The Domesday Book

One of the most renowned consequences of the Norman Conquest is the Domesday Book.  It was commissioned by William I as a comprehensive record of landownership under his rule.  Written in Latin, it is 913 pages long and mentions 268984 people – definitely no mean feat!  Unfortunately the Domesday Book was never completed, the project being abandoned when King Rufus ascended the throne in 1087.  As such, it does not cover all of the cities in England at that time, most notably excluding London, Durham and Winchester.  

Interestingly, the village which I live in is recorded in the Domesday Book (a fact which is probably much more exciting for me than anyone reading my blog!).

The Domesday Book was originally divided into two books:

-          The Great Domesday

o   larger in size

o   completed by one scribe and one assistant

-          The Little Domesday

o   smaller in size

o   contains more information than the Great Domesday book

o   it covers Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk

o   compiled at Winchester

The books were compiled by commissioners who were sent to every shire in the country.  They recorded the number of tenants on the land, the livestock and the land ownership records.  England during this period was centred on a Feudal System which meant that in return for land, landowners had to pay taxes to the King and perform military duties when called upon.  The Domesday Book provides a useful insight into the structure of society following the Norman Invasion, recording the Villani (the upper class peasantry), Bordars (small land owners), tradesmen and the Servi (who owned no property and mostly worked on the land or were servants).

A useful handout on the School History website could be helped to teach this concept, as it provides a helpful diagram, questions to work through and detailed explanation of the feudal system: http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/year7links/1066/FeudalSystem.pdf

But why did William feel that the Domesday Book was necessary?

As the Domesday Book aimed to record all of the landowners in the country, stating who had owned it before 1066, who owned it in 1086 and how this came to pass, the Domesday Book was intended to settle local disputes between land ownership (especially following all the land seizures following 1066).  It also created revenue for the King as it recorded who should pay revenue and taxes.

William in Power

It is important to emphasise that William’s victory at the Battle of Hastings was by no means a foregone conclusion.   William needed to secure his position in order to prevent a revolt against him.  Following his success at Hastings, William’s troops rode around London to Berkhamsted in a campaign intended to terrorise the English, forcing them into submission and accepting him as the new King.

William’s coronation on 25^th December 1066 at Westminster Abbey, however, proved to be somewhat of a fiasco.  The ceremony was conducted in both French and English, and after having sworn the oath, the crowd were asked if they would accept William as their King.  The French soldiers mistook their shouts of acceptance for the beginnings of a riot and by consequence burnt down some of the houses which surrounded the Abbey.  Nonetheless, ‘trembling from head to foot’ William finished the ceremony.  With the majority of the congregation having already left in panic, this event illustrates the ease with which the tense relations between the French and English were able to easily escalate: William’s position as King as by no means secure.

Despite this, William returned to Normandy in March 1067, leaving Bishop Odo of Bayeux his half-brother, acting as Regent and the Earl of Kent.  Alongside William fitzOsbern, Odo erected numerous Motte and Bailey Castles so as to emphasise the Norman presence within the landscape.   Many Norman soldiers stayed in England following the invasion and began to take the places of the English nobility, further reinforcing the strength of William’s new regime.  The BBC website gives detailed examples of Anglo-Saxon land owners whose daughters married Norman nobles so in the hope of preventing the seizure of their lands, suggesting acceptance of the Norman elite within English society.

For the first three years of William’s rule, uprisings were confined to small local areas.  In 1068 Earl Edwin and Earl Morkere attempted to rise up against William, but were forced to surrender at Nottingham and similarly, Edgar of Æthling who was Edward the Confessor’s nephew and around whom much rebellious talk arose, fled to Scotland and stayed there under the protection of Malcolm III.  

The Harrying of the North (1069)

It was not until 1069 in Northumbria that the first wide scale uprising against the Norman regime was witnessed.  The Northumbrians attacked Durham Castle, murdering Earl Robert.  Joined by Earl Gospatric and Edgar of Æthling, who had returned from Scotland  and was proclaimed to be their rightful King, they continued on to York.  William met them there and temporarily quelled the revolt, building castles at Nottingham and Warwick on the journey.  Yet on September 20^th with support from King Swein of Denmark, who held his own ambitions for the English throne, York was recaptured by the Northumbrian rebels.  William’s response was to terrorise the lands surrounding York and Durham, burning crops and homes which caused mass famine and death.  Even in the Domesday Book which was produced some eighteen years later, the area was described as wasta meaning that it was uninhabited.  This Norman brutality became known as the Harrying of the North and illustrates the extent to which violence aided William’s consolidation of power.

