The Revolt of the Earls

• Revolt of the Earls (1075)


  The last major revolt against William's rule
• Main conspirators

  • Roger de Breteuil (Earl of Hereford)
  • Ralph de Gael (Earl of East Anglia)
  • Waltheof (Earl of Northumbria)
  • Emma fitz Osbern (Daughter of William fitz Osbern)
• Roger de Breteuil

  • Earl of Hereford, son of William fitz Osbern, Earl of a Marcher earldom with additional powers
• Ralph de Gael

  • Earl of East Anglia, grew up in Brittany, son of an Anglo-Norman
• Waltheof

  • Earl of Northumbria, the last Saxon earl of England, had rebelled twice before but been pardoned
• Emma fitz Osbern


  • Daughter of William fitz Osbern, King William's oldest friend, important to the story but not given much attention in the specification
• Reasons for the revolt

  • Loss of lands
  • Loss of privileges
  • Loss of power
  • Opportunity to rebel with William away in Normandy
  • Powerful allies (Danes)
  • Leftover Saxon rebelliousness
• Conspirators' plan

  1. Raise armies in their earldoms to unite and overthrow William's rule

  2. Strike whilst William was in Normandy, leaving his regent Lanfranc in charge

  3. Rely on Anglo-Saxon support for extra strength

  4. Get support from Knut, son of King Swain of Denmark

  5. Divide the kingdom into three and share it between themselves
• The Danish fleet arrived late, saw the revolt was failing, raided the coast and left
• Archbishop Lanfranc knew of the plot because Earl Waltheof switched sides and revealed the plan to him
• Lanfranc's response

  1. Quickly and decisively defeated the earls before William returned to England

  2. Saxon support never materialized, likely due to fear of William's revenge
• Roger de Breteuil was imprisoned for life, Ralph de Gael fled to Brittany, and Waltheof was executed
• The revolt failed due to Waltheof's betrayal, Lanfranc's quick response, lack of Danish support, and lack of Saxon support
• The revolt of the earls in 1075 was the last major rebellion against William's rule, showing how secure and strong his power was by that time