TimeRef - History Timelines

When William the Conqueror became King of England on Christmas Day 1066 his fight to control England had just begun. For the remainder of his reign he had to put down revolts and reorganise the way in which the country was run. Several of the methods he used are listed below: -

Putting down rebellions
Giving lands to the Barons
Castle Building
The Feudal System
The Domesday Book

Putting down rebellions

After the Norman invasion the lands owned by the Saxons was taken over by the Normans. Many of the Saxon Earls fled and went into exile. While some areas submitted to William's rule many did not and William had to deal with Saxon resistance.

Giving lands to the Barons

[Under Construction]

Castle building

William the Conqueror and the Norman barons began to build hundreds of castles in areas of England that they took control of. In many cases the Saxons were used as the work force to build the castles. These early castles were mainly built from wood and are known as Motte and Bailey castles. At the heart of the castle was the motte which was a large mound of earth surrounded by a ditch on top of which was a wooden tower. At the base of the motte was the bailey which was an area surrounded by a bank of earth and a ditch. Around the top of the bank was a wooden wall or palisade. The bailey had enough space for living quarters for the Baron and his attendants, a chapel, tradesmen's workshops such as blacksmiths and animals as well. A strong gatehouse was usually the only entrance to the castle.

This picture shows a reconstruction of a motte and bailey castle. Some castles had water-filled ditches to provide extra defences.
Click here for more information and to walk around a virtual motte and bailey castle

In 1078 William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a huge keep at the castle in London. Under the direction of Gundulf, a castle builder from Normandy, the tower known as the White Tower or Tower of London was built. The size of the castle must have been greater than any building the citizens of London would have seen before and as William may have hoped probably struck them with awe. Although generally square in construction the White Tower has a circular turret to the north-east that has a circular staircase inside it and to the south-east there is a semicircular apse that contains a chapel. The southern side of the castle would of had a small tower at the entrance but this has been removed and not shown in the reconstruction at present.

The Feudal System

The Feudal System was introduced into England by William the Conqueror. Under this system the land in England was divided up. William kept one fifth of the land for himself and the rest was divided up between the Church and the Barons. Each Baron controlled his own land and all the people who lived on it. Each Baron had under his control many fighting knights and peasants who worked the land. In exchange for the land, the Barons had to supply the King with knights and an army of peasants at times of conflict. This organisation only worked if the king was strong and could keep the Barons under control. To ensure that the Barons did not get too powerful William gave each Baron several small areas of land rather than one large area. This meant the each Baron was too busy travelling around to keep his lands under control rather than plot against the King.

The Domesday Book

In December of 1085 William the Conqueror ordered the survey of his lands in Britain. The survey was given the name Domesday Book possibly because of its similarity to the Last Judgement of Christ, or Doomsday. A detailed record of ownership of land, types of land, numbers of people and numbers of animals was undertaken. Details were not just required for that moment in time, but at the time of Edward the Confessor (1065) and at the time when the land was granted by William himself. Each shire was required to obtain and collate the information and any disputes were heard in a court with a jury of equal numbers of Englishmen and Normans. The survey was written up into two volumes and was held at the Winchester Treasury.

Whether this was the first survey of its type is unknown, but it is the first recorded survey we have copies of. The reasons why the survey was taken is not known either. After the Conquest the allocation of land had probably been chaotic and the survey could have been a method of sorting out the confusion and used to prevent further disputes. Knowing how much workable land and working people there are would have also been useful for taxation purposes.

