User:Iluvhistory66/sandbox/Domesday

Detailed Look in the Domesday Book INTRODUCTION:

In order to understand the impact of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and the subsequent order to generate the Domesday folios, it will be necessary to delve into the history of 11th. Century England. Right from the start, it should be understood that the word “DOMESDAY” in early English should be translated as “DOOMSDAY” in modern English!

Peter Esterhazy made the following statement: “HISTORY BELONGS TO THE VICTORS, legends to the people.” By this, he meant that the victors could write anything they chose, and because they controlled communication, the average person had no way to argue. But the legends of the people had a way of being transmitted down the generations to finally provide clarity to what was, before, a one-sided picture. History is written such that William was a rightful heir to the English throne, and a reasonable monarch. The conquered people knew otherwise!

Dr. Hugh Nibley made the following observation (paraphrased): “If something is put forward as having happened by legend or folk lore, and is only found in one or two areas in the same country, then it is not likely to be true. If it comes up not just in one or two areas in one country, but in one or more countries, it is likely to be true. But if the legend is found in a number of locations in three or four different countries, then it is most probably true. This will be used as a basis for what is included later.

England, prior to the Battle of Hastings, was still not a unified country. There were constant invasions from the Germanic area of Europe, and later, by the Vikings from Denmark.

Sometime between A.D. 880 and 890, King Alfred finally restored peace to England by making a compact, whereby the Danes retained control of some of their conquered lands. This Danish invasion forced all the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to unite under one ruler, with Alfred the Great becoming the first king of England. The other, eastern and north-eastern area of the country was called the Danelaw.

SECTION 1, DIVISION OF ENGLAND.

A: THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM OF ENGLAND.

During the course of the 10th century, the West Saxon kings extended their power first over Mercia, then over the southern Danelaw, and finally over Northumbria, thereby imposing a semblance of political unity on peoples who nonetheless would remain conscious of their respective customs and their separate pasts. The prestige and pretensions of the monarchy increased, the institutions of government strengthened, and kings and their agents sought in various ways to establish social order. Ref. 1, “The Development of England.”

Anglo-Saxon society was stratified. A three-tier system seems to have been most common: thēow, ceorl and thegn, or thrall, freeman and nobleman. Social status was inherited from your father, although a woman's status did not change on marriage.

Social mobility was possible in both directions. A thegn who lost his wealth might sink to the status of ceorl; a ceorl who fell on hard times might be forced to sell himself and his family into slavery as a lord's thralls. Conversely, thralls could be freed by their masters, and prosperous ceorls rise to the nobility. Ref 1: Quora: Anglo Saxon nobility

However, a surprisingly bright period for women took place from about A.D. 580 to 1066 in Anglo-Saxon England. Old English society allowed to women, not only private influence, but also the widest liberty of intervention in public affairs.

Under Anglo-Saxon law, women could own and control all three types of real property. Women could receive grants of land singly or jointly with their spouses. Women could also make grants of land singly or jointly with their spouse. Some historians seek to diminish the significance of the fact that women held bookland by pointing out that most of the women who owned bookland received it because of their kinship with royalty or their positions in the church. While this is likely true, it is also likely that men who received bookland received it for the same reasons. Ref. 2. “Women’s Rights in England: BYU Law Review. Unfortunately, this was lost under French rule, and did not return until after about 800 years!

B: THE DANELAW. Danelaw can describe the set of legal terms and definitions created in the treaties between the King of Wessex, Alfred the Great, and the Danish warlord, Guthrum, written following Guthrum's defeat at the Battle of Edington in 878. Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danelaw In 886, the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum was formalized, defining the boundaries of their kingdoms, with provisions for peaceful relations between the English and the Vikings. The language spoken in England was also affected by this clash of cultures with the emergence of Anglo-Norse dialects. The Danelaw roughly comprised of the following 15 shires: Leicester, York, Nottingham, Derby, Lincoln, Essex, Cambridge, Suffolk, Norfolk, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford, Hertford, Middlesex, and Buckingham. Its law was distinguished by procedural differences, severe fines for breach of peace, and the existence of an aristocratic jury of presentment to initiate the prosecution of criminal suspects. In the areas of intensive Danish settlement, there were an unusually high number of sokemen, a class of personally free peasants attached to a lord rather than to the land. Ref: Britanica.com / Danelaw Under the law, there was no freedom for women, whose rights were tied to their husbands, and, upon the death of the husband, all belongings went to the oldest male who became the legal heir.

