Anglo-Saxon and Norman

England, 1066-88

A brief overview of key

and facts about England
Please note- events discussed in the booklet are not detailed enough to be studied without
using your class notes. This is meant more as a resource you can use to check your knowledge
of dates and people and use as an aid to your understanding.
Key topic 1: Anglo-Saxon England and the
Norman Conquest, 1060-1080
Key area Content Revised
Anglo- Saxon  Monarchy and government. The power of the English
Society monarchy. Earldoms, local governments and the legal
system.
 The economy and social system. Towns and villages.
The influence of the Church
The last years  The house of Godwin. Harold Godwinson’s
of Edward the succession as Earl of Wessex. The power of the
Confessor and Godwins.
the succession  Harold Godwinson’s embassy to Normandy. The
crisis rising against Tostig and his exile. The death of
Edward the Confessor.
The rival  The motives and claims of William of Normandy,
claims to the Harald Hardrada and Edgar.
throne  The Witan and the coronation and reign of Harold
Godwinson.
 Reasons for, and significance of, the outcome of the
battles of Gate Fulford and Stamford Bridge.
The Norman  The Battle of Hastings
Invasion  Reasons for William’s victory, including the leadership
skills of Harold and William, Norman and English
troops and tactics.

13 Key things to know about Anglo-Saxon society

1. Anglo- Saxon means people who settled in England after the Romans left Britain.
They come from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
2. Scotland and Wales were independent and the King
did not control these areas.
3. England was separated into Earldoms- these were
separate areas of Britain each controlled by an earl.
They included: Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia,
Kent and Wessex.
4. Earldoms were divided into shires. These had many
different functions, such as having their own courts
and fortified towns known as Burhs as well as
providing men to fight in case of invasion.
5. England faced constant invasion threats from Vikings
in Scandinavia and had in fact been invaded before
Edward the Confessor became King in 1042.
6. The population of England was relatively small compared to today, it is estimated
that there were around 2 million people living in England.
7. England was by no means united. Often people were loyal only to their region and
not to England. In the North, many people lived under Danelaw- where Viking power
had been strongest and where Danish law had been kept rather than Anglo-Saxon
law.
8. Farming was the biggest industry in Anglo-Saxon England. Society was split
between peasants, Slaves, Thegns and Earls.
a. Peasants- rented small amounts of land from the local lord (Thegn) and did
work for the lord as well as farming food to feed their family. If they did not
do what the lord wanted they could lose their land. There were Ceorls, who
were free to work for another lord if they wished.
b. Slaves- 10% of Anglo-Saxon population were slaves. They could be bought
or sold and were seen as people’s property.
c. Thegns- local lords. There were between 4,000 and 5,000 Thegns by 1060.
They held more land than peasants and peasants were answerable to the
Thegns.
d. Earls were the most important men in the country after the King. Controlled
the Earldoms.
9. Although most of the population lived in the countryside- 10% of people lived in
towns. Trade was common and towns often traded internationally. York traded with
Denmark and London traded with lots of different European countries including
Germany and France.
10. The Earls and other important bishops and archbishops advised the King on issues of
government and they became known as the Witan. They had a key role in approving
a new King. Religion was especially important in Anglo-Saxon England and bishops
would be asked to give opinions on the Kings ideas. Most member of the church
were educated and so could read and write about what was happening.
11. The Church was very important in everyday life. Everybody was religious and
believed in heaven and hell.
12. Kings believed that they were granted their power by God and it was only God that
could take this power away.
13. The King gained his legitimacy through many areas, however, a key leadership
quality that made Kings legitimate was their ability to be good soldiers and win
battles.
Key Terms for Anglo Saxon Society

Anglo Saxon People who settled in Britain after the Romans. They came from what is
now Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands
Anointed To put sacred oil on someone as part of a religious ceremony.
Aristocracy The people in society that were seen as being important because of their
wealth and power.,
Blood Feud A revenge system based on family loyalty and honour.