Norman Conquest

Timeline

1066 Oct 14 Battle of Hastings
William the Conqueror and Harold II met in battle at Hastings. Although Harold had the superior position on the battlefield his tactics failed and he was killed. This left England open for William to continue with his invasion plans.
Dec 25 William the Conqueror becomes King of England
William the Conqueror was coronated as King of England in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day of 1066.
1067 Construction of Winchester Castle
Construction of a wooden castle was begun at Winchester.
Construction of Wallingford Castle
A castle at Wallingford was built in this year. It would have been a motte and bailey type castle.
A castle at Norwich is begun
A motte and bailey castle is built at Norwich.
Chepstow Castle begun
Construction of Chepstow Castle is begun.
1068 Construction of Nottingham Castle
William and the Normans started construction of the castle at Nottingham. This would have been a wooden building. It was built on the high ground above the town using the step slope down to the river Leen as a defence.
Northern English move to Scotland
Many of the northern English lords escaped to Scotland and the court of Malcolm III when it was clear that William had control of the country.
Warwick Castle built on William's orders
William the Conqueror ordered the building of Warwick Castle.
Feb Exeter falls to William
Although William had defeated Harold at Hastings, Harold's mother Gytha and her forces still had not submitted to William's rule. They held out at Exeter until William broke the defenses. William had to take heavy casualties in the confrontation.
May 11 Matilda is crowned Queen
William brought his wife Matilda of Flander to England to crown her Queen of England.
1069 Danish fought off at Sandwich
An attack by a Danish invasion fleet led by Sweyn Estrithson of Denmark was fought off by a garrison stationed at a castle at Sandwich. Sandwich was an important port on the south coast. The location has now been found and the site is being investigated.
Dec The North is devastated by the Normans
William's forces defeat rebels in the North and Midlands.
1070 Building work at Chepstow
William Fitz Osbern built the hall at Chepstow Castle.
Malcolm raids Northern England
The Scottish king attacked towns in the north of England.
Castle at Old Sarum
Using the prehistoric hill fort's defensive position to good use, the Normans built a new castle on the Old Sarum site. William the Conqueror paid off his soldiers here in this year.
Castles at Chester and Stafford begun
William continues his castle building spree at both Chester and Stafford.
Jun Hereward the Wake sacks Peterborough Abbey
As part of a revolt against the new Norman invaders, Hereward the Wake sacks the abbey at Peterborough.
1071 Richmond Castle construction
The construction of Richmond Castle began around this time by Alan Rufus, the cousin of the Duke of Brittany.
Dudley Castle Construction
After Eadwin, the Earl of Mercia, was killed in the revolt against William his castle and lands at Dudley were given to William's Norman followers.
William puts down the revolt
The rebels Hereward the Wake and Morcar on the Isle of Ely were attacked and defeated by William the Conqueror.
1072 Treaty of Abernethy
Treaty between William the Conqueror and Malcolm III of Scotland. In this treaty Malcolm paid homage to William.
At Durham, another castle is ordered
William orders the castle as Durham to be built.
Jun William leads an army into Scotland
It is possible that William the Conqueror was planning to attack King Malcolm to prevent him protecting Edgar the Aetheling and to stop him advancing into the north of England. The treaty 'Peace of Abernethy' brought a solution to the situation where Malcolm agreed to become William's vassal and to expel Edgar.
1073 Edgar the Aetheling attempts to take the English throne
Edgar joins forces with King Malcolm in Scotland and King Philippe I of France.
1075 Chepstow Castle passes to the crown
Roger Fitz Osbern joined an unsuccessful uprising against the king and lost. The castle then passed to the crown.
Construction of Windsor Castle
Construction of Windsor castle started by William the Conqueror.
1078 Work starts on the White Tower
Gundulf began work on the White Tower, the Tower of London.
1080 Construction of Lewes Castles
Work on a castle at Lewes began in 1080 and lasted possibly to around 1100.
Colchester castle begun
To defend the esturies of Essex against attacks from the Danes William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a new castle at Colchester.
1081 Cardiff Castle created
William the Conqueror may have ordered the creation of a castle at Cardiff during his tour of Southern Wales.
William tours south Wales
William the Conqueror visited South Wales and St. David's. He met Rhys ap Tewdwr, the ruler of the area and allowed him to remain in control of the region for a yearly sum of money.
1085 Dec 25 Domesday Book
At the Christmas Council William ordered the creation of survey of property with their values and populations county by county covering most of England. Commissioners were sent all over England, apart from the far north, to make a record of the population, value, state and ownership of the land. The book consisted of two volumes and was completed by 1088.
1086 Aug 1 Council of Salisbury
A meeting was called by William the Conqueror where he invited his most important vassals and Tenants in Chief in England to swear allegiance to him. The oath is now known as the Oath of Salisbury.