The Norman Conquest of England: A Comprehensive Historical Analysis, Study Guides, Projects, Research of United Kingdom History

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University of Mohammed El-Bashie El-Ibrahimi -BBA- English Department

Civilization

The Origin Of

• (^) • In 911, the Normandy French Carolingian ruler Charles the Simple allowed a group of Vikings under their leader Rollo to settle in Normandy as part of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte(singed between Charles II of France and Rollo, the leader of the Vikings).
• (^) • In exchange for the land, the Norsemen under Rollo were expected to provide protection along the coast against future Viking invaders.

The Norman Conquest 1066

• (^) • In 1066 King Edward (the Confessor) died childless. Edward's chief advisor (earl of West Saxon), Godwin, had a son names Harold.
• (^) • Harold succeeded his father Godwin and virtually ruled England the last 12 years of Edward's reign. Upon Edward's death, Harold was elected King.
• (^) • William, the duke of Normandy, was 2nd cousin to Edward, and Edward had promised him the throne upon Edward's death.

THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS

• (^) The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman army of Duke William of Normandy and an English army under King Harold.
• (^) It lasted all day, and was exceptionally bloody even by medieval standards.
• (^) When Harold was eventually killed and the English fled, the way was open for William to assume the throne of England.

The Norman Conquest

• (^) Harold defeated the Norwegian invasion at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in September 1066, but he was defeated and killed shortly afterwards at the Battle of Hastings, on 14 October in the same year.
• (^) • The victorious William, now known as 'the Conqueror', brought a new aristocracy to England from Normandy and some other areas of France.
• (^) • He also strengthened aristocratic lordship and moved towards reform of the church. At the same time, William was careful to preserve the powerful administrative machinery that had distinguished the regime of the late Anglo-Saxon kings.

The Norman Conquest 1066

• (^) William could truly now be called 'The Conqueror'! On Christmas Day 1066 Archbishop Ealdred of York crowned William King of England.

• (^) First, William declared that all the land in England belonged to him. Then he appointed several of his trusted barons as tenants-in-chief , but they had to pay William rent, just like any other tenant.
• (^) That obligation could be in money; it could also be in loyalty. Tenants-in-chief were supposed to provide the king with a lot of men in time of war.
• (^) Down at the bottom of the feudal system were the peasants, or villeins, who had to work the land and pay rent – and who were always Saxons.

The barons and the feudal system The barons received land from William. In some cases the amount of land was huge! These estates were given in return for their support and service. One of their jobs was to supply knights to William's army. To deal with this job, and to handle their huge estates, the barons gave some of their land to the knights. In return, the knights' promised to serve in William’s army for 40 days each year.

The knights and the feudal system The knights received land from the barons in return for their promise to serve in William’s army for 40 days a year. The knights were professional soldiers who had trained for a long time in the art of medieval war. However, they were not farmers. To help them look after the land they shared the land out amongst peasant villagers who worked the fields.

Oath of Fealty

• (^) Lords, vassals in feudal system had duties to fulfill to one another
• (^) Knight’s chief duty as vassal to provide military service to his lord
• (^) Had to promise to remain loyal; promise called oath of fealty Lord’s Obligations
  • (^) Lord had to treat knights fairly, not demanding too much time, money
  • (^) Had to protect knight if attacked by enemies
  • (^) Had to act as judge in disputes between knights Financial Obligations
    • (^) Knight had certain financial obligations to lord
    • (^) Knight obligated to pay ransom for lord’s release if captured in battle
    • (^) Gave money to lord on special occasions, such as knighting of son Feudal Obligations

The Domesday Book

• (^) A written record of the ownership and value of land in England in 1086
• (^) It was made for William the Conqueror in order to calculate the size and value of the king’s property and the tax value of other land in the country.
• (^) The book is of great historical importance because it tells us a lot about England at that time. It can be seen at the Public Record Office in London.