Year 7: Autumn Revision Guide Section One: Society and background Anglo-Saxon Society and the role of the King The richest group of people in Anglo-Saxon society, apart from the king, were called the aristocracy, who formed about 1% of the country. They inherited their wealth and power from their parents. They helped the king to run society and keep control over the country. They got the poorest people to work on their land for them. The poorest people in Anglo-Saxon society were peasants. They rented small farms from the aristocracy where they worked for themselves and their families to produce food. They would be kicked off the land if they did not produce extra food and supplies for the aristocracy. Over 90% of the population were peasants. The king controlled the aristocracy by giving out rewards for loyalty. The king was very powerful because they led the army. He had the support of the aristocracy who provided men and weapons. The king could fight threats from abroad if necessary. Kings also had powerful because they could give rewards to their loyal followers. They could give out money and land to encourage other people to support them. This made them very powerful The king also made the law, helping to keep England stable and keep the peace between rival groups and forces. Anglo-Saxon kings were also very religious. They said that they were God’s representative on earth. This meant that people supported the king because they thought he was doing what God wanted. However, in some ways the power of the monarch was limited. Anglo- Saxon kings needed to rule the whole of England, but part of the country was under the control other Viking invaders. The legacy of Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor was king for twenty four years. The way he left the country (his legacy) has been debated. Edward the Confessor was a very religious man, and helped make sure that everybody in England was a devout (strong believer) in the Catholic faith. He was a very traditional ruler who wanted to maintain things the way they were and keep things being done in the same way. He achieved this for most of his reign. Edward was full of energy and travelled round his kingdom acting ruthlessly. He made sure that he got what he wanted done. His marriage was stable and helped ensure that the country remained settled during times of crisis. Edward was also responsible for building Westminster Abbey, a huge church, in 1065. However, Edward faced serious problems. He faced a threat from Earl Godwin who tried to invade the country. Although Edward managed to deal with the threat of the invasion, he was not able to stop the Godwin family becoming more powerful. Harold Godwin, Earl Godwin’s son, became Earl of Wessex – the most powerful member of the aristocracy in the country. This weakened Edward’s rule, as his army was controlled by Harold Godwinson. Edward was also forced to agree to pass the rule of the country onto Harold, because he and his wife Edith had not had any sons. Passing the throne onto Harold meant the country was more unstable, as many people believed that he was not the rightful king. Who should succeed Edward the Confessor? Harold Godwinson was present when King Edward died. He said that he should be king because he was the king’s brother-in-law (the King’s wife, Edith, was his sister). When Edward died he is reported to have said to Harold: ‘I commend this woman [Edith] with all the kingdom to your protection’. Harold took this to mean that he would be king. Harold had also been in control of the army under King Edward and had done a good job. Harold was influential among the aristocracy. Despite this, there were others who believed they should be king. Another strong claim to the throne came from Harald Hardrada the king of Norway. He was a Viking warrior who was feared across Europe. His nickname Hardrada meant ‘stern ruler’. His claim to the throne was based on secret deals and treaties – most importantly Hardrada believed he had a good chance of invading England successfully. Finally, William, Duke of Normandy believed that he should be king. Normandy was a small country in France. William of Normandy’s claim to the throne was based on an agreement between William and Edward the Confessor had made around 1051. William of Normandy managed to get the Pope’s backing for his decision which helped William increase his power, although there was no real evidence for his claim other than his own claims. No. Question Answer 1 Who were the aristocracy? 2 Where did the aristocracy get their wealth from? 3 What percentage of society were the peasants? 4 What power did kings have in Anglo-Saxon society? 5 Who did people believe the king represented? 6 How long was Edward the Confessor monarch for? 7 Why was Edward’s reign so stable? 8 What key problem did Edward face as king? 9 Who were the main contenders to succeed Edward? 10 Which of the contenders had the strongest claim to the throne? Section Two: The reign of King Harold King Harold’s early reign King Edward died on the 5th January 1066; the next day, as the old king was buried, Harold Godwinson was crowned King Harold. He moved quickly to ensure that he took his opportunity. The Witan met very quickly after Edward’s death (on the same day) and decided to elect Harold as king. The Witan wanted to make a quick decision so that Harold could defend England in case William invaded. When William of Normandy heard of the coronation he was very angry. Straight after his coronation, King Harold went to York in order to increase his support there – he wanted to keep the north of the country on his side. King Harold then gathered a huge army and positioned it along the south coast of England to defend the country against invasion. He also stationed a large fleet of ships along the south coast. The Battle of Gate Fulford Om 20th September 1066 Harald Hardrada launched an attack against King Harold. Harald Hardrada had around 200-300 warships carrying about 10,000 Vikings. The landed by the River Humber and marched to York. King Harold was ready for the attack, and asked the Earl of Northumbria and the Earl of Mercia to defend the country for him. They were position at a place called Gate Fulford. The brothers had decided on a battle to defend York. The Earl of Northumbria and the Earl of Mercia were badly defeated at the battle. This was because they were outnumbered; they had only 6000 troops compared to the Vikings who had about 10,000. Harald Hardrada’s troops were better fighters and used a clever strategy during the battle – he encouraged the English to attack, making them think that they were going to win, but then attacked from behind. When the English were attacked they tried to run away, but they were surrounded by swampy ground and got stuck trying to leave. The Norwegians said that they could walk across the marsh ‘without getting their boots muddy’ because there were so many dead bodies. The Battle of Stamford Bridge King Harold heard about the battle and decided to march his army north (about 185 miles), taking five days to get there. Leaving the south coast was a terrible decision, as it meant that William of Normandy could invade there. However, King Harold thought that it was too late in the year for William to try to invade. There was a strong wind that would stop William of Normandy from sailing from Normandy to England. King Harold also thought that William would not have been able to keep his army happy for so long. Harold arrived after five days in the north – this was an amazing to achievement to get there so fast. By taking his army north King Harold could launch a surprise attack at Stamford Bridge, on the 25th September 1066. King Harold won the Battle of Stamford Bridge on the 25th September 1066, only five days after his men had been defeated at the Battle of Gate Fulford. King Harold launched a surprise attack against Harald Hardrada and his men, which was a complete success. Harald Hardrada was killed along with many thousands of his men. Out of the over 200 Viking ships only 24 survived the battle. One of the reasons why the Viking army was so badly defeated was that although the Viking army had their weapons and shields with them, they had left their armour on their ships (as it was a very hot day). They also did not take all of their men with them – about a third were left on the ships – as they did not expect to be attacked. This was one of King Harold’s greatest success – the elements of surprise. It was likely that Harald Hardrada and his men did not even know that King Harold was in the area and ready to fight. Harald Hardrada’s men were also not properly prepared – Harald Hardrada’s men had fought a battle five days before and were not expecting to fight another; they had not had time to rest. Harold’s men had marched nearly 200 miles and fought a tough battle – some had been killed and even those that survived were worn out with minor wounds. Another consequence of the Battle of Stamford Bridge was the fact that King Edward’s two strongest leaders, the Earls of Northumbria and Merica, had been defeated after making bad mistakes at the Battle of Gate Fulford.