OCR GCSE History B The Norman Conquest 1065 to 1087: a complete depth-study overview
A complete overview of OCR's GCSE History B (SHP) British depth study, The Norman Conquest 1065 to 1087. Covers Anglo-Saxon England, the succession crisis and Battle of Hastings, how William secured control, the feudal system and government, the Church and the Domesday Book, plus the Paper 1 source and interpretation questions.
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What this option demands
The Norman Conquest 1065 to 1087 is a popular OCR History B British depth study. A depth study examines a short period in close detail, and the exam rewards knowledge, the ability to evaluate sources (AO3) and the ability to weigh interpretations (AO4). The story runs from Anglo-Saxon England, through the dramatic events of 1066, to the methods by which William held a conquered country. This overview ties the dot-point pages together.
Anglo-Saxon England in 1065
England in 1065 was a wealthy, well-governed kingdom. The king (Edward the Confessor) ruled with the Witan, and the country was administered through shires, sheriffs and shire courts, with a national tax (the geld) and a controlled coinage. Power on the ground lay with a few great earls, above all the House of Godwin. Defence rested on the part-time fyrd and the elite housecarls. England was strong but had real weaknesses: over-mighty earls and an unsettled succession.
The succession crisis and Hastings, 1066
When Edward died childless in January 1066, three men claimed the throne: Harold Godwinson (crowned at once), William of Normandy (claiming a promise and Harold's broken oath) and Harald Hardrada of Norway. Harold destroyed Hardrada at Stamford Bridge (25 September), then marched south to meet William. At the Battle of Hastings (14 October 1066), William won and Harold was killed, thanks to his leadership and combined tactics, feigned retreats, luck and Harold's exhaustion and mistakes.
Establishing and keeping control
Winning the crown was not the same as keeping it. William faced rebellions (1067 to 1071), which he answered with castles (fast motte and bailey designs planted across England and in towns), the brutal Harrying of the North (1069 to 1070), and the wholesale redistribution of land to loyal Normans. He also kept the Anglo-Saxon machinery of government, ruling efficiently through proven structures.
The feudal system, government and the Church
The Normans organised England through the feudal system, a pyramid of land for service: the king granted land to barons, who owed knight service; barons granted land to knights; and villeins worked the land at the bottom. William strengthened royal power, imposed the hated Forest Laws, and kept records in Latin. He reformed the Church under Lanfranc, built great stone cathedrals, and in 1085 to 1086 surveyed the kingdom in the Domesday Book to assess tax, confirm landholding and display his control.
Check your knowledge
A mix of recall questions covering the whole option. Attempt them, then check the solutions.
- Who ruled England in 1065, and what council advised him? (2 marks)
- Name the three claimants to the throne in 1066. (3 marks)
- What happened at Stamford Bridge and at Hastings? (2 marks)
- Give two methods William used to keep control after 1066. (2 marks)
- What was the Harrying of the North, and when? (2 marks)
- In the feudal system, what did barons owe the king? (1 mark)
- Who reformed the Norman Church as Archbishop of Canterbury? (1 mark)
- When was the Domesday Book made, and give one purpose. (2 marks)