How did William establish and keep control of England after 1066?
Rebellions against Norman rule, the building of castles, the Harrying of the North in 1069 to 1070, the use of land and the redistribution of estates, and the means by which William secured his conquest.
A focused answer to how William secured England in OCR's Norman Conquest depth study, covering the rebellions of 1067 to 1071, the building of castles, the brutal Harrying of the North in 1069 to 1070, the redistribution of land to Norman lords, and the methods of Norman control.
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What this dot point is asking
Winning at Hastings did not make William safe. This dot point explains how he established and kept control of a hostile country after 1066: facing rebellions, planting castles, crushing the north with brutal force, and replacing the English landholding class with Normans. It is rich in material for the interpretation and essay questions on how William held England.
Rebellions against Norman rule
Castles: control by stone and earth
The Harrying of the North, 1069 to 1070
Land: replacing the English elite
Keeping what worked
Importantly, William did not scrap Anglo-Saxon government. He kept the efficient system of shires, sheriffs, the shire courts and the geld tax, ruling through proven machinery while placing Normans at the top. This blend of brutal new methods (castles, harrying, land transfer) and continued old structures is the key change-and-continuity point of the module.
Try this
Q1. What was the Harrying of the North, and when did it happen? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. William's systematic devastation of northern England in 1069 to 1070 to crush rebellion, causing famine and leaving the region wasted for years.
Q2. Explain why redistributing land helped William control England. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Granting almost all English land to loyal Norman lords in return for service replaced the old elite, gave William's supporters wealth and soldiers, and tied their power to their loyalty to the king.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR SHP 20194 marksDescribe two features of early Norman castles.Show worked answer →
The British depth study opener (4 marks, two features, 2 marks each). Reward two distinct, developed features.
Feature one. Early castles were of the motte and bailey design: a wooden tower (keep) on a raised earth mound (the motte), beside an enclosed yard (the bailey), all surrounded by a ditch and palisade.
Feature two. They could be built quickly and cheaply using forced local labour, so the Normans planted them rapidly across England (and in towns) to dominate and intimidate the population.
Top marks. Two separate features, each with a precise supporting detail.
OCR SHP 202116 marks'Castles were the most important way William kept control of England.' How far do you agree with this statement?Show worked answer →
The extended judgement question (16 marks; the SPaG marks sit on the thematic study, not here). Argue both sides with precise support and judge.
For castles. Motte and bailey castles, planted quickly across England and in towns, gave the Normans secure bases, dominated the population by sight and force, and helped crush rebellion.
Other methods. The brutal Harrying of the North (1069 to 1070) terrorised resistance into submission; the wholesale redistribution of land to loyal Norman lords replaced the English elite; and William kept and used the efficient Anglo-Saxon system of sheriffs and shires.
Judgement. Weigh castles against terror, land and government. A strong answer argues castles were vital but worked alongside the other methods, and reaches a supported conclusion.
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