William on the Throne

• 1068 - Edwin and Morcar revolt


  Causes:

  • loss of land, power and wealth
  • Edwin's marriage to William's daughter was cancelled
  • Geld tax benefited Normandy

  Events:

  • William hears, marches North
  • Creates castles along the way (Notts)
  • Edwin and Morcar hear and surrender

  Consequences:

  • Edgar Aetheling flees to Scotland
  • Edwin and Morcar are taken in as hostages
  • Could've been a test to see William's reaction
• 1069 - Edgar Aetheling and North Rebels


  Causes:

  • Edgar has scots and Denmarks support
  • New Earl of Northumbria - Robert Cumin

  Events:

  • Cumin is killed by rebels
  • rebellion spreads to York and seeks shelter in the castle
  • William arrives quickly, lays waste to York
  • Denmark arrive, kill 3,000 Normans and flee

  Consequences:

  • William pays the Danes to leave
  • leads to Harrying of the North
• 1070 - Hereward the Wake

  Causes:

  • Hereward returns to Ely from exile
  • has lost his lands to Norman lord

  Events:

  • Danes and Hereward join forces to raid Peterborough Abbey
  • Danes took all the treasure and went home
  • Morcar joins Hereward, defending Ely

  Consequences:

  • Normans defeat them
  • Morcar is captured, Hereward escapes
• Harrying of the North

  Features:

  • animals killed
  • seeds are destroyed
  • homes destroyed
  • salt placed into crops (prevents growth)

  Causes:

  • Battle refusal from Saxons
  • North rebels were moving about very quickly
  • Danish invasion was a serious threat

  Consequences:

  • 100,000 die by starvation
  • refugees flee to the South
  • people turn to cannibalism
  • no more rebellions in the North
  • York is inhabitable for 20 years
• Changes in landownership


  1 - 190 tenants in chief

  2 - 25% of the land is owned by the Church

  3 - Only one main landowner, the King

  4 - Anglo Saxons had to redeem their land
• Maintaining power as King

  Royal ceremonies - wore his crown publicly, 3x a year

  Coinage - coins featured his image

  Writs - the royal seal also featured his image, used writs to issue orders across England

  Oath taking - landholders took part in oath taking ceremonies

  Journeys around England - allowed the people to see their King and talk to him

  Military strength - Saxons respected great warrior kings

  Religious influence - controlled the messages spoken during Mass

  Landownership - used to reward his followers and took away from those, who went against him
• 1075 - Revolt of the Earls


  Ralph de Gael (Earl of East Anglia)

  ^loss of land

  Roger de Breteuil (Earl of Hereford)

  ^loss of land, power

  Waltheof (Earl of Northumbria)

  ^last Anglo-Saxon earl

  ^loss of privileges
• 1075 - Revolt of the Earls

  Causes:

  • William is in Normandy (would take a bit of time to return)
  • Lanfranc is in charge of England
  • hoped for the support of the Danes

  Events:

  • Waltheof snitches to Lanfranc, who tells William
  • William returns, so the revolt does not spread
  • The Danish arrive too late

  
  

  Consequences:

  • Roger - imprisoned
  • Ralph - escaped
  • Waltheof - executed
  • William now picks earls more carefully
  • failure of the Danish ends Viking threat to England