How significant was Bishop Odo in Norman England? Starter: True or false? William was Edward the Confessor’s cousin. William was a keen hunter. He was never called “the Conqueror” He was 5ft 10 inches tall At first his wife rejected his proposal as he was a bastard, so he dragged her off her horse by the hair and threw her on the ground.

Odo, Bishop of Bayeux Odo was the son of William the Conqueror's mother Herleva Duke William made him bishop of Bayeux in 1049 at the age of 19. In 1067, Odo became Earl of Kent, and for some years he was a trusted royal minister. Although a Christian cleric, he was best known as a warrior and politician – contributing 100 ships to William’s invasion of England and even fighting at the Battle of Hastings. On some occasions when William was absent he served as de facto regent of England, and at times he led the royal forces against rebellions (1075) Acquired vast estates in England, larger in extent than anyone except the king: he had land in twenty-three counties, primarily in the south east and in East Anglia. This caused resentment with William.

Odo’s Wealth His initial reward was the earldom of Kent, and in that county alone, as well as holding Dover Castle, he possessed at least 184 manors By the 1080s Odo held large estates in twenty-two counties dotted throughout England. The Domesday Book of 1086 records that Odo's total landed income was in the region of £3,000 per annum The crop yields in Odo’s lands increased by 40% between 1066 and 1085. Odo’s fortune was estimated in modern terms as £43.2 billion

Odo’s reckless behaviour In 1067, Odo had allowed his men to unlawfully seize land and rape women without punishment in Kent which led to Edwin & Morcar’s rebellion. Domesday shows him settling land disputes himself and acting like a “second king”. Odo’s reckless behaviour After being trialled by Lanfranc, he laid waste to he region of Northumberland (1079) – pillaging cathedrals and robbing homesteads wherever her went. In Dover, Odo confiscated homes and even the Old Guildhall for his household, and he allowed one of his tenants to build a mill at the harbour entrance in Dover, which had a devastating impact on shipping. 1082 Odo made a bid to take over land given to the church causing a split with William

“There was no other Earl of Kent after Odo: despite his tyrannical behaviour and the unrest he created, Odo had served his purpose, securing the county and defending the coast while the Norman kingdom was still vulnerable in its infancy. Odo's final split with William should not disguise the fact that he was almost indispensable to his half-brother's government. “ Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/kent/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8720000/8720806.stm

Use the information on p Use the information on p. 92 and 93, as well as the BBC article your teacher has given you on Bishop Odo. All Use the information on p.92 and 93, as well as the BBC article your teacher has given you on Odo. Draw a table to show evidence that Odo was a trouble maker and evidence that he was useful to William. Target 9,8,7, “William protected Odo while he was useful to him, but when he became a threat this support was removed” How accurate is this view? You may wish to mention: Odo’s role in crushing the 1075 Revolt Odo’s role as co-regent in 1067 Odo’s arrest and trial in 1076 Target 6, 5, 4 Did Odo contribute a lot of mostly good to William’s new kingdom? Explain your answer using examples!

Evidence that Odo was a trouble maker Evidence that Odo was useful to William As Earl of Kent, Odo allowed his men to pillage and rape. He also seized much land. This led to Kent rebelling against the king in 1067. The Kentish rebels tried to take Dover castle but failed. After seizing church land, Lanfranc brought Odo to court. Orderic Vitalis said that Odo and fitz Obern "oppressed all the inhabitants of high and lower degree" and "heaped shameful burdens upon them“ whilst acting as regent. In 1082 Odo made a bid to purchase the papacy, causing a split with William, who arrested his half-brother himself (William was angry that Odo tried to take some of his knights with him) Odo was tried and imprisoned for sedition, and only released following William's death. In 1088 following his brother’s death, Odo led a rebellion against his nephew King William II. When William left England, Odo ran the country as regent – he built castles throughout the kingdom to help secure it. He also dealt with land disputes. He helped secure his brother’s kingdoms in the early days of Norman rule e.g. 1075 he led an army to deal with rebels like Waltheof. In 1079 he was sent to Northumberland to deal with Scottish raids. In 1066 he contributed 100 ships and fought at Hastings which helped his brother take the throne. He commissioned the Bayeux Tapestry which helped strengthen William’s image as the rightful King of England.