Ceorls Free peasant farmers not tied to their land.

Danelaw The part of England where Viking power had been the strongest and which
had kept some of its Danish laws instead of Anglo Saxon ones.
Earls The highest in Anglo saxon society. Comes from the Danish word, ‘jarl’ – a
chieftain who rules on behalf of the king.
Embassy An official visit by representatives of one ruler to another ruler.
Fyrd The men of the Anglo Saxon army. Every five hides provided one man for
the fyrd
Geld tax A tax on land, originally to pay off the Vikings (Danegeld). Paid to the king.
Heriot A tax paid by thegns. Heriot means ‘war gear’ and the tax required a thegn
to equip himself with a helmet, coat of mail, horse and harness, a sword
and a spear.
Hides The measurement used for land in Anglo Saxon and Norman England. One
hide = 120 acres, which was the amount a family needed to support
themselves.
Hostages People given to another as part of an oath or agreement. If the oath was
broken, the hostages would be killed or maimed.
Housecarls Highly trained troops that travelled with their lord. Bodyguard.
Hundreds A unit of land administration. In some areas this equalled 100 hides of land.

Legitimacy A claim to be the rightful King

oath A solemn promise to do something, sworn on a holy relic.
Shield Wall A military tactic used by both Anglo-Saxon and Viking armies. Troops
created a shield several men deep to create a defensive formation.
Shire reeve Sherrif. An official of the king who managed the king’s estates, collected
money and were in charge of the local court.
Slaves People who could be bought and sold. Seen as property, rather than
people, but not often punished harshly as it damaged their ability to work.
Succession The process that decided who should be the next king or queen and
‘succeed’ to the throne.
Thegns The local lord. Between 4 and 5,00 thegns by 1060. An important man in
the community they held a least 5 hides of land and lived in the manor
house. The warrior class and part of the aristocracy of Anglo Saxon society.
Tithings An administrative unit of 10 households. Originally a tenth of a hundred.

Witan The council that advised the king on matters of government. Made up of
the most important men of the kingdom; earls and archbishops.
Key people in Anglo-Saxon society
King Edward the Confessor
Reigned: (1042-66)
The last Anglo-Saxon King of England, Edward died childless in 1066.
This started a succession crisis which ultimately led to William being
crowned King on Christmas day 1066.

Edward was not a military leader and he relied on his Earls to keep
control of England, especially the powerful Earl of Wessex, Godwin.

He was a respected law maker and people respected him for keeping
England peaceful. He was also very religious and claimed he had a
special link to God.

Godwin, Earl of Wessex Tostig Godwinson

Earl of Wessex- 1018-1053 Earl of Northumbria 1055-1065
Godwin became Earl of Wessex Tostig was the brother of Harold Godwinson and was given
under King Cnut, who was King of Northumbria to give the Godwin’s a powerbase in the North of
England before Edward. His son, England. Northumbria was an important earldom because it was
Harold Godwinson would go on to be very large, bordered Scotland and had a history of Viking
King Harold. attacks.
Wessex was the most powerful Tostig was not a very good leader, he did not understand the
Earldom and Godwin had a lot of differences between the Earldom of Wessex and Northumbria.
power. His family controlled many Much of Northumbria was part of the Danelaw where the
other Earldom’s in England. language was slightly different. Tostig did not understand this
and he imposed new laws and taxes on the people causing them
Edward and Godwin had a rocky
to rebel in 1065.
relationship, Godwin frequently
undermined Edward’s power and Instead of supporting his brother, Harold supported the rebels
was sent into exile by Edward, but and Tostig was exiled. He never forgets this betrayal.
returned within a year.
Contenders to the throne in 1066
Harold Godwinson (1022-1066)

Harold was earl of Wessex and claimed that Edward had promised him the
throne and his deathbed. He was also Edward’s brother-in-law. He had been
loyal to Edward and had a lot of influence with the other Earls of England.

