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

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

Many of William's royal powers were powers established by Anglo-Saxon kings. For example, William maintained control of coinage and kept the royal treasury at Winchester. William also performed royal ceremonies like his coronation. Following Anglo-Saxon traditions and customs helped legitimise William as king. Many Anglo-Saxons did not want a foreign ruler. By respecting the laws of England, he presented himself as a worthy King of England.

William did implement some new royal powers. The biggest power William possessed was over landholding. As the owner of all of the land in England, William had significant power over his subjects. He could give or take away land as he pleased. He could also use landholding to increase his annual income through tax. 

William's superior military skills also differentiated him from Anglo-Saxon kings like Edward the Confessor. William ruled England by violence rather than in the pursuit of peace as Edward had. This made his subjects respect, but fear, him as king.

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 & 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?

William the Conqueror & 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 & 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

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 in Norman England

William the Conqueror & 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