The Normans 1066-1087Revision

Book

Issue 1: The character of late Anglo-Saxon EnglandThe nature, structure and diversity of late Anglo-Saxon societyDefine these key terms:

EarlThegn/thaneceorlthrallWitanWergild ShireFyrdBurhMint

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In this picture, the artist shows the how Anglo Saxon society is organised by the King taking advice from his earls while thegns/thanes arrive at a royal burh.

If you were asked to do further research on another aspect of this picture, what would you choose to investigate? Explain how this would help us to analyse and understand power in Anglo Saxon England.

You may be asked if Anglo Saxon society was fair, peaceful and prosperous – a Golden Age. To do this you need to plan. Use the chart below to organise arguments for and against this point of view:

The Alfred Jewel was well formed, craftsmen described as ‘Outstandingly skilful in all the arts.’ by Normans who would travel to buy the goods

Beowolf told to all not written down

Anglo Saxon Society

before 1066

Fair Unfair

Prosperous

Peaceful Warlike

In what ways was the Anglo Saxon church pious – holy and good under St Dunstan?1.

2.

3.

Maps of the world, astronomy & description of far off places.

Why was the Anglo Saxon church seen as being unchristian and not holy?1.

2.

3.

What was good about Anglo Saxon culture?

What was unfair/not good about Anglo Saxon culture?

One example to agree One example to disagree

Society

Religion/Church

Culture

In an article for the BBC History Magazine in 2012, the historian Ryan Lavelle argues that late Anglo-Saxon England was ‘by no means a ‘golden age.’ How far do you agree with this view?

English women were highly skilled at weaving with gold thread and embroidery. An example of this would be the Bayeux Tapestry which was embroidered by English women on the orders of their new Norman masters.

History of England recorded on the orders of Alfred the Great. Monks wrote it

Exeter Book Combined sermons, poems, biographies, medical notes and advice on grammar- Religious writing and rude riddles.

Anglo-Saxon chronicle is useful as it shows how the Anglo-Saxons had a growing sense of identity as a nation.

Anglo-Saxon chronicleOne-sided and has may gaps

Archaeologists and chronicles from the time tell us house were made of wood. They were rectangular, single storey houses with thatched roofs. Thegns lived in larger two storey

3 castles

Religious buildings like the nunnery at Wilton were made of wood but had fine wooden carving, painted plasterwork, winding staircase, polished precious stones and golden ornaments.

Burhs were surrounded by walls, some made from stone, large earthworks of ditches and ramparts with strong wooden barriers.

The Alfred Jewel was kept away from ordinary people in a monastery

Thegns built wooden churches for their local area

Westminster Abbey 1065, new and beautiful building

Issue 2: How and why William of Normandy became King of England in 1066

Norman society, culture and warfare helped William to take control of England. Complete the chart to explain how the different FACTORS helped him:The History of Normandy Social Structure (feudal system)

Military Church

Claimants to the throne in 1066. Match the correct answers.

Harold GodwinsonKing of Norway, experienced warrior

Only a child, lacked experience

WilliamSister Edith was married to Edward the

ConfessorRelated to the Viking King Canute

Edgar AthelingEdward promised the throne to him and Harold

knew thisClosest male relative to Edward the Confessor

Harald HardraadaDuke of Normandy, experienced leader

Family is very powerful in England. Leads the army. Popular with the Witan

The Battles of Fulford and Stamford Bridge

Who?

What?

Where?

Why? When?

PUT THE EVENTS SHOWN IN THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY ABOUT 1066 IN THE CORRECT ORDER.

Here the body of King Edward is being carried to the church of St Peter the Apostle.

1

William orders his soldiers to prepare themselves bravely and wisely for battle...

Here Duke William has ordered the building of ships

They have given Harold the royal crown.

Here King Harold has been killed

Here William in a great ship crosses the sea.

Here the English & French have fallen together in battle.

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And the English have turned in flight.

A section of the Bayeux Tapestry showing the Normans attacking the Saxons at the Battle of Hastings. The Bayeux Tapestry was commissioned by William’s half-brother Odo and shows the events of the Norman Conquest

How similar are the interpretations different?

Why are the interpretations different?

Similar:

Differences:

Interpretation A

Interpretation BA modern re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings

The Battle of Hastings was one of the most surprising victories in military history. The Saxons had the best ground and it was very difficult for the Normans to break the shield wall.William won the Battle of Hastings because he was lucky? How far do you agree with this statement?

Yes No

Issue 3: The establishment of Norman rule between 1067 and 1071

Date Event How would this make Saxons feel?

Jan-March 1067

Edgar, Edwin, Morcar, and other English leaders formally submitted to him.