Peterborough and Ely (1070)

The next major opposition to William came the following year from the Fenlands in East Anglia where the monasteries of Peterborough and Ely were held as centres of Anglo-Saxon strength.  Hereward, a thegn, had returned to England to find that his brother and father had been murdered.  Wanting revenge, he joined forces with the Danish and sacked the monastery at Peterborough so as to prevent the Norman Abbot Thorold from possessing the treasures there.

Hereward then travelled to Ely where he was joined by Earl Morkere in one ‘last ditch attempt’ at resistance against William.  The Normans blockaded Ely, however, entering the Abbey through a secret cause way, and ultimately proved successful in the conflict.  Whilst Morkere was imprisoned, Hereward was appeased, having his lands returned to him.

Scotland and the Church

William then met with Malcolm III of Scotland, agreeing in the ‘Peace of Abernethy’ that Scotland would no longer provide protection for those who opposed William.  This helped to strengthening his position as it illuminated the possibility of enemies harbouring together north of the border and planning further attacks. 

The replacement of a third of the English Bishops with Normans (Lanfranc of Bec replacing Stigand as the Archbishop of Canterbury and Thomas of Bayeux being appointed the Bishop of York) further helped William to secure his position.  Starkey argues that the erection of new Norman Churches throughout the land acted as a form of architectural propaganda – their immense size providing ‘visible proof that God was on William’s side’.

Evidently, William’s conquest of England was by no means the easy transition which many scholars assume and was certainly not ensured simply by his victory at the Battle of Hastings.  It was rather the result of numerous efforts of consolidation, encompassing religion, culture and customs which ensured William’s place as one of the most famous Kings of England.

I think that this would be quite a complex topic to teach as the names of the different battles and rivals to William are quite numerous.  One possible solution would perhaps to set the class to write an account, either in support of or in opposition to William, in which they could include their plans for each battle; for example, charting plans to challenge William from Hereward’s point of view.

The Battle of Stamford Bridge and The Battle of Hastings

The Battle of Stamford Bridge

20^th September 1066:

Following the death of Edward I, Starkey describes how Harold Godwinson had received an indication of William of Normandy’s intention to invade and so stationed himself on the Isle of Wight so as to follow his developments.  Meanwhile, Harald Hardrada set sail for England and an armada of 300 ships.  He landed at Tyne where he met Tostig, the King’s estranged brother.  Together, they sailed up the River Ouse and were heading to York when they were intercepted by Edwin and Morcar, Harold’s Earls.  Whilst both sides suffered heavily as a result of the battle which ensued, Harald defeated Edwin and Morcar and continued on to York.

25^th September 1066:

After receiving news of Hardrada intentions, King Harold marched his army from London to York in order to confront the Viking.  They had travelled 180 miles in four days and were understandably tired by the time they arrived.  Harold confronted the Viking Army at Stamford Bridge, a little North of York, catching his army in surprise.  Harold apparently offered Tostig his Earldom back if he changed sides to join the Anglo-Saxons, but Tostig refused and alongside Hardrada, fell during the conflict which is now known as the Battle of Stamford Bridge.  An interesting legend which would undoubtedly prove interesting to the class is the story of the single Viking axeman who was said to have single-handedly defended the bridge until an English soldier paddled beneath and ‘thrust a spear up through the wooden slats’, ‘pierc[ing] him terribly inward under the coat of mail’.  The English were the ultimate victors with only 25 of the Vikings ships returning to Norway.  Starkey is careful to emphasise the cost of the Battle for the English, however, and I think this is an important point.  Although he describes it as the ‘most total, complete victory’ of the English over the Vikings, it arguably had a profound impact upon the following Battle of Hastings, for William set sail for England and landed at Pevensey on the 28^th September a built a wood-stockade castle, just three days after Harold’s first battle.