Harold was announced as King by the Witan and crowned as Harold II.

Edgar Aethling (1051-1126) Harald Hardrada (1015-1066)

Edgar was Edward’s nephewHardrada

and so waswasdirectly
the king of Norway.
descended fromHeroyal
was a fearsome warrior and his
name ‘Hardrada’ meant stern warrior. His claim to the throne was based
blood. This is shown by his title ‘Aethling’ which meant a prince of royal
blood. on Viking secret deals and treaties.

Worked with
However, Edgar was only a teenager whenTostig
EdwardGodwinson
died andto invade
it was England in 1066.
believed
that he did not have the military experience to deal with the threats from
Scandanavia and Normandy, so they instead decided on Godwinson.

William Duke of Normandy (1028-1087)

William was Duke of Normandy, a small country surrounded by enemies. He had

fought hard to survive since he was young and England offered the chance for
wealth and success.

His claim was based on an agreement between himself and Edward the
Confessor in around 1051 whereby Edward promised him the throne. This was
supposedly confirmed by Harold Godwinson when he went to see William in
1064.
 Timeline: 1042-1066
1042: Edward the Confessor
become king.
1050: Tension escalated
between Godwin and Edward
over Godwin’s refusal to punish
the people of Dover for their 1051: Edward visits William in
treatment of a visitor from Normandy and it is here where h
Boulogne supposedly promises him the
crown.
1053: Earl Godwin dies and is
replaced by Harold Godwinson.
1055: Tostig, Harold’s brother,
becomes Earl of Northumbria.

1064: Harold’s embassy to

Normandy ends with him
1065: Uprising against Tostig.
swearing an oath that William
Harold supports the rebels and
will be the next King of England.
Tostig is exiled.

January 1066: Edward the

Confessor dies and promises
Harold the throne on his 20th September 1066: The Battle
deathbed. Harold becomes king. of Gate Fulford.

25th September 1066: The Battle

of Stamford Bridge. 27th September 1066: William’s
fleet set sail for England and
6th October 1066: Harold land the next day.
reaches London. He leaves
London on 12th. 14th October 1066: The Battle of
Hastings

25th December 1066: William is

crowned King of England.
Key topic 2: William I in power: securing the
kingdom, 1066-87
Key area Content Revised
Establishing  The submission of the earls, 1066
control  Rewarding followers and establishing control of the
borderlands through the use of earls. The Marcher
earldoms.
 Reasons for the building of castles; their key features
and importance.
The causes  The revolt of Earls Edwin and Morcar in 1068
and  Edgar the Aethling and the rebellions in the North,
outcomes of 1069
Anglo-Saxon  Hereward the Wake and rebellion at Ely, 1070-71
resistance
1068-71
The legacy of  The reasons for and features of the Harrying of the
resistance to North, 1069-70. Its immediate and long term impact,
1087 1069-87.
 Changes in land ownership from Anglo- Saxon to
Norman, 1066-87
 How William I maintained royal power.
Revolt of the  Reasons for and features of the revolt
Earls, 1075  The defeat of the revolt and its effects.

So, what happened after the Battle of Hastings?

Although William had won the battle, the Anglo-Saxon nobles did not come and surrender
to him. Instead they went to London and the Witan elected Edgar Aethling to be king. He
was supported by key aristocrats such as Earls Edwin (Earl of Mercia) and Morcar (Earl of
Northumbria). It seemed like William would have to come to them.
William secured the south coast to ensure that he had a supply line from Normandy. He
also got ill and could have easily been defeated had the nobles travelled south of London.
Once he had secured the south, William led his troops on a march to London. As they went
they destroyed homes and farms.
William did not attack London directly as it was heavily fortified, instead he travelled to
Birkhamstead to the North West of London. He was met there by Edgar Aethling,
Archbishop Ealdred and both Edwin and Morcar. They submitted to William and swore
oaths to obey him and gave him hostages to guarantee their promises. They offered him
the crown and in return William promised to be ‘gracious’ to them. On 25 th December 1066
William was crowned king.
Key differences between Anglo-Saxon and Norman rule

