How did William the Conqueror Reward Loyalty? (Edexcel GCSE History)

Why was Loyalty Important in Eleventh-Century England?- Summary

Loyalty was essential in eleventh-century society. England was a Christian country and many people were devout. Oaths of loyalty were not only a promise to a person but a promise to God. A court could charge someone for making a fake oath for a crime called perjury. People in eleventh-century England would believe that a perjurer would face double the amount of punishment. They thought that the person would face the sentence of the court and the wrath of God in the afterlife. As a result, many people avoided making fake oaths out of fear. 

Loyalty between the monarch and the people was also key to society. The king had to trust that earls and thegns would act in his best interests. This was even more important after 1066. William wanted to create a strong government that ruled a vast kingdom containing different nationalities. As a result, William highly rewarded the loyalty of his subjects.

Rewarding Anglo-Saxon Loyalty

• William wanted an easy takeover of power

  • He had already fought at the Battle of Hastings to eliminate Harold Godwinson

  • Previous Viking rulers of England, like King Cnut, had used some existing Anglo-Saxons in their government

• William retained Anglo-Saxons in key government positions

  • Stigand and Ealdred kept their roles in the church

  • William allowed Morcar and Edwin to keep their earldoms

  • Gospatric became the earl of northern Northumbria

    • William permitted this after Gospatric gave William a large amount of money

• William rewarded loyalty with political marriages

  • If Edwin remained loyal, William stated that he could marry his daughter

    • This marriage would make Edwin very powerful in Norman England

Rewarding William's Knights and Supporters

• William had to reward his followers

  • William promised Norman soldiers land for their service in the invasion force

  • William needed to pay the mercenaries that he had hired

• Rewards for Norman followers contradicted keeping the Anglo-Saxons happy

  • Some Anglo-Saxons would have to lose land and power to Normans

    • The downfall of the house of Godwin made a lot of land available to William, including Wessex

    • William kept around a fifth of all of the land in England as property of the king

  • While William's actions annoyed Anglo-Saxon aristocrats, they were not surprised by them

    • Previous Viking and Anglo-Saxon monarchs of England had rewarded their followers in the same way

How did William reward his Norman followers?

• William granted his most important followers key earldoms:

  • His half-brother, Odo, became the Earl of Kent

  • His most trusted adviser, William FitzOsbern, gained the Isle of Wight, Hampshire and large territories in West England

  • Robert of Montgomery, who William appointed to govern Normandy in his absence, became the Earl of Shrewsbury