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William in power: Establishing control (Submission of the Earls (In order…
William in power: Establishing control
Submission of the Earls
In order to show his power, William destroyed land and property on his way to London and built castles at Wallingford and Berkhamsted
Earls Edwin and Morcar met William and submitted to him. William allowed them to keep hold of their lands
If a thegn had not fought at Hastings, he could buy his land from William
With the Godwinson family now greatly reduced in power, William faced the remaining nobles with confidence
William was crowned on Christmas day 1066. The English nobles accepted him as the rightful ruler
William's followers
William's friends and supporters were rewarded with land. William fitzOsbern was given much of the land held by Harold Godwinson
William gave land to followers who would have to pay homage to him and so the land would be confiscated if they were to rebel
Key terms
Confiscate: To seize someone's property with authority
Homage: A noble's acceptance of the king as his lord. The noble would make his acceptance in public before kneeling before the king and offering his hands in surrender
The Marcher Earldoms
Some rebellions broke out on the borders with Wales- called the Marches
William created three Marcher earls who built castles, and brought peace and security
The new earls were men he trusted
Hugh d' Avranches, who became the new Earl of Chester
Roger of Montgomery,Earl of Shrewsbury
William fitzOsbern, Earl of Hereford
Castles
Reasons for building castles
William built castles as soon as he won at Hastings
Castles enabled him to secure control of an area
He built castles on his borderlands and also on the coast- with the intention of repelling invaders
Castles showed his determination not to surrender his kingdom
Key features of castles
William built Motte and Bailey castles: these were mounds with a wooden tower- both the mound and tower gave commanding views of the surrounding area
The bailey was an enclosed courtyard which was fenced off and had a ditch in front of it, making attack very difficult
The soldiers lived in the Bailey. Here the horses also stayed and food was stored.
Eventually, stone replaced the original wood
Importance of castles
By 1100, between 100 and 500 castles had been built all over England
Castles were normally built where there was an existing settlement. The Normans often had to destroy existing buildings and were therefore not concerned about the feeling of the English inhabitants
If there was a rebellion, the castle could be used as a base. Moreover. if rebels wanted to control an area, they would have to capture the castle and this would be difficult