Rebellions 1068-71 and Revolt of the Earls

• overall causes of rebellion

  castles-resented by Saxons as seen as a symbol of Normans' power

  tax-geld tax of 1066 strongly disliked

  loss of land-Normans were given the land that should have gone to Saxon relatives
• who lead the first revolt and when did it take place

  1068- revolt of Earls Edwin and Morcar
• specific causes of Edwin and Morcar's rebellion

  Edwin angry as William had promised his daughter's hand in marriage to Edwin but had not yet followed through. Morcar's rule of Northumbria was cut down to half of the earldom. They were paraded around Normandy.
• initial events of Morcar and Edwin's rebellion

  Fled William's court in reaction to his tyrannical ruling style. A sudden reaction, unplanned.
• William's reaction to M+E's rebellion

  William led an army to Mercia and Northumbria (destroying housing and crops along the way) and defeated the earls. Kept them informally as prisoners until they escaped
• why was M+E's rebellion unsuccessful

  William's harsh punishment method encouraged them to quickly surrender. They also were very unorganised/hadn't planned the rebellion beforehand.
• who led the second revolt and when did it take place

  1069-Edgar Aethling
• what happened in Edgar's first rebellion

  Durham attacked, Robert Cumin killed. York attacked and conquered. Edgar marched down from Scotland to lead the rebellion. Castles were burnt down and 3000 Norman knights were killed.
• William's reaction to Edgar's first rebellion

  William broke up rebellion while laying waste to homes and crops. built second castle in York.
• what happened in Edgar's second rebellion

  Edgar marched down from Scotland. Was supported by the threat of King Sweyn of denmark (240 ships, anchored in River Humber) and King Malcom of scotland. York and its castles were seized and the garrisons were killed.
• William's reaction to Edward's second rebellion

  Marched up to York. Northeners surrendered, Danes did not invade (bribed) and neither did the Scots. Edgar did not fight William.
• why did Edward's second rebellion fail

  Although the combined powers seemed quite a threat to William, they all had independent goals so did not work together well enough. And William acted very decisively and confronted his threats head on.
• who led the third revolt and when did it take place

  1070-71 Hereward the Wake on the Isle of Ely
• specific causes for Hereward's rebellion

  He was a thegn and lost land after BoH. The Normans killed his brother and hung his head above his door.
• what happened in Hereward's rebellion

  Rebellion broke out in East Anglia at Ely. Guerrilla war campaign in marshy fenlands and stronghold was set up there. Had support of King Sweyn and Saxon earls Morcar and Edwin. Held out against Normans for a year.
• William's reaction to Hereward's rebellion

  Marshes were tricky to cross so built a bridge which broke at first due to wait of horses, armour etc. then built second bridge out of boats and his army was able to cross it. Defeated the rebels, imprisoned Morcar for life and killed Edwin.
• why Hereward's rebellion failed

  Once rebels crossed marshes, rebels were easily defeated so rebels needed better equipment, training etc. Even if Hereward had beaten William, he would not have had enough support to rule England.
• revolt of the earls: members involved

  Roger, earl of hereford, Ralph, earl of east anglia (Normans!) and Waltheof, earl of northumbria
• motives for the rebellion

  William had reduced the power of the earls and made earldoms smaller. Roger was a marcher earl and William had taken away previous privileges such as not paying taxes for earldom land.
• planning the revolt


  Ralph contacted the danes. Cnut led a large invasion fleet. the rebels decided to launch their invasion in 1075 when William was away in Normandy and archbishop Lanfranc was acting as regent
• failure: betrayal


  Waltheof told Lanfranc the plan. Lanfranc wrote letters attempting to convince them to surrender. sent 2 royal armies north and stopped 2 rebel armies meeting. used castles to keep the earls within their earldoms. Danes arrived late, pillaged York again and returned home
• results


  Ralph fled overseas. Roger lost all his land and was imprisoned for life. Waltheof loft all his lands, was imprisoned and executed
• significance


  rebellions no longer posed a serious threat to William- his regent easily dealt with the revolt. future rebellions unlikely if Norman earls cannot succeed. last anglo saxon earl lost title and land and executed