The Normans originally came from Scandinavia and were known as Vikings. They had been given land in northern France, which became known as Normandy. So, how did William the Conquerer become King of England?
Daily Happenings Documented
Amongst their ranks they had many scholars, writers and monks. Thus, when they invaded England, they were more able, than the Saxons, to write down accounts of daily happenings. Most of the information we have from this time is therefore from a Norman perspective. But, this historic information also played a vital role in moving the people on these islands from the Dark Ages into the enlightenment of the Middle Ages.
Who Was William?
William was the illegitimate son of Duke Robert of Normandy. He received the Duchy in 1035 when he was only 7 or 8 years old. Normandy was in a state of anarchy during William’s early years. This of course helped make him into a determined, ruthless soldier.
William said he had been promised the throne by Edward. And, apparently, Harold had made the same promise. This showed clearly that there was no unification of the English people. England was vulnerable. William decided to take advantage of this, and invaded England. The fight between the Normans and the English took place at Battle on the south coast. But it was Battle of Hastings that King Harold was killed. Some say he was stabbed in the eye.
William Became King
And so William became King of England. But as you can imagine, the English people were not very happy with their Norman king. They had no choice and no way of defeating him.
Cautiously William made his way to London where he announced he would be crowned in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day. No one was really sure how the people of England would respond to this coronation and so guards were posted at the Abbey doors.
During the ceremony, the crowd in the abbey cheered and the noise reverberated through the walls. The guards on the doors panicked as they thought William was in trouble. Hastily they set fire to all the houses around the square. This filled the inside of the Abbey with smoke. The hysterical crowds ran out and dispersed into the surrounding area.
William had no idea what had happened. He was so scared, that he was actually shaking when the Archbishop finally put the crown on his head.
What a start to a reign!
But William was a harsh ruler and a historian of the day wrote, “devils had come through the land with fire and sword!”
His armies marched up and down the land, and fought battles in every district. Interestingly he did abolish the death penalty. Instead his new law stated that the eyes of the convicted criminals (of any crime) had to be gouged out, even though they were being hanged or executed.
Census & Building
The country’s first census was commissioned by William in the form of the Domesday Book of 1086. It was a record of the land and all the manors in England (and who held them). The Book also included buildings and the amount of people who would pay taxes (rich and poor). It was a complete account of all he owned in his new Kingdom. But, he never actually read his Domesday Book. William couldn’t actually read.
His men started building the Tower of London to defend the capital city of London. This large fortress was a warning. It reminded those who thought they may try to overthrow him or who did not accept him as their king.
The Normans were generally great builders. Soon the country was getting used to seeing Norman towers, castles, fortresses and cathedrals in their towns, villages and across the valleys. These amazing buildings, often in the Romanesque style, were enriched with detailed carvings and impressive stained glass windows.
One of their main focuses during this oppressive time was to keep learning alive. Thus a lot of energy was put into building monasteries, schools and universities.
Feudal System
The Normans introduced the feudal system into the English countryside. William sat at the top of the hierarchy, and automatically appointed himself as landowner. He then removed the English nobles who had survived the Battle of Hastings and stripped them of their titles. Their manors and estates were distributed amongst his Norman supporters.
In their places, William appointed The King’s tenants-in-chief. In return for the land they received from the King, they provided a military service to William. They had to fight for him and were therefore given a prescribed number of knights.
Under the tenants-in-chief were the sub-tenants. The peasants were, of course, at the bottom of the pile. They were to work for the lord of the manor for free. But, in return were given a piece of land on which they could farm during their free time. If this land produced enough to make the peasants some money, they paid taxes to the lord. Each lord had their own laws, rules and decisions. There was no common law. The lord often had his own court, his own sheriff (who was often a lord himself). And only his local law was adhered to. This often led to many unjust decisions and a sense of anarchy prevailed, which is essentially the environment that William himself came from.
Did you know England has a pope?
