THE NORMAN CONQUEST BACKGROUND TO THE CONQUEST 878

THE NORMAN CONQUEST

BACKGROUND TO THE CONQUEST 878 Battle of ETHANDUNE Alfred the Great of Wessex defeated the Vikings They withdrew to the DANELAW (Northern Britain)

BACKGROUND TO THE CONQUEST Alfred’s successors extended their kingdom at the expense of the Danes 899 924 940 975 978 Edward I the Elder Athelstan Edgar Edward the Martyr Ethelred the Unready BUT VIKING VIOLENCE RETURNED to England in the 990 s

BACKGROUND TO THE CONQUEST 1016 Ethelred the Unready died 3 DANISH KINGS (1016 – 1042) Cnut ordered the murder of the members of the old royal family Cnut Harald I Hartcnut

BACKGROUND TO THE CONQUEST Only Ethelred’s younger sons survived and fled to Normandy (protected by their maternal uncle, Duke Richard II) Among them was EDWARD, who lived almost 30 years in exile, waiting for a chance to become king of England

BACKGROUND TO THE CONQUEST 1042 Hartcnut died EDWARD THE CONFESSOR • His authority was rivalled by the Godwine family, who had thrived under the Vikings. • NO HEIR PROBLEMATIC SUCCESSION!

BACKGROUND TO THE CONQUEST 1066 Edward the Confessor died HAROLD GODWINSON 2 CONTENDERS WILLIAM OF NORMANDY

HAROLD GODWINSON • Member of the powerful Godwine family • With Edward’s death, he saw a chance to get the throne and seized it Crowned king of England on the same day of Edward’s funeral!

WILLIAM OF NORMANDY HAROLD GODWINSON • Bastard son of Duke Robert of Normandy LEGITIMACY • Youth years: exile, assassination attempts, civil war William greatly valued PERSONAL LOYALTY • Ruthlessly efficient

SEIZING THE CROWN HAROLD GODWINSON BOTH Harold and William claimed they had been PROMISED the crown by Edward William invaded England with a Norman army

THE BATTLE HAROLD GODWINSON October 14 th, 2016 BATTLE OF HASTINGS The English were defeated and Harold died WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR

THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY HAROLD GODWINSON • 70 -metre long emboidery • Commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, Half-brother to the King • Narrates the events previous to the Conquest and William’s exploits from a Norman point of view

THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY HAROLD GODWINSON The tapestry confirms the rightfulness of William’s claim to the throne He needed to SECURE HIS new-found POWER

POWER HAROLD SECURING GODWINSON After the Conquest, William was busy putting down rebellions across the country, eventually managing to impose his own authority HOW? Did he achieve that merely by using force?

POWER HAROLD SECURING GODWINSON REPLACEMENT of the ANGLO-SAXON RULING CLASS with NORMANS Land seizures William’s followers secured control over their new lands by building CASTLES

POWER HAROLD SECURING GODWINSON Introduction of the FEUDAL SYSTEM KING BARONS and LORDS KNIGHTS PEASANTS STRONGLY HIERARCHICAL STATE

POWER HAROLD SECURING GODWINSON Unlike previous Anglo-Saxon kings, William considered England to be his own property. He was the source of all power and authority, as well as of the right of property and lordship over land. Therefore, a baron held his land because of his personal relationship with the king PRECARIOUS POWER!

THE DOMESDAY BOOK HAROLD GODWINSON Issued in 1086, based on a survey ordered by king William Very detailed RECORD of LAND OWNERSHIP in England William sent his men «All over England into every shire […]. He had a record made of […] what or how much everyone who was in England had […]. So very narrowly did he have it investigated that there was no single yard of land, nor […] one ox or pig which was left out and not put down in his record» (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle)

THE DOMESDAY BOOK HAROLD GODWINSON WHY? • To make sure the king could demand the right taxes from everyone • It further established the king as the ultimate source of power and as the barons’ right to hold lands.

SOCIETY AND CULTURE HAROLD GODWINSON The Conquest had profound effects on the English society and culture: • FRENCH as the official language of Court, justice and politics ENGLISH was still spoken by the lower social classes SOCIAL DIVIDE

SOCIETY AND CULTURE HAROLD GODWINSON • Extraordinary lexical richness of the English language In time, it absorbed over 10. 000 Franco-Norman terms • Closer ties with Western Europe England shifts away from Scandinavian influence