WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR

PREVIOUSLY Vikings & Saxons fought amongst themselves for 300 years William of Normandy took advantage and was crowned King after winning the Battle of Hastings…

WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR STEP 1 – Make London submit to me, check. STEP 2 – Replace this Anglo-Saxon government with the one already being used in Normandy for the past 150+ years. What’s it called? FUEDALISM

BEFORE WILLIAM… THIS IS ENGLAND.. THIS IS IT’S KING KING OF WESSEX KING OF NORTHUMBRIA KING OF EAST ANGLIA KING OF WESSEX KING OF ESSEX KING OF SUSSEX KING OF KENT KING OF MERCIA

AFTER WILLIAM… THIS IS ENGLAND THIS IS IT’S KING WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR

FUEDALISM – HOW IT WORKS

IMPORTANT POINTS King controls who he leases to, only people he trusts gets land (keeps power – no rivalries) Baron/Nobles is the judge and jury in his land, can give away as much as he needs (mini-King almost) Knights could also keep as much land as they want, they were hired bodyguards and the true strength of any region. Serfs/Peasants were not slaves but were controlled by their Knights

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? So how do we know exactly who has what land? I don’t want land with terrible terrain so I can’t grow crops while the next guy over gets a nice beautiful forest with a stream running through it…. And what happens if a cow wanders from my land to my neighbors land…whose cow is it.

DOMESDAY BOOK – 1085AD

DOMESDAY BOOK – 1085AD Commissioned by William the Conqueror A survey of all of England, its land and resources How many trees you had, how many pigs you, very very detailed… WHY? So he could figure out how much he could tax everyone ;)

IIII. The Land of St. Peter of Westminster In ‘Ossulstone’ Hundred In the vill in which St. Peter’s Church is situated [Westminster] the abbot of the same place holds 13½ hides. There is land for 11 ploughs. To the demesne belongs 9 hides and 1 virgate, and there are 4 ploughs. The villein have 6 ploughs, and there could be 1 plough more. There are 9 villeins each on 1 virgate and 1 villein on 1 hide, and 9 villeins on each half a virgate and 1 cottar on 5 acres, and 41 cottars who pay 40 shillings a year for their gardens. [There is] Meadow for 11 ploughs, pasture for the livestock of the vill, woodland for 100 pigs, and 25 houses of the abbot’s knights and other men who pay 8 shillings a year. In all it is worth £10; when received, the same; TRE £12. This manor belonged and belongs to the demesne of St. Peter’s Church, Westminster. http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/oxfordshire1.html#cadwell

LIFE WAS GRAND… Feudalism working well… BUT there was one small problem… WILLIAM is the King Of England….but the Duke of Normandy This means as Duke (Lord) he is under control of the King of France King of England being controlled by King of France?

REBELLION Obviously the old Anglo-Saxon elite were not happy and many rebellions start through out the empire…..

RECALL: What as Alfred’s solution to stopping the Viking Raids?

WILLIAMS SOLUTION MOTTE & BAILEY CASTLE

WHY? Needed to be able to govern the country and a way to show his presence in the area Allowed him to keep a garrison all over the empire By the 12th C thought to be over 500 built in Britain…