The Battle of Hastings

14^th October 1066:

Harold had aimed to catch William unawares as he had done with Hardrada, but William received warning of the attack on the 13^th October.  The English Army, comprised of 5000 men on foot armed with axes and spears, based themselves on the top of the hill.  They initially experienced success during the Battle, using the Shield Wall method as a strategic means of defence, holding all of their shields together.  As it appeared that the Normans were retreating, the Anglo-Saxons followed them down the hill, but were then hit with a counter attack from the Norman Cavalry.  Rumours that William had been mortally wounded spread around the field, thus he took off his helmet to prove to his soldiers that he was still fighting.  Following this, Harold was apparently wounded by an arrow to the eye and was then cut down by four Norman Knights, resulting in William’s victory.  William’s coronation was held on 25^th December 1066 at Westminster Abbey.

The Bayeux Tapestry – teaching the Battle of Hastings

These last two events of the Battle of Hastings are extremely well known scenes of the Bayeux Tapestry – a renowned piece of artistic political propaganda  which has been used throughout history as a source for the events of the Battle of Hastings and the events which led up to it.  Whilst the Bayeux Tapestry is a vital source for study of these events, it also provides an example to students of how history is often presented from biased perspectives, having been commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William’s half-brother.  This would introduce the importance of pictorial sources in the study of past events, whilst also introducing the importance of critical study.

After teaching the events of The Battle of Hastings, I think it would be interesting to give the students copies of key scenes of the tapestry to identify and match up to the events discussed.  Examples could be the different types of weaponry used by the Normans and Anglo-Saxons, the death of Harold, the appearance of Halley’s Comet in the sky as an evil omen upon Harold’s coronation, and the oath made to William in 1064.

Key points about the Tapestry:

-          The original tapestry is displayed in Bayeux, but was most probably created in Winchester by a group of English Craftswomen following William’s success. 

-          Whilst it is called a tapestry, it is in fact a hand-stitched Embroidery made of woollen yarn on linen.

-          It is over 70 metres long, half a metre wide and is incomplete.

-          The work was designed to fulfil an both an educational and decorative role and evokes in the viewer the full intensity of the invasion through its panoramic feel.

-          The direction of the figures dictate the direction in which the events should be read.

-          The protagonists are often named and appear in the same clothes throughout the tapestry.

-          Odo, as the patron, is portrayed as having a more significant role in the Battle of Hastings than other contemporary sources reveal, suggesting the biased nature of the source.

-          Depictions of the preparations for invasion are also illustrated, showing methods of ship-making and the loading of the boats.

   

Useful links

1.       http://www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk/bayeux5.htm

On this website, you can scroll through each section of the tapestry, viewing specific sections alongside detailed descriptions of the events depicted. 

2.       http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/normans/bayeux_tapestry_gallery.shtml

The BBC website also provides useful photographs of aspects of the tapestry and assess the validity and reliability of the Tapestry as a historical source.

Three Claimants to the Throne

As I explored in my last post, Edward’s death in January 1066 left three individuals in contention for the throne: William of Normandy, Harold Godwinson and Harald Hardrada.  Each had their own arguments for why they should be the next King of England, not least because Edward had supposedly promised the crown to more than one heir. 

William of Normandy

-          William of Normandy was also known as William the Bastard due to his illegitimate lineage, born in 1027 to Robert of Normandy and his mistress Herleva.

-          William claimed that Harold Godwinson had been sent by Edward to promise him the throne in 1064.  The Bayeux Tapestry depicts Harold swearing the oath over religious relics, therefore representing Harold as breaking a sacred oath. 

-          Whilst this is depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry, it is important to emphasise that the tapestry is a piece of artistic political propaganda which, produced following William’s victory at the Battle of Hastings, intended to portray him as the rightful and just heir to the English throne. 

-          Furthering his strength of claim, the Pope agreed to support William’s campaign.

-          As a relation to Edward (they were distant cousins), William felt his claim was legitimate.

Harold Godwinson

-          Harold Godwinson was the brother of Edward’s wife Edith and an extremely influential political figure. 

-          He was the Earl of Wessex and thus had significant influence amongst the nobility. 

-          Harold was crowned King of England on the 6^th January 1066 by the Witan, who viewed him as the natural heir to Edward, having been his close advisor.

