conquest + control

• when did edward the confessor die?

  5th january 1066
• why did william of normany believe he was the rightful heir?

  • Harold Godwinson swore an oath of allegiance to William when he visited Normany in 1064.
  • Pope Alexander II supported William: he believed William's claims about Harold's oath.
• why wasn't Edgar the Aethling considered heir to the throne?

  despite having royal blood, he was only 15 years old in 1066, was viewed as inexperienced, and lacked a large supporter base.
• why did harold godwinson believe he was the rightful heir?

  • Harold had been one of Edward's most trusted advisors when he was alive.
  • Edward asked Harold to become the next king as he lay dying.
  • eyewitnesses had seen Edward ask Harold to become king and the witan supported this.
• why did Harald Hadrada believe he was the rightful heir?

  • Harald claimed to be a descendant of King Canute, who ruled England until 1035 (more recently than Alfred the Great).
  • Harald had a good trading relationships with England's trading partners in Scandinavia.
  • Harald was experienced in war, having fought against Denmark for many years.
• when was Harold Godwinson's coronation?

  6th January 1066 (same day as Edward's funeral).
• when was the battle of fulford gate?

  20th September 1066
• what happened at the battle of Fulford gate?

  • Edwin and Morcar (earls of Mercia and Northumbria) had fewer troops than Hardrada's well-trained viking army.
  • Hardrada "outflanked" (attacked the back and sides of the english army).
  • Godwinson was forced to march North with his army to help the earls.
• what were the short-term causes of the battle of fulford gate?

  • Godwinson was vulnerable due to his small army (the time of year meant many had to return home for harvest).
  • Hardrada was attacking from Scandinavia: they attacked the north of England because it was easiest to reach and Tostig wanted to regain power there.
• what were the long-term causes of the battle of fulford gate?

  • edward the confessor's disputed succession was a long-term cause of the battle.
  • Tostig's exile meant that he supported Harald Hardrada.
• what happened once Godwinson once heand his army reached the north?

  • Godwinson confronted Hardrada and his brother Tostig at Stamford brige.
  • His army killed Hardrada and Tostig, he won the battle and defeated the vikings.
• what were the short-term causes of the battle of stamford bridge?

  • the battle happened because of Godwinson's decision to march his army from south to north.
  • the vikings were reportedly unprepared at stamford bridge, so it may have been an oppurtunistic decision to attack the vikings.
• why was the battle of stamford bridge significant?

  • Harold's army killed his brother Tostig
  • the English army was concentrated in the North after Harold's decision to march towards York.
  • the viking threat to Harold II's succession of Edward the Confessor was defeated.
• when was the battle of stamford bridge?

  25th september 1066
• why was Harold's army very tired in October 1066?

  they had marched from the South to the York and back in the space of 2 weeks. Some soldiers had also been injured in the battle of stamford bridge.
• when was the battle of hastings?

  14th October 1066
• what happened at the battle of hastings?

  • Harold tried to defeat William using a surprise attack, but William's army saw the English troops.
  • Harold's army managed to gain the upper ground and position themselves at the top of a hill.
  • After 9 hours of fighting, the English shield war was beginning to break and Harold was killed. His death meant William claimed the throne.
• what did william use well in battle?

  lot of Norman knights rode on horseback. They had lots of armour. They couldn't break down the English shield wall, but once the English chased the Norman foot soldiers, the knights could ride around attacking lots of English soldiers in a row.
• what was the submission of the earls?

  William camped in Berkhamstead vs 15 year old Edgar the Aethling, who was now king of England. The English earls and Edgar surrendered.
• why did the earls submit?

  • Edgar was weak and didn't have many followers.
  • English military was weak (many fyrds died in the battle of Hastings).
  • On his way to Berkhamstead, William captured Winchester, where the royal treasury was.
• how did William establish a professional army in England?

  Harold's army had been largely made up of untrained fyrds. William paid his soldiers well with money raised from a geld tax.
• how did Marcher earldoms help William control England?

  The marcher earldoms were created to reward William's supporters and secure the border with Wales.
• who was the earl of chester?

  Hugh D'Avranches: he was born in Normandy and his family had given William 60 ships to use in the invasion of England in 1066.
• who was the earl of Shrewsbury?

  Roger de Montgomery: he ran Normandy whilst William invaded England in 1066.
• who was the earl of Hereford?

  William Fitzosbern: he fought side-by-side William at Hastings
• how did William have God's support?

  William sent gifts to the Pope to thank him for his support from Rome during the invasion, in those times havings God's support was very influential.
• what happened to Edwin and Morcar's land when William took power in 1066?

  shrunk
• why was there divisions between the Anglo Saxon and Norman people in England?

  Norman people took over as the leaders of the Marcher earldoms and there were reports that Norman people were mistreating Anglo saxons.
• what did William do in response to edwin & morcar's revolt in 1068?

  William sent hos private army into their earldoms (Mercia and Northumbria). After this military success, the brothers backed down, but were later welcomed back into the King's court. Other nobles who had joined the rebellion, like Edgar the Aethling, fled to Scotland.
• what was the resistance in other marcher earldoms?

  Eadric the wild launched a campaign against marcher earls.
• when was the Danish invasion of England?

  September 1069: the King of Denmark, King Sweyn invaded England. Edgar the Aethling had allied with King Sweyn and together, tried to capture the north of England. On the 21st September, the rebels led by King Sweyn and Edgar laid siege to York. They killed thousands of Norman soldiers in York.
• what caused the harrying of the north?

  • William wanted to avenge Robert Cumin who had been killed by locals in the north.
  • To end the guerilla war which was going on with local northeners resistong Norman rule.
  • To stop any opposition military forces from using the north as a base to attack Norman England.
• when was the Harrying of the North?

  October 1069 to March 1070
• what happened at the harrying of the north?

  It tried to make the north of England uninhabitable. All the land from York and Hull was destroyed. Farmyard animals were killed, all crops and seeds were killed, and whole towns were destroyed.
• what was the short term impact of the harrying of the north?

  • up to 100000 people died (5% of english population at the time).
  • thousands of people lost their home, livestock, and crops, this forced them to move to other parts of the country, causing a refugee crisis.
  • Florence of Worcester reported that people were starving to death so badly that they resorted to cannibalism.
• what was the long term impact of the harrying of the north?

  • william was criticised for killing so many people.
  • when the domesday book surveyed the state of Yorkshire in 1086, most of the land/property was categorised as waste.
  • there were no more rebellions in the north of England from the local population or nobility.
  • consolidated the Norman's control of England.
• where did the harrying of the north take place?

  from the Humber to the Tees river.
• who was Hereward the wake?

  a member of the nobility who was banished by Edward the confessor as a troublemaker. He returned to his home in Ely after exile, and found his town had been overrun by Normans.
• what was Hereward the Wake's revolt?

  in 1069, in Ely, Hereward began to revolt against the Normans. He joined up with some Danish soldiers and raided through Peterborough Abbey, which was a local monastery, to steal/save the treasure there. Morcar joined forces with them and they resisted until 1071, they lost the battle and this was the final insurection against the Normans.
• who were the 3 senior earls who rebelled against William?

  • Roger de Breteuil: the earl of Hereford, which was one of the marcher earldoms created after the battle of hastings.
  • Ralph de Gael: the earl of east Anglia
  • Waltheof: he was not a Norman but did control Northumbria.