A throne with no clear heir

In January 1066, King Edward the Confessor died childless. England had no obvious heir, and this created a succession crisis with three rival claimants.

• Harold Godwinson — the most powerful English earl (Earl of Wessex). He was crowned king almost at once, claiming Edward named him on his deathbed.
• William, Duke of Normandy — claimed Edward had promised him the throne (c.1051) and that Harold had sworn a sacred oath to support William's claim (1064/65).
• Harald Hardrada — the King of Norway, who claimed the English throne through an old agreement.

Why it mattered: with no undisputed heir, the throne would be decided by force. 1066 became the "year of three kings".

Whose claim was strongest?

Each claimant argued their right in a different way, and the exam wants you to weigh them:

• Harold — was English, powerful, and (he said) chosen by the dying Edward and approved by the Witan (the king's council). But he had no royal blood.
• William — rested his claim on Edward's promise and on Harold's oath, which he said Harold had broken. He argued this made Harold a usurper and an oath-breaker.
• Harald Hardrada — had the weakest claim, based on a distant agreement between earlier kings.

Misconception alert: William's claim rested on an alleged promise and an oath, not on being related by blood to Edward's line as heir. The oath is known mainly from Norman sources and is debated.

William's claim

The Battle of Stamford Bridge

The first invasion came from the north. In September 1066, Harald Hardrada of Norway, joined by Tostig (Harold Godwinson's exiled brother), invaded near York.

• Harold Godwinson marched his army north at great speed and won a decisive victory at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25 September 1066.
• Both Harald Hardrada and Tostig were killed. It was a crushing English victory.

Misconception alert: it was Hardrada (not Harold Godwinson) who died at Stamford Bridge. Harold Godwinson won here — he was killed later, at Hastings.

William lands in the south

Just days after Stamford Bridge, William made his move. His fleet had been waiting for a favourable wind.

• William landed at Pevensey on 28 September 1066 and began raiding the south coast to draw Harold into battle.
• Harold's tired army had to march all the way back south — hundreds of miles in a few weeks — to meet him.
• Harold did not wait to gather more troops, which some historians see as a rushed decision.

Bad luck or bad choices? Fighting two invasions at opposite ends of the country in weeks left Harold's army exhausted before Hastings — a key factor in the exam debate over why Harold lost.

Name the year

The Battle of Hastings

On 14 October 1066 the two armies met at Senlac Hill near Hastings. Harold's infantry formed a shield wall on high ground; William had cavalry (mounted knights) and archers.

• The shield wall held for hours. William used feigned retreats — pretending to flee to lure the English down, then turning to cut them off.
• By evening the English broke and Harold Godwinson was killed — traditionally by an arrow to the eye (as shown in the Bayeux Tapestry, though this detail is debated).

Why did William win?

The exam loves the "why did Harold lose / William win?" question. Balance these factors:

• Harold's army was exhausted after Stamford Bridge and the long march south.
• William's tactics — feigned retreats, combined cavalry and archers, and discipline.
• Luck — the death of Harold late in the day shattered English morale.
• Leadership — William kept his nerve, even rallying his men when a rumour spread that he was dead.

Turning point: Hastings did not conquer England on its own, but it destroyed the English leadership and opened the way for William to be crowned.

Who died at Hastings?

Crowned king, then in control

William was crowned king on Christmas Day, 25 December 1066, at Westminster Abbey. But winning the crown and controlling England were two different things.

• Castles — William built motte-and-bailey castles across the country: a wooden tower (keep) on a raised mound (motte) beside a fenced yard (bailey). They were quick to build and let a few Normans dominate a large area.
• The Harrying of the North (1069–70) — after rebellions in the north, William brutally devastated northern England: burning villages, crops and livestock. The resulting famine killed many thousands and left the region ruined for years.

Control through fear and force: castles gave permanent military control; the Harrying showed the price of rebellion.

Name the term

What did it do?

Tap an event or term on the left, then tap its significance on the right.

Feudalism: land for service

To control England, William reshaped how land was held. He declared that all land belonged to the king, then granted it out in a pyramid known as the feudal system.

• The king granted land to barons (tenants-in-chief) in return for military service — providing knights when needed.
• Barons granted land to knights, who fought for them.
• Peasants (villeins) worked the land at the bottom. Loyalty was sealed by homage and fealty (sworn promises).

Misconception alert: feudalism was a system of landholding in return for service and loyalty — not simply "William being cruel". It let a small number of Normans control the whole country.

The Church and the Domesday Book

William also controlled England through the Church and through information.

• The Church — William replaced most English bishops with loyal Normans. In 1070 he made Lanfranc Archbishop of Canterbury, tightening royal control over the Church.
• The Domesday Book (1086) — a huge survey of England recording who owned what land, how much it was worth, and who lived on it, so William could tax it and know exactly who held power.

Why it mattered: the Domesday Book gave the king unmatched control over land and taxes — a powerful tool no earlier English king had. William died the year after, in 1087.

Why the Domesday Book?

How much did England change?

By 1087 the Conquest had transformed who held power, while some everyday life continued:

• New ruling class — the old English earls were replaced by Norman barons; land was almost entirely in Norman hands.
• Language and building — French became the language of the elite; stone castles, cathedrals and churches spread.
• Continuity — most peasants still farmed the land much as before, and shires and local courts carried on.

The big picture: the Conquest was a huge change at the top (rulers, landholding, the Church, castles), even though daily peasant life changed more slowly.

Timeline: 1066 → 1087

Put the events in order

Tap the events in the correct time order, from earliest to latest.

How did William control England?

OCR wants you to explain how William kept control of a country he had conquered. Group your methods:

• Force & fear — castles across the land and the brutal Harrying of the North.
• Landholding — feudalism gave loyal Norman barons land in return for knights and loyalty.
• The Church — Norman bishops like Lanfranc backed royal power.
• Information & money — the Domesday Book let William tax and know who held land.

Strong answers argue that these methods worked together — no single method controlled England alone.

Controlling the North

Using sources on the Conquest

You will handle sources — chronicles, the Bayeux Tapestry, later histories — about 1066 and after. Two habits win marks:

• Ask who made it and why (provenance). The Bayeux Tapestry was made for Norman patrons, so it tells the story from William's side. Norman monk-chroniclers often justified the Conquest.
• Use your own knowledge to judge it. Support or challenge a source with facts you know — e.g. that the "arrow in the eye" detail is debated.

Interpretations differ: historians disagree over why Harold lost — exhaustion, William's tactics, or luck — and over how much England really changed. Recognising that interpretations vary is exactly what the exam rewards.

Name the survey

Name the king

The essentials to remember

You've covered the whole OCR Norman Conquest study. Press Finish to see your score.