From King Alfred’s death to the Norman Conquest

What happened after king Alfred’s death?

King Alfred (Saxon, king of Wessex) died in 899 and was succeeded by his son, Edward 1^st the Elder, who maintained the Danish settlers under his control and extended his kingdom to nearly all of England south of the Humber river.

His son Athelstan continued his father’s plan, submitting the lands beyond the Humber. After Athelstan there were many Saxons kings, but from 1017 to 1042 the Danes regained the country with three Danish kings: Cnut and his two sons, Harald 1^st and Hardicanute. By 1042 both of Cnut’s sons had died without successors, so Edward was called back from Normandy by the Witan (the king’s council) and made king, thus ending Danish rule in England.

Edward had lived in Normandy during the Danish domination and his Norman followers introduced Norman habits, and French language, into the English Court. Edward was monkish (was later called the Confessor) and without political ambition. He left no son and, at his death, Harold (Saxon of the Wessex line), was chosen by the Witan as his successor.

But there were other claimants to the throne: 1) William, duke of Normandy (on the basis of a promise made by the late king); 2) Harald Hardrade king of Norway.

Harald Hardrade was defeated by Harold in a bloody battle at Stamford Bridge.

Afterwards, William decided to attack Harold of Wessex near Hastings and defeated him in a long and tiring battle where Harold, though he was a sturdy leader and he was supported and fostered by English people, was mortally wounded by an arrow. Harold’s death (The leader’s death) disheartened his soldiers and this event put an end to the battle.

We have to underline that William managed to win, thanks to his mounted warriors, archers and military strategy.

All these events are faithfully reproduced in an embroidery (ricamo) known as the Bayeux Tapestry.

What is the Bayeux Tapestry?

The Bayeux tapestry is not really a tapestry at all, but a medieval embroidery about 70 metres long and 49 cm wide, depicting the Norman Conquest o

f England and the events leading up to it. The work constitutes the most vivid record of the garments, food, boats, castles, fortresses, armaments and, in general, of the life and manners of the 11^th century.

What were the origins of the king of Normandy?

First of all we have to remember that the Normans were Vikings, they were warriors, seafaring pirates coming from Scandinavia and for a long time they took part in raiding expeditions in Europe.

In 814 A.D. Charlemagne died and the Carolingian Empire decayed and fell into three parts, France was the western land.

In France many monasteries and abbeys were regularly sacked, the monks were forced to abandon them, the fear of the Vikings spread everywhere, they were so violent and cruel that it seemed impossible to defeat them, so the king of France decided to make an agreement with them in 911 A.D.

Firstly, the king of France gave the Vikings, whose king was Rollo, the feud of Normandy, in change they had to protect the king of France against his enemies.

Secondly, the Vikings had to convert to Christianity and they had to rebuild the monasteries they had previously destroyed. This led to a political (and very useful) alliance with the Church, since it had an enormous power.

That’s why the Normans settled in France establishing, in the course of time, closer ties with the western Europe culture.

Who was William the Conqueror?

William was born in 1028 in the city of Falaise, which was part of the duchy of Normandy. He was the illegitimate child of Robert, Duke of Normandy, and the daughter of a local farmer.

His parents weren’t married, making William an illegitimate child, that’s why he was named William the bastard. When he was 7, his father went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but he died on his return trip. So Robert’s duchy passed to William who was crowned Duke of Normandy in 1035, but many people challenged his right to rule. So in the next few years, William had to face and put down the riots led by his political enemies.

William defeated them and, by 1060, managed to have the control of Normandy, moreover, to widen his political power in the duchy of Flanders, he married Matilda of Flanders.

In 1066 he decided to take the chance to invade Britain, he defeated Harold and was crowned king of England.

Though he was so successful, he spent several years to suppress Anglo-Saxon revolts and only gradually he managed to impose his authority on Britain.

Why did William invade Britain?

1) Britain was a rich country thanks to an efficient, satisfactory administrative apparatus that made everybody pay the taxes (there was no tax evasion!!!)

2) Britain was a larger country than Normandy.

3) Britain was situated in an attractive position.

Did William conquer England easily?

No, William worked simultaneously on two fronts.

On one hand he had to hold out against many enemies: first of all the Anglo-Saxons; secondly, the barons who continuously plotted to overthrow his rule. In order to polish off all these conspiracies, William ordered that much of the countryside be destroyed. His soldiers burnt farms, destroyed food and killed livestock (bestiame) throughout the country. This campaign, which was a real slaughter, came to be known as the “Harrying of the North” (Il saccheggio del Nord) causing the death of at least 100.000 people.

On the other hand, William set up a propaganda according to which England was a backward country, the religious beliefs were savage, the Old English was a primitive language and the Normans had the duty to save Britain from barbarity.

What did William leave to Britain?

The most important things were: the Feudalism, the Domesday Book, the Gothic cathedrals and the Castles.

Feudalism began with William the Conqueror who, considering all land his own property, began making grants to his chief supporters in return for military service. These so called “tenants in chief” passed the land to subtenants in return for other services, this gave rise to a pyramid-like social structure in which everyman was bound to an overlord and finally to the king. It is important to remember that the land was not “owned”, but it was “held” in return for services rendered.

Domesday Book

In order to acquire a knowledge of his dominions for both military and fiscal purposes, William carried out a survey: he sent commissioners throughout England to record every piece of land, every house, every person or animal of each manor,

town, shire in England. This survey was called Domesday Book (Day of Judgement, in future it became the final authority for disputes over property of land).

Cathedrals

In medieval times the whole life of each individual was guided by the rules of the Church, the center of village life was the small parish church, while the center of town life was the cathedral, that’s why the cathedrals were built only in towns of a certain significance. The Anglo-Normans built their cathedrals in the Gothic style, that they had adopted from France. The first great cathedrals in England were those of Durham (1093) and Ely (1081).

Castles

Anglo-Norman castles were fortified buildings, as well as private residences and fortresses, built around the Keep (the square, rectangular or round tower which was the focal point of the castle). The keep contained a well, private apartments and of course all the defensive means of the time to sustain even a long siege. (e.g. The Tower of London)

The castles were built everywhere in England, in fact in this way the king and the great nobles could hold whole districts under subjection. So the castles played an important role in English political struggle.