Chapter 2: Conquered England
William I needed to make sure that he could maintain control over the people, keeping them
loyal to him and putting down any rebellions.
2.1 Medieval rule and the Feudal System
The Feudal System was a system of controlling the different levels of society and making sure
that the King could raise an army when one was needed.
G
The King owned all the land in the kingdom. He held some for himself to provide income
for his household and government.
G
The rest he gave to his tenants-in-chief, who were powerful barons and churchmen such as
bishops. In return, the King expected them to be loyal to him.
G
These tenants-in-chief demonstrated their loyalty by paying homage to the King. They knelt
and solemnly swore fealty to him, becoming the King’s vassal. They had to defend the King
by providing soldiers from the lands they held.
G
The tenants-in-chief gave some land to knights, who similarly paid homage to them and
became their vassals.
G
The knights also kept some land for themselves and gave the rest to freemen, who made up
the lowest level of the Feudal System.
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You could try making up a phrase to help you remember the order of the Feudal System:
King
Kevin
Tenants-in-chief
Took
Knights
Karen’s
Freemen
Frisbee
2.2 Revolts and rebellions
William allowed some important Englishmen to keep their positions, as long as they swore
fealty to him, but he soon regretted this decision.
G
In 1069, the English earls Edwin of Mercia and Morcar of Northumbria rebelled with the
help of some Vikings and Scots, taking the city of York.
G
In revenge, William ordered that huge areas of Yorkshire be laid waste. This became known
as the ‘Harrying of the North’.
G
Another English rebel, known as Hereward the Wake, operated in the marshlands of East
Anglia. He has become a legendary figure with many stories told about him.
2.3 New buildings
In order to keep control over the people, the Normans introduced the castle to England.
G
The first were motte and bailey castles. They were easy and quick to build, using local
workers and materials. However, being wooden, they could be burnt down and would rot
over time.
English people in important positions were gradually replaced by Normans. The new bishops
began to rebuild churches in the Norman style, which typically used thick stone walls with
rounded arches over the doors and windows.
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2.4 The Domesday Book
The Domesday Book records the results of a nationwide survey ordered by William at
Christmas 1085. Historians believe this was done for several reasons:
G
A Viking invasion may have seemed likely. William wanted to know exactly how many
soldiers he could recruit to defend his lands from the threat overseas.
G
William may have suspected that some of his barons were holding land that should have
belonged to him or the Church.
G
William wanted to know where he could charge people more tax.
The Norman officials asked all the landholders for the following information:
G
The name of the manor.
G
The name of the landholder.
G
The size of the land.
G
How much belonged to the landholder.
G
How many men worked on the land.
G
How many amenities – such as mills or churches – were on the land.
G
How much the land was worth.
You could use pictures to help you remember the questions that were asked. Think what
you would draw for each of the table entries below; the first one has been done for you.
Manor name
Landlord name
Land size
Land held by landowner
Number of men
Amenities
Value
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So that William could get an idea as to how things had changed over time, the questions were
asked with reference to three periods:
G
During the reign of King Edward (before 1066).
G
When King William granted the land to the landholder (shortly after 1066).
G
At the current time (around 1086).
2.5 Life in the manor
The manor was the unit of land used for farming.
G
Freemen tended to be the wealthiest class of peasant. They generally governed the people
who did the manual work.
G
Villeins, or serfs, held their own land from the freemen and worked on it themselves.
G
Cottars did not hold any land to farm themselves, but instead were hired to work on other
people’s land.
G
Each village had a church and the most important manors also had a manor house where
the lord of the manor lived.
The peasants in England used a system known as open-field farming.
G
The land in a village consisted of two or three large, open fields. These would be divided
into long strips of land, which were held by the freemen and villeins.
G
The strips belonging to the lord of the manor formed his demesne. This would be ploughed
each year, either by villeins or cottars.
G
One of the fields would be left fallow during the year. It would be ploughed but no crop
would be planted on it.
G
There was also a meadow for growing long grasses that could be used as hay for the
animals. Woodland provided wood for buildings and fuel. Common land was for people to
graze their animals on.
G
All the peasants in the village harvested the whole crop as one. The harvested corn was
threshed and the grain was divided among all the farmers.
Sample question
Try this sample essay question for yourself. A suggested answer is given at the back of the book.
Q.
(a) Describe the threats to his rule that William I faced.
(20)
(b) Explain the steps that William took to gain control over the English people.
(10)
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Summary
You should now know the following:
1.
How the Feudal System worked.
2.
The main English revolts against William and how he dealt with them.
3.
The features of the new buildings the Normans introduced to England.
4.
The reasons for, and information contained within, the Domesday Book.
5.
The characteristics of an 11th-century manor.
Test yourself
Before moving on to the next chapter, make sure you can answer the following questions.
The answers are at the back of the book.
1.
If a landholder swore fealty in an act of homage, what did he become?
2.
Which northern city did Edwin and Morcar re-take from the Normans?
3.
What were the typical features of Norman churches?
4.
What are the three periods of time referred to in the Domesday Book?
5.
Which class of peasant was paid wages to work because they did not hold land
themselves?
6.
What was the name given to the land held by the lord of the manor?
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