How did William I Change England

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  • How did William I change England?
    • The Feudal System
      • The Feudal System was a new way of organising society and the biggest change the Normans made.
      • Under the feudal system, King William I owned all the land in England.
      • The King kept 1/4 of the land for himself and gave the rest to his barons and bishops.
      • About 200 barons and bishops controlled 3/4 of England's land. They gave land to about 400 knights, who gave service to the barons in times of war.
      • Most of the work in England was done by 1.5 million peasants. They were allowed small plots of land and in return worked for the baron.
      • The feudal system meant that power in England was centred on the King and his barons and bishops. Most Saxons lost their land.
    • Castles
      • When William became king he established control of England which was made up of 1.5 million Saxon English and only 10,000 Normans.
      • There were many rebellions across England as the Saxons did not want to be controlled by the French.
        • The most serious rebellion took place in Eastern England, in an area known as the Fens. A Saxon lord, Hereward the Wake, fought the Normans for over a decade.
      • William kept control by building castles across England.
      • Norman castles followed a standard pattern.
        • A small hill was created called a Motte. This was surrounded by a wooden fence and a moat
        • An outer area, called a Bailey, was also surrounded by a wooden fence. This contained housing. The wooden fences were later replaced by stone.
      • Castles were the homes of knights and lords.
      • Castles were easily defended and showed the Saxon English that the Normans were in control.
    • The Domesday Book 1086
      • In the winter of 1085-86 William I did something that had never been done before. He made a survey of all the land in England and recorded it in a book.
      • William sent officials around the country to ask questions about who owned land and what the land was worth.
      • Over 1300 places were visited and all answers were double checked on a second visit.
      • The Domesday Book mentions all of England's villages and records the value of their land.
      • Important because it showed William how much tax he could claim from each lord and bishop

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