Anglo Saxon Norman

The King did not own all the land in William claimed that as King he was in
England. He owned a lot and could give it charge of all the land in England and the
and take it away, but land was usually only way people could get land was
inherited through generations of families. through his saying so. He would give land to
those who he felt were loyal and could take
it away if they did anything wrong.
Earldom’s were large and had a lot of Earldoms made smaller and the power of
power e.g. Earl Godwin. earls was reduced.
Anglo-Saxon’s did not have marcher Created Marcher earldoms on the border
earldoms, in theory each earl had the same between England and Wales. There were
responsibilities and none were exempt three Marcher earldoms- Chester,
from tax. Shrewsbury and Hereford and gave these
to people who had helped him win the
battle. These had special privileges and
were exempt from paying tax on lands.
They could also build castles.
Instead of castles, large Anglo-Saxon towns William gained control of trouble spots
or burhs were protected by walls that through the use of castles. He ordered that
encompassed the whole town, rather than these be built in strategic locations and
just a castle and the knights. formed the base from which to launch
attacks or give knights refuge in the event
of an attack. They did not however,
protect the whole town.
Anglo-Saxon earls named who they wanted Initially, William kept many Anglo-Saxons in
to inherit their land and this was agreed. their position as earl. For example, Morcar
Smaller farmers leased land for as long as kept his position. This changed however
three generations. with all the rebellions and more and more
titles went to Normans rather than Anglo-
Saxons. He also made people pay William
for the right to keep farming their land.
This led to resentment.
Before this a tax had to be paid to the Lord William introduced a tax when an earl died.
and not to the king. This had to be paid to the King before the
heir could become earl.
Keywords for securing William’s power

Word Definition
Bailey The outer part of the castle, surrounding the motte and protected by
a fence or wall.
Castellan The governor of a castle and its surrounding lands.
Colonisation When one country encourages migration of its people to another
country.
Excommunication Cutting someone off from the church community so that they are
unable to confess their sins before they die and wouldn’t go to
heaven.
Forfeit To lose something as a punishment for committing a crime or a bad
action.
Genocide A deliberate and organised attempt to exterminate an entire group of
people.
Guerrilla war When small bands attack a larger force by surprise and then
disappear back into the local population. Modern term.
Harrying An old word meaning to lay waste to something, to devastate it.
Magnate An important and influential figure
March An Anglo-Saxon term for border
Motte The mound of earth that a castle stood on.
Reconciliation To find ways for enemies to forgive each other.
Submission Formal acceptance of and surrender to authority.
Tenants-in-chief Large landholders of Norman England who held land directly from the
king.
Tenure ‘To hold’ in Latin with regards to land.
Vassal Someone who holds land in return for their services to their Norman
lord.
Writ Official document from the King signed and sealed with the Kings
personal seal.

Key people in Norman England: 1066-87

King William I
Reigned: 1066-87
William won the Battle of Hastings and became King of England on Christmas
day 1066. During his reign he faced many rebellions from Anglo-Saxon earls
who were angry and his new rule and the changes they faced, as well as from
Vikings and his own earls.
William consolidated his power through using a number of tactics such as terror-
destroying large areas of the North so they could not rebel, castle building and
through administrative control of all land. He demanded loyalty and could be
very ruthless to those who did not give him this.
William was very religious and believed that his victory at Hastings was God’s
will.
 William’s loyal supporters:

Odo, Bishop of Bayuex: This was William’s half brother who had
contributed 100 ships to the Battle of Hastings. He was rewarded by
gaining control of Kent. He did not rule this area well.
William FitzOsbern: One of William’s most trusted advisers who was
granted the Isle of Wight, much of Hampshire and large areas of the
West.
Robert of Montgomery: Governed Normandy in William’s absence was
rewarded land in Essex and Sussex, and made Earl of Shrewsbury.