-          Anglo-Saxon sources state that Edward bequeathed Harold the throne upon his death-bed, although the evidence for this is weak.

Harald Hardrada

-          Harald Hardrada was the King of Norway. 

-          In 1064, he defeated King Swein of Denmark at the Battle of Nissa, proving his power and blood-lust. 

-          As the heir of King Cnut, Hardrada saw the opportunity to attack England and reclaim the throne following the death of Edward I. 

-          Hardrada was persuaded to invade England by Tostig, Harold Godwinson’s estranged brother.   

This would be a great opportunity in which to involve the whole class in an activity.  I think that it would be interesting to create an ‘Apprentice’ style debate in the classroom in which three pupils, each representing a different claimant, state the case for why they should be the next King of England.  The class could then vote to decide who they think should prevail based on the reasons they provide and then discover whether history did, in fact, follow this course. 

Edward the Confessor

The topic of today’s post is going to be Edward the Confessor and the lead up to 1066.  This period marks a huge turning point in the history of Britain and sets the scene for study of the Norman period and Medieval England.  I am going to begin by using the BBC’s History website which has a wealth of information concerning British history, providing useful links and images to accompany the text, and David Starkey’s The Monarchy of England.

Edward the Confessor was one of the most famous of Anglo-Saxon Kings, and ascended to the throne in 1042 following the death of King Hardicanute.  I am most familiar with him as the founder of Westminster Abbey (although the building which we are now familiar with was begun in 1245).  Hardicanute was the son of King Cnut, both of whom were Kings of Denmark.  King Cnut was a Viking who invaded England in 1016 and claimed the English throne from King Æthelred.  In order to secure his position, Cnut married King Æthelred’s widow, Emma, murdering much of the family and leaving Edward, Æthelred’s son, to flee to Normandy for protection.  Richard II, the Duke of Normandy, where Edward stayed, was Emma’s brother and William I’s father, illustrating the early formation of the connections which led to the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Following the death of Hardicanut, his half brother, Edward I returned to England to claim the throne.  In order to secure his position as King, he married Edith Godwine – a supposedly unhappy marriage in which at one point when the Godwines had fallen from favour, Edward stripped his wife of her lands and sent her to a nunnery.  The Godwines were an extremely powerful family of the nobility and held great influence in England at this time.  Because of this, it was important for Edward to have the support of the Godwines, hence the initial reason for the marriage.  As a side note, one fact which I was unaware of is that Edward received the title of ‘Confessor’ as a result of his inability to produce an heir.  Later priests and chroniclers accepted this as evidence of his voluntary celibacy, although this is widely debated, and canonised him.

Tensions between Edward and the Godwines persisted throughout the period.  Brothers Tostig and Harold Godwinson became bitter rivals.  On his death bed, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recorded that in the presence of Edith, Edward said to Harold, ‘I commend this woman and all of England to your protection’ – a statement which Anglo-Saxon recorders felt was tantamount to the naming of an heir.  Edward died on 5^th of January and was buried in Westminster Abbey the following day.  His death, however, had left England without a King and with uncertainties remaining as to who was to be his heir, three claimants arose.  This will be the topic of my next post.

First post!

Hi everyone!  Welcome to my blog.  My name is Emily and I am starting the PGCE in Secondary History 2011/2012 at The University of Leicester. 

I thought I’d use this first post to give a little information about myself and why I’ve decided to take on this (somewhat scary looking!) course.  I’m just finishing an MA in Humanities and Art History at the moment after graduating last year with a BA in History of Art, both also taken at the University of Leicester.  One of the main things which I learnt from my degree was that through art and other primary sources, we can gain vast amounts of information about past cultures and societies.  I want to prove how history is not just a ‘boring pile of facts’ or a list of dates which need to be memorised, but can become almost tangible to students if taught in enthusiastic and imaginative ways.  Some of my most influential teachers viewed history in this way and they managed to excite in me a passion for history which I hope to pass on to my own students.

I am hoping to use my blog to build up my subject knowledge over the Summer and build ideas of how to teach certain subjects during my placements.  The areas which I aim to cover in preparation for the PGCE are primarily Medieval and Norman England, and Soviet Russia.  Wish me luck!