State, church and society, 1066–1106 — Edexcel A-Level History
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State, church and society, 1066–1106 explained
State, church and society, 1066–1106 covers 4 specification points, including The king’s household and the chancery; the… and Changes in land tenure; the creation of new….
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Open a point below for its explanation and revision guidance.
Central and local government: the king’s household and the chancery; the geld and the silver penny; the office of sheriff; codes of law and the local courts.
After 1066 the Norman kings governed through a peripatetic royal household, where the chancery produced writs and charters under the chancellor. The geld, a land tax assessed in hides, was collected in silver pennies, the only coinage, struck at royal mints. Sheriffs, royal officials in each shire, enforced royal rights, collected revenues, and presided over shire courts. The king also issued codes of law, while local courts (hundred and shire) administered justice and custom. Together these institutions allowed the king to raise money, enforce law, and maintain control across England. For example, Domesday Book (1086) recorded geld assessments, and the Leges Henrici Primi later reflected legal codes. Students should explain how each element functioned and how they interlocked, not merely list them.
The end of the English aristocracy: changes in land tenure; the creation of new earldoms; a Norman aristocracy based on military and political service; the extent of Norman influence as revealed by the Domesday Survey 1086.
After 1066 the English aristocracy was largely displaced. Land tenure changed as the king claimed ultimate ownership and granted lands to Normans in return for military and political service, often as knights’ fees. New earldoms were created, frequently along the Welsh and Scottish borders, to secure frontier zones. The new aristocracy was defined by loyalty and service to the king rather than inherited English lineage. The Domesday Survey of 1086 reveals the extent of this transformation: it records landholders, values, and resources, showing that by 1086 most major landholders were Norman. For example, the survey lists tenants-in-chief and their subtenants, demonstrating the new military and political hierarchy. Students should explain how these changes ended the old English aristocracy and established a Norman-dominated ruling class.
Changes in towns and villages: towns and trading patterns; village life, royal forests and the forest laws; the gradual disappearance of slavery.
After 1066 the Norman kings reshaped settlement and economy. Towns grew as fortified centres and markets; trade linked England to Normandy and the Low Countries through ports such as London, Southampton and Chester, exporting wool and importing wine and cloth. In villages, the manor and open-field strips organised peasant labour, with villeins owing week-work and boon-work. The king claimed vast royal forests as hunting reserves, governed by forest law enforced in forest courts; offences such as poaching venison or clearing woodland brought heavy fines, and forest boundaries could displace villagers. Slavery declined gradually: the Church discouraged selling Christians abroad, manumissions increased, and lords found rent-paying tenants more profitable, so by about 1100 the slave class had largely merged into the unfree peasantry.
The English church: the deposition of Stigand; Lanfranc’s reforms; Anselm’s conflict with William II; Henry I, Anselm and the investiture controversy; the Norman kings and the papacy.
William I moved to reform the English Church. Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury, was deposed in 1070 because his position was irregular, and Lanfranc replaced him. Lanfranc reorganised dioceses, strengthened episcopal authority, promoted clerical celibacy and separated church courts from secular courts. Under William II, Anselm became archbishop but clashed with the king over royal control and recognition of the pope, leading to Anselm's exile. Henry I faced the investiture controversy: whether the king or pope should invest bishops with ring and staff. The Concordat of London (1107) compromised, with the king renouncing investiture but bishops still doing homage. Throughout, Norman kings negotiated with the papacy while guarding royal authority over the English Church.
Your focus
- Describe the functions of the king’s household and the chancery in Norman government.
- Explain how the geld and the silver penny supported royal finance.
- Assess the importance of the sheriff and local courts in maintaining royal authority.
Show all 12 objectives
- Describe the changes in land tenure after 1066 and their impact on the English aristocracy.
- Explain the creation of new earldoms and the nature of the Norman aristocracy.
- Evaluate the extent of Norman influence as revealed by the Domesday Survey of 1086.
- Explain how towns and trading patterns developed in England after 1066.
- Describe village life and the operation of royal forests and forest law.
- Account for the gradual disappearance of slavery by about 1100.
- Explain the reasons for Stigand's deposition and the nature of Lanfranc's reforms.
- Analyse Anselm's conflicts with William II and Henry I, including the investiture controversy.
- Assess how the Norman kings balanced cooperation with the papacy against royal control of the English Church.
State, church and society, 1066–1106 exam tips
Marking Points
- Explains the role of the royal household as the mobile centre of government, including the chancellor and the writing office (chancery) that produced writs and charters.
- Describes the geld as a land tax assessed in hides and collected in silver pennies, and explains the importance of a single, trusted coinage for royal revenue.