Earl Edwin Earl Morcar

Earl of Mercia Earl of Northumbria
Edwin was Anglo-Saxon but had taken an oath of Morcar was also Anglo-Saxon but had taken an oath
allegiance to William. of allegiance to Wiliam. Like Edwin, Morcar was
Edwin became unhappy with William as William had annoyed at William. He had reduced the size of
promised Edwin could marry his daughter- however, Morcar’s earldom. Loss of land meant a loss of
this had not happened. He had also reduced the size money for Morcar, as well as a reduction in power.
of Edwin’s earldom. He also resented having to pay This angered him greatly.
Geld Tax as he did not believe that this tax was being In 1068, Morcar was involved in a rebellion against
used for the good of England and was instead being William’s rule, along with Earl Edwin and Edgar
used in Normandy. Aethling. However, once he was aware of William’s
In 1068 he was involved in a revolt against William. power he quickly surrendered.
He fled from his court and started to build up support He was allowed to keep his earldom, but like Edwin,
but soon surrendered when William demonstrated became a ‘guest’ at William’s court.
his power. Morcar tried to rebel again in 1070 and was caught.
William pardoned him for his role in the uprising, but He was then imprisoned for life by William.
kept him as a ‘guest’ at his court where he could be
kept an eye on
Killed in 1071 by his own men turning on him.

Edgar Atheling

Edgar was Edward’s nephew and had a legitimate claim to the English throne. In 1066
the Witan decided that the throne should go to Harold Godwinson, but on his defeat,
they crowned Edgar. However, he soon pledged an oath of loyalty to William.
In 1068, Edgar had been involved in the rebellion with Morcar and Edwin, however
had escaped to Scotland. He watched events closely and a series of revolts broke out
in 1069 in the North of England. The Earl of northern Northumbria, Robert Cumin was
murdered and a similar uprising occurred in York. Edgar Aethling and his supporters
came down from Scotland and joined the rebels. William defeated th rebels and
Edgar again escaped to Scotland. He then formed an alliance with King Seweyn of
Denmark for an Anglo-Danish attack on York. They were victorious at York and an
estimated 3,000 Normans were killed. William paid the Danes to end their invasion
and embarked upon the Harrying of the North to stop rebellions in the North.
After the revolts, Edgar spent time in Scotland and Normandy but eventually, he was
convinced to stop trying to take William’s throne and was allowed to return to
England.
 Hereward the Wake

He was an East Anglian local thegn who had been exiled by Edward the
Confessor and had returned to England to find his lands had been seized by
Normans. Hereward had been fighting a guerrilla war against the Norman
Archbishop of Peterborough. He made alliances with the Danes and together
they raided Peterborough abbey. The Danes stole the gains from the raids and
sailed off, Hereward was joined on these raids by Morcar and they both tried to
defend Ely from attacks. In the end they were defeated but both Morcar and
Hereward escaped. Hereward was not heard of again.

Revolt of the Earls

Ralph de Gael- Earl of East Anglia
Roger de Breteuil- Earl of Hereford and
FitzOsbern
Waltheof- Earl of Northumberia, the on
rebel.
These three earls plotted together to ov
in 1075 and divide England into three. T
support of the Danes for this plan. The
unsuccessful and Ralph and Waltheof fle
Waltheof was tricked into returning and
Roger was imprisoned for life.

Timeline: 1066-88
25th December 1066: William is
crowned King of England.

