William the Conqueror's Royal Powers (Edexcel GCSE History)

How did William's Royal Powers Compare to Anglo-Saxon Kings? - Summary

William the Conqueror's Military Strength

• William proved his ability as a military leader

  • He defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings

  • He suppressed multiple rebellions from 1068 to 1075

• Anglo-Saxons respected a warrior king

  • Edward the Confessor's lack of military ability limited his power as king

  • Many Anglo-Saxons joined William's military forces to defeat Anglo-Saxon rebels

• William's ability to win battles showed that he deserved to rule England

  • Anglo-Saxons believed that, if a person had luck, it meant that God was on their side

    • William showed he had good luck at the Battle of Hastings

  • William possessed the necessary skill and ruthlessness to keep control of England

William the Conqueror and Legitimacy

• Some Anglo-Saxons did not consider William as the legitimate King of England

  • Edgar Aethling had a claim to the throne due to being a blood relative of Edward the Confessor

    • Edgar caused uprisings to attempt to claim the English throne

How did William enforce his legitimacy?

A concept map showing how William proved his legitimacy as King of England during his reign

William the Conqueror and Royal Ceremonies

• To become king, William had a coronation. His coronation involved:

  • Promising to protect the Church, Edward the Confessor's laws and a fair legal system

  • Receiving the crown

  • Being anointed with oil by the Church

• William believed royal ceremonies were important to his rule

  • The people needed to see him wearing the crown to accept him as king

  • He wanted to show his enemies the power he had over England

• William created royal ceremonies

  • He began the custom of attending three public ceremonies in his crown. These ceremonies:

    • Took place over important Christian celebrations like Easter and Christmas

      • This demonstrated that he was as pious as Edward was as king

    • Involved William meeting with his lords

      • He retained the Anglo-Saxon term 'Witan' for these people

    • Were held across the country

      • William chose important cities like Winchester and Gloucester

    • Continued even during times of unrest

      • William held one meeting in York in December 1069 after Edgar Aethling's uprising

Coinage and Writs in Norman England

• William retained the powers that Edward had established in coinage

  • William minted all the coins of England

• William embraced the concept of writs

  • Normandy did not use writs

    • William found writs a useful method to maintain control of England

• Coins and royal seals showed an image of William

  • This helped to reinforce his legitimacy as king

A drawing of the Great Seal of William the Conqueror (c1067). The image on the left shows William sitting on the throne. The image on the right shows a Norman knight on horseback

William the Conqueror's Journeys Across England

• Norman England was very different to twenty-first century England

  • Many people never left their town or village

    • There were very few forms of transport in the eleventh century

    • Regions of England had distinct identities, accents and dialects from their ancestors

  • News and information took a long time to spread

    • There were no newspapers

    • Very few people could read or write

• William believed that his reign relied upon his movement around England

  • People in each region of England needed to see King William because:

    • It would increase how many people accepted William as king

    • It would reinforce William's power and deter rebellions

  • William stayed with important local officials and lords during his journeys

    • This strengthened the bond of loyalty between him and his supporters

• Seeing the king was an exciting event

  • People only feared meeting William if:

    • They were not supportive of the king

    • William's forces were there to suppress a rebellion

The Power of Land in Norman England

• Landholding gave William important power over his subjects

  • William owned all the land in England

  • William chose who to give or take away land from

  • William made decisions on land disputes

    • The creation of the Domesday Book helped William to determine who could claim certain areas of land

• William took land away from:

  • Rebels

  • Landholders who had no heirs

  • People who refused to pay William for the use of the land

• William gave land to:

  • Loyal supporters

  • Those who paid inheritance tax or money to redeem the land

• William created a chain of command on landholding

  • This increased his royal power

    • He could ensure loyalty from his tenants-in-chief

    • He could reward or punish subjects who acted against his will with land tenure

The chain of command of landholding in Norman England

William the Conqueror and Oath-taking

• Oath-taking was fundamental to eleventh-century society

  • People took oaths on their lives or in the belief that God observed the oath

    • As a result, oath-breaking was one of the worst sins a person could commit in Norman England

• William held oath-taking ceremonies

  • All men attended and promised to remain loyal to William

• Oath-taking ceremonies were important in times of national emergency

  • In 1086, William believed that a large Viking invasion was incoming

  • William demanded the attendance of every landholder to an oath ceremony in Salisbury

    • Historians suggest that hundreds, if not thousands, of men swore oaths of loyalty to William

The ways that William maintained control of England

A concept map showing the areas of responsibility that William had as king