chapter 4- feudalism & government

• what happened to landholding once William was crowned ?

  • at first William allowed most Saxons to keep their earldoms
  • he split larger uncontrolled areas into smaller areas to run
  • he gradually replaced English lords with norman ones
  • by 1076 there were only 2 earldoms held by Saxons
• what are the sections of the feudal system ?

  • king
  • bishops & barons
  • knights
  • peasants
• what was the role of bishops ?

  25% of the land was owned by the church
• what is the role of a baron ?

  • grant land through subinfeudation
  • give protection & justice
• what role do knights have ?

  • mesne lords who owned homage to another lord rather than the king
  • provide military aid & loyalty to the king
  • service could be avoided by paying a tax called scutage
• what roles did peasants have ?

  • mostly villeins who coukd not leave the land to marry without lords permission
  • some were freemen who paid rents to lords but we're not tied to them in any other ways
• what was the doomsday book ?

  the biggest gathering of information in English history
• what was the doomsday book for ?

  • to help collect taxes correctly
  • to make sure the feudal lords were not hiding wealth
• what did the doomsday book show ?

  • William and his family owned 20% of the land
  • the church owned 25%
  • tells us who owned what land
  • 2000 knights in england
  • 10000 norman settlers
  • how landholding changed
  • population between 1.5-2 million
• describe land ownership after 1066

  • 250 people owned all the land in england
  • land is mostly controlled by normans
  • all belonged to the king but he was able to distribute it
• what was the Anglo Saxon justic & legal system like ?

  • shire courts met twice a year with sheriff to hear cases involving land disputes
  • shires were divided into small areas known as hundreds to deal with local land issues
  • inheritance
  • Saxons often made promises not to be involved in crime known as the common oath
  • Punishments were brutal and were based of the ordeal system so execution was common
  • law was recorded in English
  • people were allowed to hunt
• what was the norman justice & legal system like ?

  • castles were built in shire towns
  • shire courts declined due to honorial court where tenants can appeal directly to the lord
  • hundred courts met more frequently and were run by the sheriff's deputy
  • stability of the feudal system relied on earldoms not being split
  • primogeniture where the oldest son inherits everything
  • introduced the murdrum fine if any normans were killed all Saxons would be fined
  • most Saxon punishments maintained
  • laws were recorded in latin
  • ordinary people were not allowed to hunt
• describe the death of William the second

  • he had three sons
  • inheritance was to be split as he believed robert could not govern a country
  • William Rufus was crowned
  • William Rufus went out hunting and was killed with an arrow
• who were the suspects to William rufus' death ?

  • Robert curthose
  • Henry
  • Archbishop Anselm
  • members of nobility
• why was Robert suspected ?

  • he believed he was the rightful king of England
  • believed his inheritance was stolen from him
  • he led a rebellion earlier that year
• why was henry suspected ?

  • youngest of his sons
  • was with William when he was dead
  • exiled robert and became king in 1100
• why was Anselm suspected ?

  • felt William was to involved in the church
  • fled from England to Rome
• why were members of nobility suspected ?

  • William was unpopular
  • temper made William unpredictable
  • taxes were high
  • rule was harsh