SECTION 2, RELIGION IN ENGLAND PRIOR TO 1066. The early Anglo-Saxon Church was structured around archbishops, bishops and monasteries. Groups of churches were governed by bishops and archbishops. Sometimes, leading churchmen would come together in councils to agree legislation and make collective decisions. It should be noted, however, that there were no close ties to Rome, or the Catholic church there. The church itself in England did not have a rigid hierarchy. In fact, on a number of occasions, the Bishops of England clearly told Rome to keep to their own affairs. The Anglo-Saxons were attracted to Christianity for a variety of reasons. It is perhaps no coincidence that some began converting to Christianity at the time when larger kingdoms began to be formed. Christianity brought with it access to writing technologies such as the Latin alphabet we still use today and the Latin language itself. Kings used these writing systems to create written law codes, and charters to transfer rights and property. It was different in the Danelaw. During the 10th century or the late Viking Age, the Danes officially adopted Christianity, as evidenced by several rune stones, documents and church buildings. The new Christian influences also show in their art, jewelry and burial practices of the late Viking Age, but the transition was not rapid and definitive and older customs from the Norse religion, remained to be practiced to a greater degree. Ref: Wikipedia, Danes. This was multi-theistic, and was part of the belief systems of the Great Heathen Army. Norse mythology not only has it’s gods, goddesses and immortals but also a myriad of other characters and creatures that populate the stories including giants, dwarfs, monsters, magical animals and objects. Ref: the norse gods.com

SECTION 3: THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS IN 1066.

A: THE ACTUAL BATTLE, 14 OCTOBER, 1066.

There was probably no way that England could have won this battle. Prior to Hastings itself, England was embroiled in 2 other major battles with the Danelaw; the battle of Fulford, in which the English were defeated, and the battle of Stamford Bridge, fought on September 25, 1066, in which the English were victorious, defeating the Danes, and killing the 2 Danish leaders, Tostig and Hadrada.

However both these battles took their toll on available English warriors, leaving King Harold an army of only about 7,000 men, all who were war weary! In contrast, it has been estimated that William had close to 11,000 fresh warriors to call upon.

In addition, the great English Longbow had not yet been invented, and the English army consisted mainly of infantry and few archers. The French, on the other hand, had close to 50% of their soldiers split between archers and cavalry. This was to make a major difference.

At the start of the battle, the English had the superior position, being staged on the upper slopes of a hill that the French had to climb. The French, however, used superior tactics, and the archers made a huge difference.

Tradition has it that Harold was shot in the eye by an arrow, late in the battle, and his army then pulled back in retreat, allowing the French cavalry to ride through and cause major havoc. By the evening of 14th. of October 1066, it was all over; Harold was dead, and his troops mainly killed. The following image from the famous Bayeux tapestry, at Bayeux in Normandy, depicts Harold’s death. We have no sources to tell us who made the Bayeux Tapestry; however, most scholars agree that it was made in Norman England, probably by Anglo-Saxon embroiderers. At present we do not know how many people were involved in creating the Tapestry. We can say it would have been embroidered by women because all the surviving evidence demonstrates that only women in early medieval England embroidered. Ref: historyextra.com

(Image in Word Doc): Death of King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings, 1066. Detail of the Bayeux Tapestry – 11th century; by special permission of the City of Bayeux B: SUBJUGATION OF THE SOUTH: William expected to receive the submission of the surviving English leaders after his victory, but instead Edgar the AEtheling was proclaimed king by the Witenagemot, with the support of Earls Edwin and Morcar, Stigand, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Ealdred, the Archbishop of York. William therefore advanced on London, marching around the coast of Kent. He defeated an English force that attacked him at Southwark, but was unable to storm London Bridge, forcing him to reach the capital by a more circuitous route. William moved up the Thames valley to cross the river at Walligford, where he received the submission of Stigand. He then travelled north-east along the Chilterns, before advancing towards London from the north-west, fighting further engagements against forces from the city. The English leaders surrendered to William at Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire. William was then acclaimed King of England and crowned by Ealdred on 25 December 1066, in Westminster Abbey. Despite the submission of the English nobles, resistance continued for several years in the South, causing him to spent almost three years putting down trouble spots of rebellion. C: HARRYING OF THE NORTH. During these three years, the north was in foment. In 1069 William faced more troubles from Northumbrian rebels, an invading Danish fleet, and rebellions in the south and west of England. He ruthlessly put down the various risings, culminating in the Harrying of the North in late 1069 and early 1070 that devastated parts of northern England. It is estimated that close to 40% of the male population of the north were killed in these rebellions. In addition, many noble families were decimated by the murder of wives and children, especially children who could grow up and foment rebellion.

