Medieval England Research Paper

The first achievement that leaps to mind is castles. The Normans knew how to throw up a shelter behind this relatively secure construction. With the local area secure, they then progressed to upgrade the Motte and Bailey to a stone construction using stone from Norman quarries. These castles would then keep the local population under control and discourage any further insurrection.King Edward the Confessor had spent many years in Normandy before his accession to the English throne in 1042. with the Anglo-Saxon nobility, he created the Witan (Council) to advise and carry out his instruction. When William of Normandy became king he did not change the format of this Council, but only its leaders from Anglo-Saxon to Norman. William realised that for the invasion to succeed, he needed to keep as much continuity to Anglo-Saxon life as possible. The administrative frameworks of England and Normandy were run in very similar fashions, so there was little change required to a country that was rich in agriculture, coin and population. England had become the envy of most of Medieval Europe and was seen as a very rich prize.In December 1085, William commissioned an account of all the lands, manors, crops and livestock that belonged to the Lords of England. These Lords had sworn their fealty to William and paid him an annual tithe or tax. William needed to know the extent of their property so he could tax them accordingly. This account became known as the Domesday Book and was completed …show more content…
Apart from the scorched earth policy and famine meted out to the Northern counties in the ‘Harrying of the North’ in 1070 as punishment for the rebellion in York, there is not much else to add to William’s glowing list of achievements.
What is perceived as a Norman conquest of the Anglo-Saxon people in power and mind can only be attributed to the fact that the framework of a very successful race was already in