With the death of [?] in January 1066 there were several people who claimed the right to the throne. Harold Godwinson was the Earl of Wessex, a member of an important ruling family. He had been acting as Edward’s chief adviser before he died and the commander in chief of his army. He also enjoyed the support of the [?], an assembly of all the chief elders and ruling families in Anglo-Saxon England. Harold felt that in the absence of Edward having a son to inherit the throne, he was the rightful king. He had himself crowned king, but that was not the end of the story. The duke of [?], William (later to be known as the Conqueror) claimed that Edward had already promised him the throne after his death, but there were no witnesses to this. He also said that when Harold had been shipwrecked off the Normandy coast and captured by a local lord. William had rescued Harold from captivity and helped him return to England, on the understanding that Harold would support William’s claim to the English throne. When Edward died and Harold had himself crowned 2 days later in January 1066, William was furious and prepared to invade. The matter was further complicated by Harold [?] who was king of Norway and Denmark. He believed that he was the rightful heir to the English throne because the Danes had conquered England in the past. His claim was weak but he was supported by Harold's brother, [?], who had fled England in 1065 because of a rebellion in northern England against his rule there.
Throughout July and August, Harold had expected William to attempt an invasion and Harold put his troops near to the Isle of Wight - where he felt William would land. However, some of Harold's army got tired of waiting and because they could not be fed, they went home. It was also the harvest season and many of Harold's men had farming commitments. At the start of September, Harold received news that Tostig and Harold Hadrada had landed with an army in the north of England. He marched north with his army to fight Hadrada. The English army met the Norwegian army at the Battle of [?] Bridge on September 25th. The battle was bloody and violent. The River Derwent, which flows near to the field where the battle was fought, was said to have turned red with the amount of blood that went into it. The mouth of the river as it enters the North Sea was said to have been blood red. Hadrada needed 300 ships to bring his army over to the north of England. Only 30 ships were needed to take the surviving Norwegians back. Harold had a major victory and Tostig, his untrustworthy brother, was killed along with Harold Hadrada. Just two days later, on September 27th, Harold heard the news that William had landed at Pevensey Bay in Sussex.
The Battle of Hastings was one of the most significant battles of British history and was to shape the future of Medieval England. However, the battle took place about seven miles from Hastings - so in many respects it is misnamed. Much of the fighting took place around [?] Hill (which literally means lake of blood) at the site of an important crossroads, where roads led along the coast and up to London.
Harold’s men occupied the higher ground on Senlac Hill and William’s men fought down below. His men were tired from the march back from Stanford and many were poorly trained peasants, who were keen to get back to their farms and tend to their crops. William’s men were battle-hardened troops, who had come across the channel full equipped with horses, armour and weapons. They arranged themselves in ranks at the foot of the hill and prepared themselves for a long and bloody fight. Initially, due to the fact he occupied the higher ground things went well for Harold. At one point in the battle it was thought William had been killed, but he flung back his helmet to reveal to his troops he was still alive. Harold’s men were not aware of this and thinking they had won the battle, swept down the hill, abandoning their advantaged position. Harold’s men were cut down by William’s soldiers, and his [?] killed Harold allegedly with an arrow in his eye. The Norman cavalry rushed up the hill and killed or swept away the remaining Anglo-Saxon soldiers. William had won the day, and swiftly moved on London, destroying any opposition he encountered on the way. On Christmas Day 1066 he had himself crowned king of England.
To establish his rule William made important changes to the way the country was managed. He commissioned a survey of the land and who owned it in 1086 called the [?] Book. This enabled him to know how many people worked the land, who he could call upon to serve in his army and most importantly what he could raise in taxes. He passed strict new laws called Forest Laws which gave severe punishments to anyone who trespassed on his land or hunted in royal forests. Poachers could have fingers and limbs severed from their bodies if caught. He produced manuscripts and chronicles celebrating his reign and even ordered the making of a 70 metre-long embroidery of the key events of the battle of Hastings, the [?] tapestry
William also designed a system for managing the land by diving the country into smaller areas and choosing tenants-in-chief to run them. As well as being given land to manage, tenants in chief promised to provide knights and soldiers for the king’s army. There were only about 200 tenants in chief (nearly all of whom were Norman) so they in turn divided their land into smaller parcels which were run by under tenants, of whom there were about a 1000. The under tenants also promised to provide soldiers for the king and employed peasants or villeins to work on their land. This whole system known as the feudal system from the Latin word feudum for land, cleverly enabled William to manage all his lands effectively, whilst also making sure he had soldiers and knights to form the basis of his army.
The country also witnessed a massive castle building programme. First [?] and bailey castle were built. Once William had firmly established his rule in England, he built huge stone [?] castles like Dover and the Tower of London. Castles were a very good way for the Normans to expand their grip on the English people. The English population greatly outnumbered the Normans and the Normans had to create an atmosphere in which they were feared by the English, therefore, minimising the possibility of an uprising by the English. Castles were a sign of Norman power and might. They could be easily seen and as such acted as a deterrent. The castles warned the English that Norman soldiers lived in these castles and that any attempts to rise up against them would be met with force. The castles also gave the Norman soldiers a safe place to live. They were, after all, invaders. William had built a temporary castle at Pevensey to house his troops when they landed in September 1066. This would have been a motte and bailey castle. These types of castles were quickly put up all over England after the Battle of Hastings to enforce Norman control.
When William came across resistance he dealt with it severely. Between 1066 and 1087 there were dozens of rebellions against Norman rule, particularly in outlying areas like the Welsh borders, the Fens and the north of England. When two trusted English earls sided with a group of Danish invaders in the north, William decided to make an example out of them. He sent an army up to York, the centre of the fighting and expelled or the rebels. His troops chased them from village to village, burning homes and crops as they went. Many innocent people lost their lives, particularly families who harboured any of the rebels. This was the darkest episode in the whole of the Norman Conquest and became known as the [?] of the North, from a word meaning to hound or attack.
William made many other changes to the country to enforce his rule and let it be known he was the new King of England. Officials and servants often changed their names to French ones, to impress the king and improve their chances of promotion. Names like William and Robert suddenly became very popular. The Normans were also great builders, and as well as building castles and fortifications, constructed thousands of [?] in the Norman style. Churches were built of stone, in many places important from Normandy, with carved round arches and massive stone pillars inside. As well as providing a place of worship they were another way of reminding ordinary Anglo-Saxons of the power and prestige of Norman rule.