Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
The Harrying of the North, 1069-1070 (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Zoe Wade
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Why Did the Harrying of the North Shock England? - Summary
"cut down many in his vengeance; destroyed the lairs of others; harried the land and burned homes to ashes. Nowhere else had William shown such cruelty" Harrying was not uncommon in the eleventh century. William harried the Earldom of Wessex to remove the influence of the house of Godwin. William's march on London and the destruction of Wessex did not cause as much public outrage as William's actions in the North. The Harrying of the North showed William's ability to create large-scale and long-lasting destruction of his enemies. |
Why did William Harry the North?
What did the Harrying of the North involve?
William's soldiers destroyed an area of the North from the River Humber to the River Tees. This involved:
Killing men, women and children
Burning buildings
Burning crops
Killing livestock
Smashing agricultural tools
Pillaging
Examiner Tips and Tricks
An exam question may ask you how far you agree that the murder of Robert Cumin was the main reason for the Harrying of the North. When approaching this style of question, consider:
The extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement. Use words like 'partially' or 'fully' to explain this
The strength of both sides of the argument. Cumin's death did encourage further rebellions in the North and across England. However, rebellions occurred in the North before Cumin was murdered. Therefore Cumin was one of many reasons why William took revenge on the North
Concluding your thoughts with a reflection on key concepts. You should consider short- and long-term consequences, importance and impact. For example, Cumin's death was the trigger event for the Northern rebellions, the last wave of rebellions that William could allow to happen. You could argue that this is the most important reason. Without the rebellions of the North in 1069, William may not have reacted so angrily to Northern defiance
Short-term Impacts of the Harrying of the North
Between 100,000 and 150,000 people died over the winter of 1069-1070 because:
Without livestock and crops, people died from starvation
Some people resorted to cannibalism or slavery to survive
Without shelter, people of the North froze to death in the harsh winter
William's troops destroyed seeds
The North could not grow any crops for the next year
Many people fled from the North
Long-term Impacts of the Harrying of the North
There were no more uprisings from Northern England
Malcolm III of Scotland attacked in 1071 but gained no support from Northumbria
The wealth of the North continued to decline during William's reign
The Domesday Book compared landholding from 1066 to 1086
60% of Yorkshire was deemed wasteland with no livestock
This meant that William could not tax the land as nothing grew there
The North experienced a long-term decline in population
In 1086, the population declined between 80,000 and 150,000 from 1066
Northumbria was no longer the target for foreign invasion
King Sweyn of Denmark invaded England again in 1070-1071
Instead of landing in the North, his fleet arrived in Ely
William no longer trusted Anglo-Saxon earls
He used the Harrying of the North to replace Anglo-Saxon earls with Normans
The Pope condemned William for the Harrying of the North
William devoted time and money to the Church to earn forgiveness for his actions
Worked Example
Describe one feature of the Harrying of the North
2 marks
Answer:
One feature of the Harrying of the North was the amount of death that it caused (1). Between 100,000 and 150,000 people died from murder, starvation and cold (1).
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Ensure you make your details as specific as possible to access the two marks available. The details of this example include the number of deaths resulting from the Harrying.
This question previously asked students to describe two features of a given event. This question was out of four marks. However, as of 2025, Edexcel will split this question into two subsections, asking you to describe a feature of two different events. Each subsection is worth two marks.
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