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2059305-233623Norman England Knowledge Organiser4000020000Norman England Knowledge OrganiserEngland before 1066Society: The population is organised into a hierarchy. The King was at the top with the Church and the Earls with the peasants at the bottom.Religion: Anglo-Saxons were all Catholics.Population: There were around 2 million people living in England.Defence: The King had around 2500-3000 housecarls who were professional soldiers.Wealth: England was a wealthy country and was a target for foreign invasion.Events of the Battle of HastingsThe battle started at 9am on 14th Oct 1066. The Anglo-Saxons are at the top of the hill & the Normans are at the bottom.The Normans used an old tactic known as the ‘feigned retreat’. William’s men surrounded Godwinson’s soldiers and repeatedly charged up the hill.By 4pm the Anglo-Saxon shield wall broke down and Godwinson was killed.Rebellions against the NormansRebellion of the Welsh border: Edric the Wild started a revolt with a number of English followers. William led his forces to meet the rebels in battle.Revolt of Eustace: led by King Edward’s brother-in-law. He quickly made peace with William.The south west & Exeter: The city of Exeter rebelled against William’s rule in 1068. The city held out for18 days and Exeter was forced to surrender.Rebellion of the Norman earls: 1075 William faced rebellion from his own earls. William’s regents Lanfranc & Odo dealt with rebellion. William had the rebels blinded and murdered.Rivals to the throneEdward the Confessor dies without leaving an heir. Four people have a claim to the throne:Edgar the Atheling: Blood relative of King EdwardHarald Hardrada: related to King Cnut who had run England from 1016-1035Harold Godwinson: related to Edward by marriage and was the most powerful man in England.William, Duke of Normandy: Distant cousin of Edward and claimed Edward had promised the throne to him.1504955461000Harrying of the NorthIn 1068, Edwin & Morcar with Edgar the Atheling fled William’s court and led a rebellion against the King. This rebellion was supported by the Danish. The Normans defeated the rebels and laid waste to the land around York burning and salting the fields and killing any living creature. 100,000 people were killed in this attack.Events before the Battle of Hastings Battle of Gate Fulford (20 Sept 1066)Hardrada and Tostig invade England with 7000 Viking soldiers. Edwin & Morcar are defeated trying to defend England from invasion.Battle of Stamford Bridge (25 Sept 1066)Godwinson marches north to face Hardrada & Tostig. Godwinson wins, but gets news that William has invaded on the southern coast of England. Castle BuildingPurpose of castles: large, imposing buildings built to intimidate, bully and run the local area.Motte & Bailey castles: quick and easy to build, made out of wood.Location of castles: built at important sites, lots built along the Welsh border, built on high ground, villages would be knocked down to make way for castles.Hereward the WakeHereward held a grudge against William and his Norman earls as they took land from his father and brother. The rebels set up a base at an Abbey on the Isle of Ely. William built a siege tower and brought in a local witch. Hereward was betrayed by the monks who told William about a secret route to get to Hereward. The rebels surrendered and Hereward disappeared. The Feudal SystemA hierarchy introduced by the Normans to control land ownership. The King gave land to barons who gave some to knights to then gave it to peasants.Norman VillagersImportant buildings: church at the centre of the village.Open field system: farmland divided into strips of land some is used for grazing animals some is used for growing crops.A Peasant’s Home: homes were cold, damp and dark with floors made of mud. They did everything in one room.Manors: the manor house was home to the Lord and was made of stone. Religious ReformCriticism of the church-a lot of priests had more than one church so could not do their job properly, jobs in the Church were often sold and given to friends & relatives, many of the clergy married, which went against the rules of the Catholic Church.Reforms Bishops were replaced by Normans, Normans began rebuilding churches & cathedrals. Parish priests did not experience much change under the Normans. The Norman Legal SystemThe King’s Court: dealt with the most serious offences e.g. murder.Shire Courts: Dealt with land issues, theft or violence.Hundred Courts: dealt with minor issues.Lord’s Courts: dealt with buying & selling of land.Constables: arrest people & break up fights.Watchmen: would raise the alarm if they saw a crime taking place.Hue & Cry: Everyone had to raise the alarm to a crime and then help find the suspect.Trial by Ordeal: trial by water, trial by fire & trial by combatA Peasant’s LifePeasants got up by sunrise and ate porridge for breakfast.They ate what they could grow.They would have a late evening meal which would be mostly vegetables with homemade cider or beer.Meat was rarely eaten.They paid taxes or rent to their landlord and tax to the Church.Relations between the Church and KingAll Norman kings appointed people from the royal household to key posts in the Church.William I: relations with Church were quite good.William II (Rufus): he was not a religious man and he took lots of money from the Church.Henry I: he stopped taking money from the Church and stopped priests from marrying.The Life of a MonkMonks had to take a vow (promise) of poverty, chastity, obedience and stability. Work done by monks-lived in isolation, produced their own food and materials, were devoted to prayer and worked with the sick and poor. Domesday BookPurpose: William faced the threat of invasion by the Vikings and wanted to know how much tax he could collect.Findings: Land in England was owned by about 250 people.Questions: how many animals, who holds the land, how many ploughs, how many villagers etc.Outcomes: in 1086 there were 2000 knights in England, 10,000 Norman settlers and the population was around 2 million.Norman Townstwo largest towns were London & WinchesterTowns included; houses & shops, churches and had a high street Role of the ChurchThe Church provided the following; guidance on how to live a good life and get to heaven, heard court cases, advised the king as part of the Witan, copied and produced books and helped the sick.Education in Norman EnglandNorman barons wanted their children educated to the highest possible standard. The Church provided grammar schools-children from the age of 10 attended these schools and stayed for four years. Children learned Latin grammar as well as how to speak and write the language. ................
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