History Paper 3

• Although Wales was not a particularly wealthy country, and William had more valuable possessions and urgent concerns in England and Normandy, he was interested in Wales because of its land border with England.
• He was worried that a powerful Welsh prince might unite the Welsh-as Gruffydd ap Llywelyn had done-and invade England in alliance with Anglo-Saxon rebels.
• This danger from Wales was brought home to William between 1067 and 1069 when the Welsh began raiding into England, with the help of Anglo-Saxon rebels, Eadric the Wild and Earl Edwin of Mercia.
• Terrain/topography of Wales


  • Thick forests, deep valleys, rivers, marshes, and high mountains made travel and political integration difficult. It also made it easy for Welsh warriors to use guerrilla warfare against their enemies, who were not used to the terrain.
• In the first half of the 11th century, it was not only the geography and rainy, cold climate which made Wales difficult to control for the English, but also the emergence of the strong unifying warrior: Gruffydd ap Llywelyn.
• The Normans were lucky that they did not have to face this formidable foe in their conquest of Wales. This was due in large part to the actions of Harold Godwinson, who defeated the Welsh prince in 1064.
• A divided Wales did not necessarily benefit England as quarrels could spill across the border.
• Use of Marcher Earls


  • William had chosen these men carefully for their loyalty, ability as warriors, and proven military leadership, but an added advantage was that it rewarded and kept these powerful Earls busy. It also gave them the opportunity to expand their own lands which could in turn be used to reward their own supporters, thereby earning their further loyalty-links to Feudalism.
  • Extra powers and no taxes: build castles, establish churches, and create new towns with the right to hold markets which attracted settlers from Normandy who hoped to prosper free from any legal restrictions-links to colonisation. If they died with no heir-land and titles went back to the king due to the new rules of inheritance-primogeniture.
• How did they subdue the Welsh?

  1. The Norman invasions of Wales were directed from Hereford, Shrewsbury, and Chester with the aim of establishing great lordships along the border to hold back attacks from the Welsh.

  2. The new Earls soon began seizing Welsh territory for themselves. Rager of Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, took land in mid-Wales where he established the castle and town of Montgomery while his supporters conquered further up the Severn Valley, building castles of their own.

  3. In the North, Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester, grabbed territory and terrorised the Welsh by building castles along the River Conwy and raiding into Snowdonia.

  4. William FitzOsbern, Earl of Hereford, was responsible for South Wales. He established towns and castles beyond the River Wye but also came to an agreement with the local Welsh rulers by recognising them, in return for their acceptance of his lordship. When William FitzOsbern died in February 1071, his son, Roger of Breteuil, became Earl of Hereford. He continued his father's policy by allying himself with Caradog ap Gruffydd and helping him to defeat the neighbouring Welsh king which established Caradog as ruler in the south
• Castles built on river inlets which could be supplied by sea
• Castle in South Wales built within an old Roman fort.
• Fertile land in Mid Wales
• William takes matters into his own hands-show of force

  1. 1075-Earls Revolt - Breteuil and Ralph lost land and titles, Waltheof-Beheaded.

  2. 1081-With Roger of Breteuil's defeat, his lands were seized by King William and the king became overlord of South Wales. In 1081, war broke out between the Welsh princes with power in South Wales passing to Rhys ap Tewdwr. Willam now needed to show him who was boss. In the spring of 1081, he marched across the border with a formidable armed force. The message was simple and clear: William was more powerful, and Rhys should know his place. He did this by agreeing to pay William a tribute of £40 a year.
• Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was no lover of the English and, having defeated his southern Welsh rival in 1055, led a series of devastating raids across the English border which included the sacking of the city of Hereford.
• The English had no answer to these raids and negotiated a peace with Gruffydd ap Llywelyn which gave him control of land in north and south Wales.
• Although in 1056 he swore loyalty to the English king, Edward the Confessor, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn had succeeded in uniting Wales and also increasing its territory.
• The Normans were lucky that they did not have to face this formidable foe in their conquest of Wales. This was due in large part to the actions of Harold Godwinson, the very man whom William would later defeat at Hastings in 1066.
• Using lightly armed troops to carry out lightning raids into Wales, while also coordinating an attack from Bristol by his brother Tostig, Harold triumphed over Gruffydd ap Llywelyn in the years prior to the Norman invasion of England.
• The destruction of the Welsh army and Gruffydd ap Llywelyn's eventual death in 1063, at the hands of his own men, left Wales divided and weakened, making it easier for the Normans to conquer.
• Gruffydd ap Llywelyn


  Powerful Welsh rival defeated by Harold Godwinson, led devastating raids across the English border
• The English had no answer to Gruffydd ap Llywelyn's raids and negotiated a peace giving him control of land in north and south Wales
• Gruffydd ap Llywelyn succeeded in uniting Wales and increasing its territory
• Harold Godwinson defeated Gruffydd ap Llywelyn in the years prior to the Norman invasion of England
• The destruction of the Welsh army and Gruffydd ap Llywelyn's death left a power vacuum in Wales
• It was thanks to Harold Godwinson's victories over Gruffydd ap Llywelyn that gaining greater control in parts of Wales would be less difficult for William
• Marcher Earls


  Powerful Earls given land and titles along the Welsh border by William the Conqueror
• William carefully chose the Marcher Earls for their loyalty, ability as warriors, and proven military leadership
• Rewarding the Marcher Earls kept them busy and gave them the opportunity to expand their own lands
• Powers of the Marcher Earls

  • Allowed to build castles, establish churches, create new towns with markets, control law and order in their territories, pay no tax
• The Marcher Earls soon began seizing Welsh territory for themselves
• Roger of Breteuil, Earl of Hereford, led a rebellion against William in 1075 which was defeated
• After Roger of Breteuil's defeat, William became overlord of South Wales
• In 1081, William marched across the border with a formidable armed force to assert his authority in Wales
• William left a permanent reminder of his power by founding a new town and castle in Cardiff
• William also marked his visit to Chepstow by constructing a massive new stone hall in the castle
• Norman castles


  • Large ceremonial spaces built to create a sense of awe and intimidate the local population
• The Marcher Earls succeeded in subduing Wales after the Conquest through greater military power and castle building
• Near the end of the century, Norman control of Wales was shaken by the deaths of some Marcher Earls
• This meant the Normans had to come to more practical arrangements and share power with local Welsh rulers in North and mid-Wales
• Pulverbatch Castle


  • One of many earthwork castles built by Roger Montgomery's followers in south-west Shropshire