William I Following his coronation on 25 December 1066, William discovered that presiding over a duchy was a world away from ruling a kingdom. Defeating Harold at Hastings and taking the capital should have cemented his position, but William’s arrival was more than just the ascension of a new king – it was the end of the Anglo-Saxon era. William was careful not to upend the social equilibrium of England’s nobility, but a backlash was inevitable. William fought to contain a series of revolts in Dover, Exeter, Hereford, Nottingham, Durham and York, but it was the revolt led by Edgar the Atheling that was the most severe – not only in its potential threat, but also for how aggressively William dealt with it. The revolt centred on Edgar the Atheling, the only remaining individual with a legitimate claim to William’s seat of power. And when Sweyn II, King of Denmark, offered his support in 1070, the Norman grip on the north was broken. The region began to destabilise with revolts and civil unrest, and Edgar and Sweyn’s forces soon took the key stronghold of York. William immediately marched from Nottingham with his own forces to settle the rebellion, but by the time he got there the revolt had all but dissolved. Edgar fled to Scotland and Sweyn left suitably paid off by the king. However, William was far from a mood to grant clemency. He and his troops scoured the land from York to the borders of Scotland in Northumbria. So severe was the devastation that William enacted on the north that the Domesday Book (which was conducted in 1086) revealed that around 100,000 people died from starvation alone following William’s ‘harrowing’. Considering the census revealed the population to be 2.5 million, such a figure shows just how far the new king would go to burn his legacy into England’s history books.
The Harrowing of the North, as it came to be known, was just one of the many conflicts William had to deal with throughout his 21-year reign. He was continually dealing with issues with his neighbours (such as his clashes with the king of Scotland in 1072), rebellions among his own gentry (namely the Revolt of the Earls in 1075) and even quarrels with his own children. Between his native duties as Duke of Normandy, and as King of England, William was forced to solidify his legacy with political marriages, truces and military force. By the time of his death on 9 September 1087, William had maintained his authority over both Normandy and England for over two decades. He built over 50 castles and fortifications during his reign, determined not only to remind the people of the land who their monarch was, but to protect the nation from the very act he’d taken the throne with. While his acts of domestic growth and merciless violence have been largely overshadowed by his invasion, the man himself remains a defining figure on those storied pages.
Even though King Harold’s forces had defeated one invasion and marched hundreds of miles from Newcastle to the south, they still fought valiantly in the face of William’s superior cavalry and archers
Defining moment
The Battle of Hastings 14 October 1066
Prior to the main battles with the invading Normans, King Harold had already exhausted his military forces defeating another invading force led by Norwegian monarch Harold Hardrada at Stamford Bridge. Interestingly, King Harold knew that William was coming before Hardrada’s Scandinavian force arrived, however, the Norman forces remained moored off the coast for almost seven months before disembarking. Accounts relating to the size both forces differ greatly, but it’s assumed they were leading armies of between 7,000 and 10,000 men. William’s forces are ultimately successful, using the considerable number of cavalrymen and archers to wear down the English contingent. King Harold died on the battlefield after taking an arrow to the eye.
The Domesday Book
In the years that followed the taking of the English crown, it became clear that official records relating to population and landholding were nearly nonexistent. Almost 19 years after his invasion, while spending Christmas in Gloucester with his advisors, William decided a census was needed. It seems likely it was planned as a way to determine how to restructure taxes across the nation. The Domesday Book (or The Great Survey as it was known then) was split into two documents; the ‘Little Domesday’ (which covered Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk) and the ‘Great Domesday’ (a larger document that covered the rest of the country). Interestingly, these documents did not cover the entire nation. This was for many reasons – for example, Westmorland and Cumberland were absent as both formed part of the Kingdom of Strathclyde until they were conquered by his son, William II, in 1092. Elsewhere, London and Winchester were left out because of their special tax status, while the County of Durham was omitted because the Bishop of Durham held ecclesiastical rights to tax that county.
Defining moment
l The Great Survey In order to determine the true worth of his William had defeated or outlived most of the legitimate English kingdom (and claimants to the English throne, but one still remained. to unravel the holdings and lands of his earls) Edgar the Atheling had a great deal of support in the north William commissioned a of England and when Sweyn II of Denmark landed in 1069, countrywide consensus. Edgar’s claim became a real threat. In 1070, he paid the While not every part of Danes to leave and began to attack the land around Edgar’s the nation was covered, supporters. Over the next few months he destroyed it still serves as the livestock and farmland, and killed (according to reports) most detailed record thousands of men, women and children. William’s aim from the Middle Ages. was to ensure they would never, ever revolt again. 1086
Harrowing of the North 1070
1087 l William takes London l Crowning a new king Despite defeating the king and With most of Harold’s the remainder of his standing supporters either dead army, England was far from or in flight, William was won. Earls and lords loyal to the crowned King William I of English king barred William’s England. One of his first entry into Winchester and actions was to reaffirm London but the Norman usurper the titles and lands of soon overwhelmed them and many earls but strip those took control of the royal treasury. of Harold’s supporters. October-November 1066 25 December 1066
l Returning to Normandy l Hereward the Wake After his coronation, William Despite promising to leave returned to Normandy to England for good, Sweyn II of ensure his lands were intact. Denmark returned a few months While there, he had a number later and joined the growing of new monasteries built. uprising led by northern theign He also met with most of his Hereward the Wake. William nobles and earls, all of whom forced Sweyn to leave yet again were eager to learn of possible and soon brought this, the last of new wealth and holdings. the northern revolts, to an end. 1067 1070
Death of a king l Despite the relative military success of his reign, his final days were remarkably uneventful. While on a military expedition against France, William either fell from his horse or became ill and died soon after. 9 September 1087
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