William's changes to government

1. Role of regents

1.1. The person that is in power meanwhile the king isn't in the country

1.2. William needed regents because he usually went to Normandy, and he couldn't let the country without a governor

1.3. William's regents were William fitzOsbern and archbishop Lanfranc

1.4. This system was proved to be effective. We can learn that William chose his regents wisely and that he had built up a strong government.

2. Royal demesne

2.1. Royal demesne was the land the King kept for himself. William kept the majority of the land in England for himself

2.2. This gave him money to pay his castles, servants and needs, but also made him see powerful and rich, less

3. The reduced role of Earls

3.1. During King Edward's reign, the 3 most powerful earls together had the same power than the King. That made the King look vulnerable, and made rebellions easier.

3.2. William made the Earls less powerful by giving them less wealthy and smaller earldoms, and making them pay to inherit the land

4. The power of the King

4.1. William didn't need new methods to be a powerful King because he already had the right to raise an army, make decisions about the church, decide law cases, make laws and decide how much task to collect. He also controlled his Earls' power.

4.2. William's government was called 'centralised' because he was physically at the centre of decision-making . They ensured that people couldn't challenge him.

4.3. He kept his Earls' loyalty by forfeiture. He didn't give them the land. They held it. If they didn't obey the King, he could take from then the land and name a new Earl.

4.4. William needed to show his wealth to reduce the chances of a rebellion.

4.5. The King's court was the household plus the advisers, that were the chief landowners and bishops.

4.6. The king's household consisted of the King, his family servants and household knights