1. The revolt of Edwin and Morcar in 1068 Events of the revolt
Soon after the coronation,in spring 1067, William felt England was secure enough for him to return home to Normandy in triumph. He took with him Edgar Aethling, Earl Edwin, Earl Morcar, Earl Waltheof and many other Anglo-Saxon aristocrats, plus a lot of English treasure.
Events of the revolt
In 1068, Edwin and Morcar fled from William's court. They went north and were joined by many others in rebellion against William, all protesting at the injustice and tyranny of his rule. We do not know a great deal about the other supporters of this revolt: Bleddyn, Lord of Powys (in Wales) was one, also Maerleswein, the sheriff of Yorkshire, Earls Waltheof and Gospatric of Northumbria- and. Edgar Aethling.
Outcomes of the revolt
When William heard of the revolt, he took his forces north, building castles along the way. William went to the city of Warwick and built a castle – it was an impressive show of force. Perhaps intimidated, Edwin and Morcar quickly surrendered. This quick surrender may suggest they weren’t looking for a fight with William, but were simply trying to pressure him to give back their lands.

2. Edgar the Aethling and the rebellions in the North, 1069
In the spring of 1069, a series of rebellions began in the North that were extremely dangerous for William because of the combination of forces involved:
• Rebels from Northumbria joined forces with Edgar the Aethling.
• Edgar had the backing of Malcolm Ill (Edgar's sister had married Malcolm).
• King Sweyn of Denmark sent a fleet of ships and warriors led by his brother, Asbjorn. This enormous force teamed up with Edgar and the other rebels.
The death of Robert Cumin
After being betrayed by Gospatric in the revolt of Edwin and Morcar, William chose a new Earl of northern Northumbria: Robert Cumin, one of his supporters. In January 1069,Cumin took a large force north, launching an attack. In Durham, the bishop there warned him that this violence had caused great resentment, but his troops carried on looting regardless. This was a serious mistake. They were taken by surprise by a band of Northumbrians, who slaughtered them in the streets of Durham. Cumin took refuge in the bishop's house, but the rebels set fire to it and killed him when he was forced out by the flames.
William’s Solution
Seeing the Danes as the larger threat, he paid them a large amount of money to leave. To deal with the English rebels, he began to totally destroy large areas in the North where they lived. This was known as the Harrying of the North.