Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
How Did William the Conqueror Reward Loyalty? (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Zoe Wade
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
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
Worked Example
Describe one feature of the ways that William rewarded loyalty
2 marks
Answer:
One feature of how William rewarded loyalty was with land (1). William stated he owned all the land in England and could reward it to Normans and Anglo-Saxons. For example, Morcar kept his earldom and Odo became the Earl of Kent (1).
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Ensure you make your details as specific as possible to access all two marks. The details of this example include what happened to geld tax.
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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