The Norman Conquest 1066
- Causes
- Preparations
- Harold Hardrada's arrival
- The Battle of Hastings
There was no obvious successor to the throne. Therefore a number of people tried to claim it. (needed a blood claim and an army)
The claimants
January 1066. The Anglo-Saxon King, Edward the Confessor dies without an heir.
He was a very religious man
He did not like fighting/war, so a noble named Harold Godwinson led the English army.
William, Duke of Normandy
Harald Hardrada
Harold Godwinson
Edward's deathbed whisper. Chosen by the previous king. True?
Commander of the English army and most important noble
Weak claim= he was Edward's brother in law.
The only English claimant. The English people supported him.
1052- Edward promises the throne to William (if he dies childless).
1064- Harold is shipwrecked in Normandy. He is taken to William and swears an oath to support William's claim to the throne. (Did he have a choice?)
A distant cousin of Edwards. The closest living relative.
He was a descendent of King Canute. A previous king of England (reigned 1016-1035).
He had the support of Tostig Godwinson
King of Norway
The Witan Council (formed of the English nobles) unsurprisingly chose Harold G as their next king. He was crowned the day after Edward's death.
Harold Godwinson
William, Duke of Normandy
He needed time to convince his nobles to join him. He was able to do so by promising them large lands in England.
He gained the support/permission of the Pope to invade. His soldiers would have felt they could not be defeated with "God on their side"
He did not rush into the invasion. Prepared thoroughly. Lots of organisation required. E.g. soldiers, weapons, food, wages e.t.c
By August 1066 he had assembled a force of 4,000–7,000 knights and foot soldiers, but unfavourable winds stopped him sailing for eight weeks.
Due to the distance, he assumes William will arrive first
Therefore, he stays in the South with the majority of his army
He is facing two armies from separate sides of the country
He sends the earls Edwin and Morcar to York, to defend the North, just in case HH arrives first.
6 months pass with no invasion. Much of Harold's army made up of farmers are keen to go home to harvest their crops.
The Vikings then captured York and started to pillage the North of England.
Upon hearing this news, HG makes the decision to take his whole army north to fight Hardrada.
The Earls Edwin and Morcar met HH at the Battle of Fulford on 20th September. HH won the battle with a larger and more experienced army
Due to the wind, HH arrives in Northern England in early September (before William)
- The Battle of Stamford Bridge
They fought at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25th Sept
The Vikings were caught by surprise as the English marched so quickly. Many Vikings did not even have their armour with them
HG marched his whole army North to meet HH in battle. This was a very long distance and done at a very quick pace.
The Vikings tried to form a shieldwall, but it was broken by the English soldiers.
This lead to a British victory. Both Hardrada and Tostig were killed
It was an important victory for HG, but many of his men had been killed or wounded.
- The Normans arrive!
He ignores the advice of his brothers (Leofwine and Gyrth) to rebuild his army and not fight William straight away
His army reaches London on 6th October, after marching 180 miles in 4 days
Upon hearing this news, Harold makes the decision to march and meet William immediately
In this time, William's army pillage the South of England
The wind changes and William arrives at Pevensey on 28th Sept
William instructed his archers to start firing, but they had little effect
Next, William sends his infantry (foot soldiers), they were unable to break the English shieldwall
Harold's army formed a shieldwall at the top of the hill
Finally, he is forced to send in his cavalry. However, even his best soldiers cannot break the shieldwall.
14th October- The two sides met at Senlac Hill
Fake retreats (tactic or rumour William was dead??). This caused some ill disciplined English soldiers to charge down the hill and break the shieldwall
The Normans quickly regroup and now are able to easily overcome the weakened English.
Harold Godwinson is eventually killed (not with an arrow to the eye)
William is crowned William I on Christmas Day 1066
7.How does William keep control?
Crushed Rebellions
Castles
The Feudal System
The Domesday Book
Intro
They did not want a foreign king, who would make large changes.
He therefore needed to assert his power and keep control over his new subjects, if he wanted to keep his new throne
Following his victory at Hastings, William was very unpopular with the people of England.
William claimed all the land in the country. He then gave some to nobles in return for their loyalty. The nobles did the same to knights
It meant William had complete control over the country and everyone was answerable to the king.
KING>NOBLES>KNIGHTS>PEASANTS
It meant William could raise a large army
The Earls Edwin and Morcar rebelled against the king. They raised a large army and capture the city of York.
William retook they city and in revenge laid waste to a huge area of land. Killing people, destroying houses etc.
'The Harrying of the North'
This sent a very clear message to the whole country
Defensive structures and a sign of William's power
At first, motte-and-bailey, quick and easy to build, but rotted over time
Administrative centre (where the noble would rule the local area)
It told William how much he could tax people, how many soldiers he could recruit, who owned what land and ensured no nobles got too powerful
A detailed survey of the whole country
Over time, he replaced them with stone castles e.g. Tower of London & Dover Castle