William claimed all English lands as his own but allowed earls and thanes to buy back their lands. Anglo-Saxon victims had their lands used as rewards for Norman supporters.He led an armed force through East Anglia and built castles especially at Norwich where he left his friend William FitzObsbern.William’s half brother Odo was put in charge of the south east with a base at Dover castle.

End of March 1067

William returned to Normandy with Edgar Aethling, Earls Edwin and Morcar and several church leaders as ‘comfortable hostages’ to discourage disloyalty.

Spring 1067

In England the ceorls and thralls were being forced to build motte and bailey castles for their new masters

In Interpretation A Orderic Vitalis says that the coronation of William was because the English did not want any more fighting. Identify and explain one way inwhich he does this.___________________________________________________________________________

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If you were asked to do further research on one aspect of Source A, what would you choose to investigate? Explain how this would help us to analyse and understand the attitudes of the English towards William.___________________________________________________________________________

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INTERPRETATION A“The first thing William did after winning the Battle, was to march to London. There were no longer any English fighting men to bar his way, and soon he reached the gate of the city. William expected to find the gates closed, but instead of this, he was met by the bishops and nobles. They knew that they could not stop William from conquering the whole of England, so they asked his to be King of England without any more fighting.”“Inside the Abbey, William was crowned by the Archbishop of York on one side, and a French Bishop on the other. As the crown was put on his head, all the nobles shouted. Unfortunately the Norman soldiers outside thought that a riot had broken out, and many people were killed before order was restored.”

Reasons why people rebelled. Colour code those to do with rich people and poorRevenge. Some, such as Gytha the mother of King Harold, were desperate to avenge loved ones lost in the battle at Hastings.

Pride. Others hated having foreigners rule over them. There were regular attacks on Normans if they dared to walk or ride alone at night.

Dispossession. Loss of land was a powerful motive. Some had lost their right to the family land if their father or husband had died fighting the Normans. Others who had rebelled and survived lost their land as a punishment.

Disrespect for new lords. French lords who took over land from the English thegns often did not know or follow English ways so were not respected.

Distance. The fringes of the country were far harder to control than the south-east. People in the north and the west were less aware of the Norman takeover at first but when it did hit them they reacted with anger.

Loss of status. Earls such as Edwin and Morcar retained their titles, but lost large parts of their land to Norman knights or favoured Englishmen, therefore reducing their status.

Numbers. The English far outnumbered their new Norman masters.

Taxation. William imposed too heavy tax demands on the English in his first two years as king.

William FitzOsbern:

Edric the Wild:

Gytha:

Earl Edwin:

Earl Morcar:

Edgar Atheling: Ealdred, Archbishop of York: Robert of Comines:

Archbishop Stigand

Hereward the Wake

Svein II

Bishop Odo

William took control in a brutal way. Add notes to support these points.Yes No After the battle and leading to William’s coronation:

Actions January-March 1067

How William takes control after his coronation:

1.Took all English land for himself and gave it to his supporters2. Lead an armed force through East Anglia which had strong links to the Danes3. forced the English to build Motte and Bailey Castles for their new Norman lords.

How William takes control after his coronation:1.Allowed English earls and thegns to buy back their land and keep their positions if they submitted to him2. Kept them in comfort rather than killing them or threatening them. 3. Took Edgar, Edwin and Morcar with him to Normandy to discourage English rebellions

Rebellions in 1069 William goes to Normandy, Danes take advantage. William’s actions discourage rebellion:1

2

3

Harrying of the North Exeter rebellion

Plot by Harold’s mother Gytha to rebel in Exeter. William came back from Normandy and treated the lords and bishops well to gain their loyaltyGytha sent Harold’s sons to Ireland to gather an army and contacted the Danish king, hoping he would invade from the east. William gathered an army and met citizens from the city. He besieged it and they surrended after 18 days, offerenig him precious objects and holy books. He pardoned them and promised not to plunder the city or punish them. He built a large castle at Exeter.

Hereward the Wake-‘Last of the English’ Church reform/ improvements

Attacked Peterborough Abbey, gave the treasure to the Danes and joined forces with them. William persuaded King Svein to take his army home. He took the treasures too. Edwin and Morcar joined Hereward. Normans built a causeway to the island, stopped supplies, imprisoned Morcar and Edwin and other leaders had hands cut off or eyes gouged out

William was a devout Christian. Stigand was removed.William built new monasteries and beautiful cathedrals, in the Norman styleNearly all Saxon churches were destroyed and replaced with new ones.

