Changes in Landownership, 1066-1087 (Edexcel GCSE History)

How Much did Landownership Change under William the Conqueror? - Summary

William revolutionised the way that landownership worked in England. William reduced the power of Anglo-Saxon aristocrats. Under Edward the Confessor, the house of Godwin owned nearly half of the land in England. After the Norman Conquest, Anglo-Saxon nobility held less than 5% of the land. By 1087, there were only two powerful Anglo-Saxon landowners: Thurkill of Arden and Colswein of Lincoln. 

William also ensured English land came under his power. After his coronation, William declared that England's land belonged to him. He retained around 20% of the land for himself. 50% went to the Norman aristocracy, which held much smaller pieces of land than Anglo-Saxon nobility had under King Edward. 20% of the land went to the Church, in which Normans held all the senior positions by 1096. Breaking the land into small landholdings meant that no Norman aristocrat could become too powerful. Retaining more land as royal land meant that William had direct access to resources and soldiers, ensuring that he could force the loyalty of his subjects.

What are Tenants-in-Chief?

• A tenant-in-chief was a large landholder in Norman England

  • They swore an oath of loyalty to the king to receive their land

  • A tenant-in-chief is sometimes called a baron

• William created approximately 190 tenants-in-chief

  • 11 men held half of the tenants-in-chiefs' land

    • The majority of the 11 men were William's relatives or key Norman nobility like Odo of Bayeux or William FitzOsbern

    • One of these 11 men was a loyal non-Norman called Allan the Red from Brittany

• Tenants-in-chief had military responsibilities

  • William expected the tenants-in-chief to stop rebellions on their land

  • Tenants-in-chief provided soldiers for William's army

How did Anglo-Saxon Rebellion Affect Landownership?

• The Anglo-Saxon rebellions in 1068, 1069 and 1070-1071 showed that William could not trust Anglo-Saxon nobility

  • The execution of Waltheof in 1076 removed the last powerful Anglo-Saxon earl

• In Norman England, land equalled power and wealth. The rebellions of Anglo-Saxon earls motivated William to:

  • Transfer a large amount of land from Anglo-Saxon nobility to Normans

  • Consider how much land was too much to grant a loyal supporter

    • He wanted to avoid how powerful earls had become under Edward the Confessor

    • William needed to limit the soldiers and resources each landholding Norman had access to

• Some rebellions had started from the actions of Anglo-Saxon thegns

  • Hereward the Wake was an example of this

  • By 1087, William made thegns

    • Dependent on their Norman lords

    • Hold much smaller areas of land

How did Anglo-Saxons Lose Their Land Under William?

Why was forfeited land important to William?

• William used forfeited land to reward his followers

  • Those who lost their land had to name a Norman as the 'heir' of their land

    • This included the land taken from rebellious Normans

  • Forfeited land created new earldoms

    • The land of several previous owners could combine to make a new landholding

    • New earldoms were necessary for unruly parts of England like the borderlands

• Some Normans forced Anglo-Saxons to forfeit their land

  • Land grabs could occur by violence or through corrupt sheriffs