1068: The revolt of Edwin and

Morcar
31st January 1069- Earl Robert
Cumin is killed in Durham.
February 1069- Uprisings in
Leads to more rebellions
York. Edgar joins uprising from
Scotland.
September 1069- Combined
Anglo-Danish force defeat
December 1069: William pays
 Key Topic 3: Norman England, 1066-88
Key area Content Revised
The feudal  The feudal hierarchy. The role and importance of
system and tenants-in-chief and knights. The nature of feudalism
the Church (landholding, homage, knight, service, labour service);
forfeiture.
 The Church of England: its role in society and
relationship to government, including the roles of
Stigand and Lanfranc. The Normanisation and reform
of the Church in the reign of William I.
 The extent of change to Anglo-Saxon society and the
economy.
Norman  Changes to the government after the Conquest.
government Centralised power and the limited use of earls under
William I. The role of regents.
 The office of sherriff and the demesne. Introduction
and significance of the ‘Forest’.
 Domesday Book and its significance for Norman
government and finance.
The Norman  The culture and language of the Norman aristocracy.
aristocracy  The career and significance of Bishop Odo.
William I and  Character and personality of William I and his
his sons relations with Robert. Robert and the revolt in
Normandy, 1077-80.
 William’s death and the disputed succession. William
Rufus and the defeat of Robert and Odo.

Key words for Norman England

Barony The lands held by a baron from the king.
Demense The land that the king or a tenant kept for his own use rather than granting
as a fief to an under-tenant. Different to the king’s forests.
Domesday Book A book that recorded the land holdings for the whole of England to decide
how much tax they should pay and who should fight.
Feudal system The system by which Norman society ran. This depended on the granting of
land for loyalty and military services, was another way for the king to
control the population.
Fief Land held by a vassal in return for service to the lord.
Forest An area of land that has rules regarding hunting and fines which people
have to pay to the king for breaking these rules.
Forfeiture If a land-user did not provide the service required of them, they could be
made to give up their land or pay a fine. This was the punishment for
breaking the relationship between the landholder and tenant.
Homage To demonstrate allegiance to another person publicly.
Knight Service The duty to provide a mounted knight to the king in exchange for a grant of
 land. The vassal had to ensure he had the right armour, weapons and
equipment to carry out their service.
Labour service Peasants would promise to work on their lord’s land and in return would be
given a small patch of land to farm.
Regent Someone appointed to act for a king or queen when they are underage,
unable to rule because of illness or out of the country.

The Feudal System

Because William had won the Battle of Hastings and conquered England, he was able to
claim that he owned all the land in England. He could then use this land to ensure loyalty.
This was done through the Feudal system. This was made up of the following:
o The King-He owned all the land
and chose who to award land
to based on their loyalty to
him. Once he distributed land
to Tenants-in-Chief they had to
hold a ceremony of homage to
William, whereby they swore
to be loyal to him and fight for
him in battle. They also agreed
to provide knights in battle.
o Tenants-in-Chief- These were
similar to the position of earls
and were made up of lords, bishops and barons. They gained land e.g. Kent
and in return would have to promise loyalty to the King and provide him with
knights.
o Under tenants (vassals)- these were knights or small land owners- similar to
thegns. They had to fight for their lord and in return they were given a small
amount of land. They had to take part in mandatory knights service- which
was 40 days a year fighting for the King, unpaid. Their tenant-in-chief would
provide correct equipment and weaponry.
o Peasants- they would receive a tiny amount of land and in return would have
to farm parts of the lords land. They would also have to supply food to the
lord. This was known as land service.

The introduction of the ‘forest’

Another way William had power of the population was through the introduction of forests.
These were pieces of land that William could take away from landowners (perhaps powerful
people who he sees as a threat) and turn them into forests. They were not necessarily
covered in trees, but it meant that the land was reserved for hunting and was protected by
law.
Forest laws were introduced to protect animals
that were best to hunt- so that whilst hunting
the King had something to catch. They also
stopped damage to the vegetation to ensure
that the animals had something to eat. Animals
such as deer and wild boar were protected. It
became an offense to carry a hunting weapon in
these areas and hunt these animals and there
were restrictions on cutting wood. This made
life difficult for peasants as they lost a food
source and were unable to get wood to burn to keep warm. Anybody caught breaking these
rules would have to pay large fines.

