1. Domesday book
1.1. December 1085 - William ordered a survey of all the land in England. The survey recorded the amount of land held by the king, his tenants-in-chief and their vassals. It also noted who held the land in 1066, before the Norman conquest, how much it was worth then, and it’s value in 1086. The survey has information about England’s population and how much wealth the people did/did not have.
2. Feudal system
2.1. (Image of feudal system)
3. The battle of Hastings
3.1. Normans landed near Pevency on 28th September and started stealing from Harold’s lands. This forced Harold to hurry south to defend his people and try to drive the Norman’s out. Harold spent a few days in London, but he didn’t have time to gather all his troops, or to recover from the long March and the battle of Stamford Bridge
3.2. 14th October 1066 - Anglo-Saxons and Normans faced each other at the battle of Hastings - Harold chose a strong position for his army (top of the marshes). This suited the Anglo-Saxon tactic of using the housecarls’ shields to make a defensive wall. The tactic worked at first but the Normans eventually broke the shield wall.
3.3. The Norman army use a tactic called feigned flight - the pretended to retreat - some of the Anglo-Saxon army left their position to follow them - weakened the Anglo-Saxon defences - Norman cavalry could ride through and kill many Saxon soldiers - Harold was killed and the Anglo-`Saxon army was defeated
4. Rebellions 1067-75
4.1. The Harrying of the North 1069
4.1.1. Rebels in the north - supported by powerful foreign forces, including the Scots and the Danes
4.1.2. William decided to lay waste to large parts of the north, so they would be forced to submit to the Normans
4.1.3. William’s goal was to avoid any further rebellions in the future in the north by destroying the rebels’ supplies and sources of support
4.2. Hereward the Wake 1070
4.2.1. Led by Anglo-Saxon thegn, Hereward the Ward - Hereward was supported by the Danes however, William payed the Danes to make them abandon him
4.2.2. 1071 - Hereward was joined by more Anglo-Saxon rebels, including Morcar. They went to the Isle of Ely and tried to hold it against Williams’s army. William’s forces defeated the rebels and Morcar was captured and imprisoned. Hereward survived but became uninvolved in all rebellions after this.
5. Castles
5.1. Norman castles were designed to combine military strength with living accommodations. They had to be easy to defend, but also practice for people to live and work inside them
5.2. Norman castles varied in size, structure, building materials and location
6. Contenders to the throne
6.1. Harald Hardrada - king of Norway
6.1.1. Was known for his military powers
6.1.2. True successor to the Scandinavian kings who had ruled England before Edward the Confessor
6.1.3. Supported by Harold Godwinson’s brother, Tostig - hoped to get revenge from being exiled - tried to reclaim his former Earldom (Northumbria)
6.2. Edgar Atheling
6.2.1. In position to inherit the throne - relative of King Edward
6.2.2. Only a teenager - hadn’t proven himself as a leader
6.3. Harold Godwinson
6.3.1. In position to inherit the throne - close to the royal family - his sister was Edward’s wife
6.3.2. Ambitious - thought becoming king would secure his authority
6.4. William of Normandy
6.4.1. Powerful and successful military leader - brought stability to Normandy
6.4.2. Related to king Edward
6.4.3. Supported by the Pope - emphasising that God was on his side