Topic 1: medieval (800-1500)

• Christendom

  The region where Christianity was dominant
• Vikings

  People from Scandinavian countries such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark
• Fertile land


  Land capable of being farmed for food
• Danelaw

  The part of England where the laws of the Vikings dominated
• Normandy

  A dukedom in north-west France
• Charter

  A written grant by a monarch that outlines the rights of a city
• Low Countries

  A region of north-west Europe that included Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg
• Reasons for migration to England c.800-c.1500

  • Growth of towns and economic opportunities
  • Wool industry and exports
  • Job opportunities such as weaving cloth
  • Monarchs inviting migrants to support governance and increase royal finance
  • The Church appointing Norman migrants to senior positions
• Migrant groups attracted to England c.800-c.1500

  • Vikings
  • Normans
  • Jewish people
  • Other European traders and craftsmen
• Viking migration to England

  1. First raid in 789

  2. More raids to find valuable items

  3. Invade to settle and farm the land

  4. Capture York in 866 and conquer eastern England (Danelaw)

  5. Families join as farmers, workers and traders
• Norman migration to England

  1. William, Duke of Normandy, invades in 1066. He believed he was promised the crown by Edward the confessor (late king)

  2. William appoints Lanfranc as Archbishop of Canterbury

  3. Lanfranc appoints Norman migrants and Cluniac monks to senior Church positions
• Jewish migration to England

  1. King William I invites Jewish merchants from Normandy in 1070s

  2. Lend money to William and share in his wealth

  3. Settle in towns like London, Canterbury and York

  4. More Jewish families migrate from 1135 as towns and trade grow
• Migration of European traders and craftsmen

  1. Settle in English towns to organise trade with Europe

  2. English rulers encourage trade by issuing charters to towns
• Migration of weavers from Low Countries

  1. Attracted by wool industry

  2. Invited by King Henry III in 1351 to weave cloth from English wool
• Vikings

  Migrants called Danes who adapted to the Saxons and lived peacefully
• Vikings

  • Many became Christians, others continued to worship their own gods
  • Saxon rulers continued to fight the Danes in the South
  • In 1016, the Saxons surrendered, and Cnut became king of England
  • Cnut allowed Saxons to hold power, used Danegeld to prevent further Viking raids, supported the Christian church and worked with the Pope to increase England's importance in Christendom
• Normans

  • After the Battle of Hastings, they faced a series of rebellions
  • Gained control by building castles and cathedrals, creating fear from the Harrying of the North, and introducing the feudal system
• Danegeld

  Money paid to the Danes to stop them invading England
• Harrying of the North

  Between 1069 and 1070 the Normans took revenge on the North following a series of rebellions by burning crops, killing livestock and destroying homes
• Feudal system

  A system introduced by King William where he lent land throughout England in return for loyalty
• Antisemitism

  Hostility or prejudice against Jewish people
• Jewish migrants

  • For many years they were accepted because their money and skills in finance helped businesses and trade to be successful
  • Jewish families settled in separate areas called Jewries
  • Antisemitism became more evident in England in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries
  • In 1275, King Edward I banned them from collecting interest and left them very poor
  • In 1290, all Jewish people were ordered to convert to Christianity or leave England
• Norse

  The Viking language
• Impact of migrants in England

  • Danelaw
  • Culture (religion, language)
  • Trade
  • The built environment
• The basis of Viking law-making was 'do not kill' and 'do not steal', both of which continue to today
• Modern English contains many Old Norse words, such as 'smile' and 'knife'
• The Normans spoke Old French. Gradually it was combined with the English language spoken by Saxons and words such as 'beef' and 'pork' emerged. Norman names, such as Robert and William, have continued to today
• The Normans changed the Church when William replaced all but one of the Saxon bishops with Norman ones. Links with Christendom grew as members of religious orders migrated to England, founding monasteries and abbeys
• Jewish migrants lent money to people starting businesses in England, and to merchants overseas
• Migrants from Europe in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries changed England's economy. A new system developed where raw materials, such as wool, became manufactured goods, such as cloth, which could be traded. England became a key trading centre because of migrants
• The Normans changed the English landscape by building castles and cathedrals. William I built castles, including the Tower of London, with money lent by Jewish migrants. Later, Henry obtained money unfairly from Jewish financiers to rebuild Westminster Abbey
• Flemish bricklayers and Dutch brewers


  Taught the English new skills and techniques
• Cloth industry success

  Helped by Flemish weavers, benefited England due to the increase in demand for woven wool
• Families with experience and skills in banking

  Moved to London from the thirteenth century, lent money to English kings, were given royal protection and more advantages to trade in wool
• German Hansa merchants


  Given the right to trade timber, furs and honey, as well as receiving royal protection and lower tax rates than other merchants, controlled most of the English cloth export trade by the fifteenth century
• The Black Death (1348) caused many deaths, so migrants were welcomed
• Denization

  Introduced from 1378
• Many English craftsmen believed European migrants were taking their jobs and ruining their trade


  During times of conflict, such as 1381, the English attacked Hansa merchants
• During the Peasants Revolt (1381)


  About 150 European weavers and merchants were murdered
• Migrant groups were seen as the 'alien' and treated with suspicion and fear because it was believed they could side with, and help, the enemy