WIlliam and power

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  • How did William secure power
    • Collaboration
      • William's invasion was starkly unique and tactical in how it was conducted. He was able to successfully retain power, partially through his conciliatory approach
      • Another way that William used people to secure his kingdom is in his taking of the earls as hostages to Normandy in 1067, securing relative peace apart from the Kent Uprising
    • The Domesday Book
      • Between 1085-86, William ordered the compilation of a book recording landholdings in England at the time
      • The Domesday book was compiled for many different reasons:
        • Law and Property: After the invasion, there was a large spate of land repossession, as such this was needed in order to sort out who owned what
        • Military: The Domesday book was of use to William due to the invasion threat. This meant that he had a record of where all soldiers were based in terms of what land they owned
        • Financial: The Domesday book provided a breakdown of contribution to the kingdom in tax. It allowed William to work out where to tax harder and where made the most contribution
    • Laws
      • William introduced two main new laws during his time as king
        • The Forest Laws: The forest laws were similar to that of France, and were designed to protect the king's hunting. They protected many animals and the vegetation which they lived off, and increased punishment for poachers ranging from mutilation to death
        • The Murdrum: The murdrum was introduced as a penalty system. If a Norman was killed, then a village would be heavily fined as a collective. It was designed to force economic punishment to deter any potential violence, however in reality it likely just increased the anger among the Saxons
    • The Feudal System
      • The Feudal system created a hierarchical state in which  there was a large power concentration into William's hands, giving him effective control
    • Corronation
      • William had his corronation at Westminster Abbey. This was designed as a message to remind people that they had be legitimately conquered by William, as Harold had been corronated there and Edward was buried there

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