Norman England

• Marcher Earldoms

  • William I created the new Earldoms of Hereford, Shrewsbury and Chester to defend against the Welsh
  • Marcher Earls had more powers than other Earls but their Earldoms were smaller to limit their potential threat
  • William FitzOsbern, right hand man during the invasion, was rewarded with Hereford
  • They did not pay taxes to the King but instead the taxes were used to build new towns and defences within the Earldoms
  • They were free to build castles wherever needed without consulting the King
• Castles

  • King William I built over 500 motte and bailey castles
  • The motte was the large mound of earth topped by the keep
  • The bailey was the lower enclosure protected by a wooden palisade wall
  • These castles were wooden therefore cheap and only took a few months to build
  • Castles provided Norman lords with a base to Garrison their troops and to control their lands against any rebels
  • They were also an intimidating symbol of Norman supremacy
• The Norman Aristocracy and Bishop Odo

  • Normans became new aristocracy
  • Most Lords, including William did not bother to learn English
  • Saxons were looked down on
  • In 1067, Williams half brother Bishop Odo served as a regent with William FitzOsbern
  • He seized Saxon land which led to support of the Revolt of Edwin and Morcar
  • A Domesday book recorded many complaints against him
  • In 1082 he was imprisoned
• Changes to the Church: Lanfranc

  • In 1070, after the Saxon rebellions, Stigand was replaced as Archbishop of Canterbury by Lanfranc
  • Stigand had been a close ally to the Godwinsons
  • Lanfranc was loyal to William I and often served as regent
  • He was given power over the whole Church in England
  • Passed laws banning priests from marrying
  • Increased the number of monasteries and stopped monks and nuns mixing
  • Clergy were to be tried in special Church courts, raising them above other people
• Changes in Landownership

  • Under William I, all land was officially owned by the King
  • Saxons involved in the rebellions had their land taken away by forfeit and given to William's supporters
  • The Godwinson's had controlled more land than Edward, but William made many new smaller Earldoms
  • By 1087, over half of the land was held by 190 tenants-in-chief on behalf of the King, only 2 were Saxon
  • Saxons had to pay to redeem their land from William
  • if a landholder died with no heir, land returned to the King
• The Norman Feudal System

  • The King owned all the land
  • William I granted each tenant-in-chief the right to hold their fief and make money from it
  • In return they swore homage, collected taxes and provided knights up to 40 days a year
  • Tenants-in-chief would grant each knight some land in return for raising taxes from it
  • This system allowed William to raise a large army without having to pay for it
  • Peasants worked on a knight's land and in return were allowed to keep some food
  • Rebels forfeit land to the King
• Changes to Sheriffs

  • Sheriffs remained the King's agents in each shire
  • Saxon sheriffs were replaced with Normans and were made answerable to no one but the King in their shires
  • This angered many earls
  • Sheriffs were allowed to keep some of the fines paid in shire courts and Geld tax collected, leading them to take more from Saxon peasants
  • New laws allowed sheriffs to punish Saxon rebels and oversee the forest
  • Could evict locals from forest land and fine those caught hunting or building them there
• Changes to the Church: Normanisation

  • Archbishop Lanfranc helped William I to Normanise the Church
  • Within 50 years, every church had been built Norman style
  • Lanfranc appointed Norman archdeacons to oversee local, often Saxon priests
  • The King gained the power to appoint new bishops, they were required to do homage to the King
  • After 1070, only 1 Saxon bishop remained
  • Church land was therefore in Norman hands, reducing the risk of rebellion there
• Maintaining William's royal power:

  • William I used military strength ruthlessly against rebels
  • The Normans insisted William was the rightful King and that Harold had broken a holy oath taken before God
  • After being crowned on Christmas day, William held royal ceremonies in his crown at least 3 times a year
  • New coinage was issued with William's image
  • He adopted Saxon writs to issue his royal commands
  • He travelled the country to meet with local officials
  • Thegns were either removed or worked for a Norman Lord