How did Resistance Affect How William Governed Norman England? (Edexcel GCSE History): Exam Questions

20 mins20 questions
11 mark

What percentage of land did William retain for himself after his coronation?

  • 10%

  • 20%

  • 50%

  • 70%

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21 mark

By 1087, how much land did Anglo-Saxon nobility hold in England?

  • Less than 5%

  • 10%

  • 20%

  • 50%

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31 mark

What was the main role of tenants-in-chief under William’s rule?

  • To act as tax collectors.

  • To provide soldiers for William's army.

  • To manage the Royal Treasury.

  • To manage churches.

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41 mark

Who were the two remaining powerful Anglo-Saxon landowners by 1087?

  • Godwin of Wessex and Leofric.

  • Waltheof and Hereward the Wake.

  • Thurkill of Arden and Colswein of Lincoln.

  • Ralph de Gael and Roger de Breteuil.

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51 mark

What happened to Anglo-Saxon earls who rebelled against William?

  • They were exiled to France.

  • They were promoted to higher ranks.

  • They were executed or stripped of their lands.

  • They were pardoned by the king.

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61 mark

What action did William take when landholders failed to meet their financial obligations?

  • They were fined.

  • Their land was confiscated.

  • They were imprisoned.

  • They were given extra time to pay.

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71 mark

What was the primary function of oath-taking ceremonies in Norman England?

  • To ensure loyalty to William.

  • To collect taxes.

  • To celebrate religious occasions.

  • To announce who the next king would be.

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81 mark

Define the bookland system of landownership.

  • A person held land for a limited amount of time.

  • A person paid money to hold land.

  • Land was passed down by the king, to tenants-in-chiefs, tenants and finally, to peasants.

  • Land was held by a person forever. They could pass down this land to their heirs.

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91 mark

How could landholders lose their land in Norman England?

  • For not growing crops on the land.

  • By refusing to use peasants to farm the land.

  • Through land grabs and land forfeits.

  • By not building a castle on the land.

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101 mark

Define a land grab in Norman England.

  • When an Anglo-Saxon voluntarily gave the land to a Norman.

  • When a Norman voluntarily gave the land to an Anglo-Saxon.

  • When an Anglo-Saxon was forced, through violence or corruption, to give their land to a Norman.

  • When a Normand was forced, through violence or corruption, to give their land to an Anglo-Saxon.

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11 mark

What event caused the significant redistribution of land to Norman nobles?

  • The outbreak of a plague.

  • Rebellions by Anglo-Saxon earls.

  • The implementation of the Wergild.

  • Voluntary donations by Anglo-Saxon earls.

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21 mark

By 1087, what had happened to most Anglo-Saxon thegns?

  • They became dependent on Norman lords. 

  • They retained control of large estates. 

  • They held land independent of the power of tenants-in-chief.

  • They were promoted to tenants-in-chief

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31 mark

What was the intended consequence of William’s Great Seal?

  • To show his control over the Church.

  • To demonstrate his power through symbolic imagery.

  • To give William total power to create new laws.

  • To finalise treaties with foreign threats, such as Denmark.

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41 mark

What caused William to travel extensively throughout England?

  • To participate in local festivals.

  • To suppress Anglo-Saxon rebellions.

  • To reinforce his presence as king.

  • To visit important religious sites.

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51 mark

What was one consequence of William’s ability to redistribute land?

  • It weakened his control over the Church.

  • It increased the power of the ceorls.

  • It led to economic instability among Norman nobles.

  • It allowed him to maintain loyalty through land grants.

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11 mark

How did William prevent his Norman lords from becoming too powerful?

  • By dividing land into smaller holdings.

  • By making them pay heavy taxes.

  • By not allowing them to have private armies.

  • By appointing Anglo-Saxon advisers.

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21 mark

What was different about landholding in Norman England compared to Anglo-Saxon times?

  • William introduced the lease system of landholding.

  • In Anglo-Saxon times, landholders could be passed down their land to heirs.

  • Heirs had to pay William a tax to inherit the land.

  • Landholders could lose their land if they did not meet their financial responsibilities under the Norman system.

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31 mark

Why did William maintain Anglo-Saxon traditions such as the coronation ceremony?

  • To demonstrate his military power.

  • To legitimise his rule as King of England.

  • To gain support from the Anglo-Saxon Church.

  • To control the Norman nobility.

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41 mark

Why did William hold a crown-wearing ceremony in York in December 1069?

  • To suppress a rebellion led by Edgar the Aethling.

  • To celebrate a military victory. 

  • To announce a new tax.

  • To suppress a rebellion led by Ralph de Gael.

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51 mark

Why did William demand an oath of loyalty from landholders at Salisbury in 1086?

  • The landholders were threatening to rebel against William.

  • William needed to secure loyalty in the face of a Viking invasion threat

  • Salisbury had a high Anglo-Saxon population.

  • William had heard that landowners in Salisbury were minting their own coins.

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