Issue 4: The nature and purpose of Norman castles in England to 1087

Match the key words:

Key word DefinitionMotte A fence made of wooden stakesBailey A fortified dwelling of a Saxon thegn

Palisade An earthwork that forms a circle with wooden defences built on top of it

Burh-geat A large enclosed area, which was part of a castleEnclosure Study of the remains of objects and buildingsArchaeological A mound of earthRingwork An area of defined land

What did Norman Castles look like?

Give 5 features of a Norman castle shown on this picture:1._________________________________________________________________________

2._________________________________________________________________________

3._________________________________________________________________________

4._________________________________________________________________________

5._________________________________________________________________________

Give 5 reasons why the Norman castles were unpopular with the English:1._________________________________________________________________________

2._________________________________________________________________________

3._________________________________________________________________________

4._________________________________________________________________________

5._________________________________________________________________________

Argument 1: The Normans built castles mainly for military reasons

Argument 2: The Normans built castles mainly for status and prestige

The gatehouse at Exeter castle faced into the city.

Many Norman castles were built on the sites of existing fortifications.

Most castles featured a ditch, ramparts and/or a palisade.

More than 80% of castles were built in the countryside and were not well defended.

The densest concentration of castles was along the Welsh border.

Norman lords added deer parks and encouraged the building of monasteries near their castles.

At Hen Domen castle, there were no luxury goods found, suggesting it was occupied by soldiers

Many castles featured large towers and gave views over nearby rivers and roads.

Many lords built very impressive castles on their estates.

In Interpretation E, Alan Sorrell attempts to re-create how Pevensey Castle may have looked in 1066. Identify and explain one way that he does this [3]Alan Sorrell has painted …….

This suggests that….

He has also painted…….

Suggesting that….

Issue 5: The impact of the Norman Conquest on English society to 1087William ordered a survey to record every piece of land and property in England. It was later called ‘Domesday’ meaning day of judgement. Questions were asked, such as; what is the name of the manor; how much land is there? How many mills and ploughs are there? How much is it worth and how much was it worth when King Edward died? They collected this information on two different dates to ensure that people were not lying.

Today we believe it was not about collecting taxes, but to show that the Normans had the legal right to the land and that William was the undisputed ruler of England.

Dividing out the land

William rewarded the men who fought for him with land taken from English earls and thegns. This has a devastating effect on the English nobles, many left or had to rent the land they once owned. Norman lords-built castles in the middle of their estates and often treated the people who lived on their land harshly and charged high rents.

List the Impact on ordinary people:

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2._________________________________________________________________________

3._________________________________________________________________________

4._________________________________________________________________________

The Normans took control of markets and made it more expensive for traders to earn a living.

Townspeople saw their houses and workshops destroyed to make room for castles. Towns like York and Oxford saw their population fall. Normans wanted to make more profit and took control of markets and charged traders high rents.

Normans introduced new laws and adapted some Anglo Saxon laws

They kept trial by ordeal but added ‘trial by combat’ which was…………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

New laws were introduced:

Fine called the MurdrumForest Law

Language: Before the Conquest, most manuscripts were written in English. This stopped in 1066 and Latin became the written language. Spoken language also changed, ruling classes spoke Norman French only

Both languages blended over time and around a quarter of the words in modern English are Norman French – eg

1

2

3

Colour code – good, bad, rich, poor to show the impact.Peasants still lived in the same houses, they ate the same food.

In the south Norman soldiers made life much safer, they stopped thieves and policed markets

People changed their names from Ethelred and Edgar to Robert and William

The Normans forced people to leave their homes so they could make their new forests. They burned villages all across the north after rebellions. Refugees begged food from villages and monks all over the south.

Normans changed the forest laws so no one could hunt in them. This went again ancient English traditions. Punishments were severe. If a Norman was killed then the whole village had to pay a fine.

Coins did not change (remember Saxon mints and coins were well organised) Taxes were the same and the Domesday Book mean that they were collected from everyone.

Peasants still ploughed the land and produced food for their overlord even if he was now a knight and not a thane

Castles were built to intimidate, homes were knocked down to build them and the knights were cruel and intimidating

Cathedrals were built or improved. Lots of money was given to churches.

The value of land in most of the north went down, in some cases dramatically. This reveals the impact of the Harrying of the North almost 20 years after it took place.

English landowners were replaced, or at least had Norman overlords by 1086

The total number of landowners was drastically reduced. In 1066 there were 41k landowners. In 1086 there were just 1200+ and only 150 of great note

In a book on the history of the English language following the Norman Conquest, Ishtla Singh argues that ‘for many of the surviving English…life changed dramatically’. How far do you agree with this view? (20 marks)

Agree: Disagree:

Laws

Language

Laws

Language

Land

Conclusion: