. Norman army attacked at Durham in January

  2. Edgar Atheling led English rebels and seized York

  3. William marched north and broke the siege of York
• Simultaneous threats William faced

  Danish invasion fleet, Edgar Atheling leading English rebels, rebellions in the South-West and on Welsh border, invasion by King Malcolm of Scotland
• William's response

  1. Marched north and caught rebels off guard

  2. Celebrated Christmas in York wearing crown to show power

  3. Culminated in the Harrying of the North
• Hereward the Wake and rebellion at Ely (1070-1071)


  Hereward led guerrilla-style attacks from the island of Ely, which was difficult to attack
• Events of the Ely rebellion

  1. Hereward killed Normans, raided Peterborough Abbey, held Ely for over a year

  2. William bribed King Swain of Denmark to leave, built causeways to attack Ely, eventually defeated the rebels
• By 1071, William had shown his power remained strong despite the rebellions, deterring further Anglo-Saxon resistance
• William would face other rebellions, particularly from his own earls, but the major Anglo-Saxon resistance to the Norman Conquest was over