Section 4: The reasons William the Conqueror called for the Domesday Census.

A: Why called the Domesday.

In essence, England of the early 11th century was mostly a self-governed society. There was, of course, a social stratification, based primarily on wealth and land holdings, but the people were remarkably free. That all changed with William the Conqueror and the Domesday Census.

To the English, who held the book in awe, it became known as "Domesday Book", in allusion to the Last Judgement and in specific reference to the definitive character of the record.

The book is metaphorically called by the native English, Domesday, i.e., the Day of Judgement. For as the sentence of that strict and terrible last account cannot be evaded by any skillful subterfuge, so when this book is appealed to on those matters which it contains, its sentence cannot be quashed or set aside with impunity. That is why we have called the book "the Book of Judgement", ... not because it contains decisions on various difficult points, but because its decisions, like those of the Last Judgement, are unalterable. Ref: Richard FitzNeal, treasurer of England

B: Distribution of lands to his leading knights.

After all the problems William had in subjugating the English, he realized that only his knights that were brought from Normandy with him could really be trusted, and they were largely made territorial governors for the major counties of England. Under them were placed Sheriffs, if possible of English origin who could be trusted or bought, who would be responsible for implementing the records from Domesday Census.

C: Identification of quality of land / forestry, and structures.

It needs to be clearly understood that the underlying core reason for the Domesday Census was economic. William expected his vassal territories to provide both income, and also funds to keep his peers and sheriffs in operating funds. The only way to adequately ensure that this occurred was to know what he had.

Then, at the midwinter [1085], was the king in Gloucester with his council ... . After this had the king a large meeting, and very deep consultation with his council, about this land; how it was occupied, and by what sort of men. Then sent he his men (N.B. HIS MEN) over all England into each shire; commissioning them to find out "How many hundreds of hides were in the shire, what land the king himself had, and what stock upon the land; or, what dues he ought to have by the year from the shire”. Ref: en.wikipedia.org

The survey's main purpose was to determine what taxes had been owed during the reign of King Edward the Confessor, thereby allowing William to reassert the rights of the Crown and assess where power lay after a wholesale redistribution of land following the Norman conquest. Ref: The Anglo Saxon Chronicle

After the survey was taken, it was relatively easy to compare the land area in forest with the land area in cultivation to determine what funds were generated, and thence to what taxes could be levied.

the normal relationship of the common Domesday measures of length or area to each other, and their approximate - very approximate - size, would in modern terms be:

1 rod/perch = 5.5 yards 1 furlong = 40 perches 1 mile = 8 furlongs 1 league = 12 furlongs 1 acre = 40 * 4 perches 1 bovate = 15 acres 1 virgate = 30 acres 1 yoke = 60 acres 1 hide = 120 acres 1 carucate = 120 acres 1 sulung = 240 acres

The valuation of land and estates were given in pounds, shillings, and pence.

The symbols £ s d are abbreviations derived from the initial letters of the three Latin words for pounds, shillings and pence (£ibra, solidus, denarius). These were the basic denominations of the English currency for over a millennium,

D: Actual census of the defeated people.

Another critical value of the Domesday Census was to provide a picture of the population density of each of the Shires. Areas that were densely populated with the defeated British working class were areas that needed to be carefully watched and controlled by his Sheriffs. These areas might require a small Norman controlled garrison to keep the civil peace, as well as to ensure that taxes were paid promptly. For the British population, this was subjugation, indeed! The assessors' reckoning of a man's holdings and their values, as recorded in Domesday Book, was dispositive and without appeal. Ref: en.wikipedia.org

For the Normans, the picture was hugely different. Per the census, the King and his family held about 17% of all the land in the various counties. About 26% was held by the Bishops and Abbots. 54% was held by his tenants in chief; his leading Barons and Lords.

E: Tax value to the Crown.

A large part of the funding for the conquest of England was in promises to his captains and troops. They understood that success would provide them with a level of wealth that heretofore they had not seen. His army, consisting of a mixture of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French soldiers. They were with him largely for loot and land, things they did not have at home. Even after 18 years of subjugation, William did not really know the value of lands and people, and thus what could be provided as benefits for his followers. The Domesday Census was to provide this.