Norman Government (AQA GCSE History)

The king

• Strong military leader 

• Raised taxes

• Made laws

• Judged important legal cases

The king

• Strong military leader

• Raised taxes

• Made laws

• Judged important legal cases

• Owned all the land in England - which centralised more power in the king’s hands

The Witan

• Powerful earls and bishops from the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy formed the Witan and advised the king 

The Curia Regis

• This ‘king’s council’ or ‘Norman Great Council’ operated in a similar way to the Witan. It contained the most important nobles from the Norman aristocracy who advised the king

Government by writ

• The king’s orders and instructions were written by royal clerks and then sent to the different shires. The earls then decided how orders were carried out

Government by writ

• More writs were issued under the Normans and, as the Norman barons had less power than the Anglo-Saxon earls, the king’s orders were followed more closely

• The country was divided into areas called ‘shires’ which had their own capital and shire-reeve or sheriff

• Each shire was divided into smaller districts called hundreds

• The sheriff was responsible for collecting taxes and dispensing justice in his shire

• The system of shires, hundreds and sheriffs was maintained by William 

• However, the key positions of sheriffs were soon filled with loyal Normans