Arnold House School

Common Entrance History – Essay Revision Summaries

The Norman Conquest

• Who was king of England at the beginning of 1066?
  Edward the Confessor (NOT Edward I, he was king much later)
• When he died where was he buried?
  Westminster Abbey; he had ordered it to be built
• Who were the claimants to the throne in 1066, why did they make their claims?

• Why did William not sail to England immediately?
  The wind was blowing in the wrong direction to let him sail to England
• What happened at the Battle of Stamford Bridge?
  The same winds that prevented William sailing to England had helped Harald Hardrada sail from Norway. His fleet consisted of about 300 ships. He landed in Yorkshire and defeated the Saxon leaders of the North at the Battle of Fulford on 20 September 1066. Harold of England rushed North with the Saxon army. On 25 September 1066, the Viking army of Hardrada was resting near Stamford Bridge over the River Derwent near York when they were surprised by the sudden arrival of the Saxons. One Viking warrior from the fierce Bezerker tribe stood on the bridge and slaughtered many Saxons who came towards him. This allowed the rest of the Viking army to get on their armour and prepare for the battle properly. The Bezerker was eventually killed when a Saxon quietly got in a small boat and rowed under the bridge and impaled the warrior from beneath with a spear. The Saxons then streamed over the bridge and in the battle that followed Harald Hardrada was killed, as was Harold of England's brother, Tostig (he had joined the Vikings having fallen out with Harold). So great was the slaughter at Stamford Bridge that the Vikings only needed 24 out of the original 300 or so ships in their fleet to return to Norway. While celebrating his victory at Stamford Bridge, Harold received news that William had landed at Pevensey on the south coast of England on 28 September.
• Do you think Harold was well prepared for the Battle of Hastings?
  Harold was anxious to meet William and to prevent him venturing any further into England. He felt it was important to beat the invaders before they advanced as far as London. While Harold travelled South from Stamford he sent out messengers to all parts of England appealing for troops. He also gathered troops as he travelled. When he reached London he did not wait for all the troops to arrive, but pressed on to Hastings to meet the Normans. This was probably a mistake, as had he waited he would have had a much bigger army. You also need to remember that many of his troops as well as Harold himself had fought the Battle of Stamford Bridge and travelled back and forth to Yorkshire. This meant that they must have been tired.
• What happened at the Battle of Hastings?
  Having defeated Harald at Stamford Bridge, Harold of England heard that William of Normandy had landed on the south coast. Harold rushed south and picked up extra troops (often no more than poor farmers) on the way. The Normans made their base at Hastings. When Harold reached London he decided to fight the Normans at once instead of waiting for reinforcements to arrive from other parts of the country. He led his Saxon army to Senlac Hill, 6 miles from Hastings. This is where the battle took place on 14 October 1066. The Saxons at the top of the hill had the better position but did not have as good an army. Although the housecarls (bodyguards) of the Saxon king were well trained, the fyrd (part time soldiers) were ill equipped and less used to the disciplines of battle. The Normans were at the bottom of the hill, but had knights and trained infantry (foot soldiers), they also had more bows and arrows. As long as the Saxons maintained their position at the top of Senlac Hill they would be safe behind their shield wall. Whether by accident or design, the Normans tempted some of the fyrd down the hill and started to make inroads into the shield wall. Harold was killed and William took the crown of England. There is some confusion as to the exact nature of Harold's death. The Bayeux Tapestry seems to show him shot by an arrow in his eye, but he was probably hacked to pieces by Norman knights.
• Why did William not march to London straightaway?
  Although he had won the Battle of Hastings, William had to secure the south of England. After the battle he secured the surrender of important southern towns such as Dover and Canterbury. While at Canterbury he fell ill and this delayed his advance for a month. The Saxons failed to take advantage of this delay and did not build up an army against the Normans. This was because they could not find a leader. The only serious resistance William faced was at London Bridge. Rather than try to take the narrow wooden bridge by force, he went down the Thames and crossed it at Wallingford (far to the west) and encircled London, approaching from the north. William made his base at Berkhampstead. The Londoners decided to surrender, fearing a severe punishment. The leading Saxon nobles who had survived Hastings and the leaders of the Church accepted William as the new king. In order that no one would change their mind he destroyed all the countryside between his base at Berkhampstead and London.
• When and where was William crowned?
  Westminster Abbey, Christmas Day (25 December) 1066
• What happened outside the church during his coronation service?
  As part of the Coronation Service the Archbishop asked those present if they accept the person being crowned as their new monarch. All present are meant to shout their agreement. This happened at William's coronation, but the soldiers outside the Abbey heard the shouts and thought that it was a riot and feared that William was being attacked. They panicked and set fire to the Saxon houses near the Abbey and killed the inhabitants. Amid the crackling flames and screams from outside William sat in the throne before the altar. Those present said that he was shaking with fear, the only time in his life when he was said to have shown this emotion.
• How did the Normans use castles to control the Saxons?
  1: Control – troops could be sent out to rebellious or problem areas
  2: Defence – when under attack, the Normans were safe in the castle.
• What was the Harrying of the North?
  After he came to the throne, William had to deal with a number of Saxon rebellions. He put these down and dealt with them with relative mercy. However after a Saxon rebellion in Yorkshire, William was determined to crush Saxon resistance once and for all. As a punishment and warning, he "harried" or destroyed all villages and livestock in the area. Thousands starved to death in the harsh winter conditions. For a century after this Harrying of the North the area was uninhabited. There were no more rebellions against the Normans.
• How did the Normans use the Feudal System to control the Saxons?
  The Saxons were kept in place as they were at the bottom of the Feudal System. All positions of power were given to Normans. Saxon lords and bishops were replaced by Normans. This meant that the Saxons had no leaders to stand up for them. William gave land to those who supported him and this meant that there was little chance of a Norman rebellion against him either.
• Why was the Domesday Book commissioned by William the Conqueror?
  William needed to know exactly what taxes were due to him and what military strength he could muster by the obligations due to him from his feudal vassals (those below him in the Feudal System). In order to find out this information he ordered a great survey or census of all the land holdings in England. This survey was called The Domesday Book (Domesday is another name for the Day of Judgement at the end of the world, when God will judge all men – people felt that William wanted to know everything about their lives). The survey was finished in a remarkably short time and presented to William in 1086. From it we can learn that the population of England was about 1.5 million and that all positions of power in the country were in the hands of the Normans.
• Do you think that was William a good king?
  There are many possible answers here, what follows is one example, but does not preclude other possibilities.

William was certainly a ruthless king and dealt harshly with his enemies (as was shown in the Harrying of the North). However he did bring strong government to England and made sure that the law was obeyed. It would be wrong to say he was "kind", but to be a Mediaeval king, you often had to be cruel, however he was an effective ruler of England as well as Normandy. The fact that he was able to subdue England with a relatively small number of Norman knights and lords is a testament to his ability and determination. A Saxon who lived in the court wrote of William after his death, that he was "stronger than any king before. He was gentle to those good men who loved God and stern beyond all measure to those who did not obey him. Amongst other things the good peace he made in this land is not to be forgotten – so that any honest man could travel over his kingdom with his pockets full of gold and be unharmed".

Exercise to try

Write out these events connected with the Norman Conquest in their correct chronological order. All the events are mentioned in what is written above.