William’s plans for centralisation

When William conquered England, one of his main aims was to ensure that everyone was
loyal to him and that he had the most power. He did this by centralising his government.
Before this, there had been large regional divides and the King had relatively little control
over what happened in the different earldoms. William wanted to change this as he saw
this as a threat to his authority. He centralised power in a number of ways:
o Fiefs and homage- William owned all the land and people had to
pay homage to him to use this land. It could be taken away at any
time- meaning William held the power.
o The Church- The King took control of all church land and
had the right to appoint bishops. Lanfranc centralised power
in the church, giving archbishops more control over regular
bishops and parish priests.
o The Domesday Book- this was a document that stated what
land was owned by who and what taxes they should pay. William
could use this to his advantage.
o Royal demesne and forests- William directly controlled a lot more land than Edward
ever had. This brought him income and helped reduce the power of others.
 Structure of the church
Using the diagram below, can you think of how the church may have represented a threat to
William?

Tenants- in-chief e.g. Archbishop

of Canterbury.
William made it
so that all
bishops were
Vassals and knights
answerable to
archbishops.

Each village or
Peasants town would
have their own
parish priest.

Key people

Archbishop Stigand

Was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1052-1070 and was Anglo-Saxon. He

was a close ally of Earl Godwin, who insisted that Stigand be made
Archbishop against Edward’s wishes. Whilst he was Archbishop, Stigand
had little control over other bishops outside his area. Different parts of
the country did different things. This changed under Lanfranc and
William’s centralisation. Stigand was also a ‘pluralist’, he was a bishop in
two different areas: Canterbury and Winchester. The reason he did this
was that it allowed him more money. He was also accused of simony- te
practice of taking money in exchange for church jobs. Stigand fell out of
favour with William and was put into prison.
 Archbishop Lanfranc

Lanfranc was an Italian monk who had run William’s monastery of St. Stephens in
Normandy. He believed that the church and government should be totally separate
and that priests should not be allowed to get married. He wanted the church to
have a strict hierarchy: individual parish priests under the control of their bishops,
with one archbishop to be the leader of all the priests in one country and they should
be under the control of the Pope in Rome. Lanfranc passed a number of church
reforms whilst Archbishop of Canterbury. These included setting up church courts to
put bishops on trial which were separate from normal courts and the rebuilding of
cathedrals in strategically important places.

Bishop Odo

Odo was William’s half brother and in 1049 was made Bishop of Bayeux, even
though his reputation was very poor. He was a major supporter of William’s
invasion and as a result of this was rewarded with lots of land. He became the
second largest landowner in England after the King.

In 1067 he was made co-regent with William FitzOsbern whilst William was away.
During this time Odo destroyed many areas and seized land illegally. His actions
turned many people against the Normans. He was made to give up the land he
had stolen.

In 1079 he was sent to Northumbria following an attack from Scotland and laid
waste to the region, robbing peopled and pillaging cathedral treasures. In 1082,
Odo fell out of favour with William and was arrested.

Robert Curthose

Robert was William’s oldest son. William and Robert had a difficult
relationship and Robert led a rebellion against his father and they fought
each other in 1079. Despite this, they reconciled in 1080.

On William’s death, as the eldest son, Robert was set to inherit Normandy,
however, William wanted his favourite son- William Rufus to have England.
However, he left it up to them to decide who would rule England.

William Rufus

William Rufus was William’s favourite son. After his father’s death, William took a
letter from his father to Lanfranc claiming that he should be made King. Lanfranc
supported William’s claim and he was crowned King in September 1087.

Robert Curthose and Bishop Odo joined together in rebellion to William in 1088. This
was unsuccessful and Robert was not able to become King.