- Analyses the office of sheriff as the key local royal official responsible for collecting taxes, enforcing royal rights, and presiding over the shire court.
- Explains how codes of law issued by the king and the operation of local courts (hundred and shire) maintained royal justice and local custom.
- Shows how these central and local institutions worked together to strengthen royal control and raise revenue, using specific examples such as Domesday Book or the Leges Henrici Primi.
- Explains how changes in land tenure after 1066 transferred land from English to Norman lords, with the king as ultimate owner and lands held for military and political service.
- Describes the creation of new earldoms, especially in frontier regions, and their role in defending and governing the kingdom.
- Analyses how the new Norman aristocracy was based on military and political service to the king, rather than English hereditary right.
- Uses the Domesday Survey of 1086 as evidence of the extent of Norman influence, including the recording of landholders, values, and resources.
- Assesses the overall impact of these changes on the English aristocracy, showing how the old elite was replaced by a new Norman-dominated class.
- Explains how towns functioned as markets, mints and fortified centres, and how overseas trade connected England with Normandy and the Low Countries.
- Describes village life: the manor, open-field strips, villein tenures, week-work and boon-work, and the role of the lord's court.
- Explains that royal forests were legal hunting reserves under forest law, not simply woodland, and that forest courts imposed fines for offences such as poaching or assarting.
- Accounts for the gradual disappearance of slavery through Church teaching, manumission, and lords' preference for rent-paying tenants.
- Uses specific places or commodities, such as London, Southampton, Chester, wool, wine or cloth, to support the explanation.
- Explains why Stigand was deposed in 1070, including the irregularity of his position and papal support for reform.
- Outlines Lanfranc's reforms: diocesan reorganisation, clerical discipline, celibacy and separate church courts.
- Analyses Anselm's conflict with William II over royal authority, papal recognition and Anselm's exile.
- Explains the investiture controversy under Henry I and the compromise of 1107, distinguishing investiture from homage.
- Assesses the wider relationship between the Norman kings and the papacy, balancing cooperation with defence of royal rights.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Use precise terminology: chancery, writ, geld, hide, silver penny, sheriff, shire court, hundred court.
- 💡Link each institution to the king’s aims: raising money, enforcing law, and maintaining control.
- 💡Support your answer with specific evidence, such as the Domesday Survey’s geld assessments or the legal codes associated with Henry I.
- 💡Use specific examples of new earldoms and Norman landholders to support your points.
- 💡Refer to the Domesday Survey as evidence, explaining what it reveals about the extent of Norman influence.
- 💡Link changes in land tenure to the broader theme of royal control and the end of the English aristocracy.
- 💡Link each economic change to its cause or consequence, for example trade growth to urban markets, rather than listing features.
- 💡Use precise terms such as manor, week-work, forest court and manumission to show secure knowledge.
- 💡When discussing forest law, refer to enforcement and penalties to demonstrate understanding of its impact on ordinary people.
- 💡Distinguish clearly between investiture and homage when discussing the 1107 settlement.
- 💡Support each claim about royal-papal relations with a named king, archbishop or event.
- 💡Explain change over time, showing how policy shifted from William I through William II to Henry I.
Common Mistakes
- Treating the chancery as a fixed building rather than a writing office that travelled with the royal household; correction: describe it as a peripatetic department producing writs and charters.
- Confusing the geld with a general tax on all wealth rather than a land tax assessed in hides; correction: define it as a land tax based on the hide, collected in silver pennies.
- Assuming sheriffs were independent local lords rather than royal officials; correction: explain that sheriffs were appointed by the king and accountable to him for revenue and law enforcement.
- Assuming that all English aristocrats were immediately killed or dispossessed; correction: explain that displacement occurred gradually through rebellion, forfeiture, and redistribution, with some English survivors.
- Treating the Domesday Survey as a simple census rather than a detailed record of landholding and resources for taxation and royal rights; correction: describe its purpose and contents accurately.
- Confusing earldoms with modern counties or assuming they were purely honorary; correction: explain their military and political functions, especially in border areas.
- Treating 'royal forest' as any wooded area; correct this by explaining it was a legal jurisdiction reserved for the king's hunting, which could include fields and villages.
- Assuming slavery ended instantly by royal decree; correct this by describing gradual decline through manumission, Church pressure and economic change.
- Confusing villeins with slaves; correct this by noting villeins held land and owed labour services, whereas slaves were property with no land tenure.
- Confusing Lanfranc's reforms with those of later archbishops; correct this by dating them to William I's reign and linking them to Stigand's deposition.
- Treating the 1107 concordat as a complete papal victory; correct this by noting the king gave up investiture but retained homage and influence over appointments.
- Assuming Anselm and William II disagreed only over personal matters; correct this by focusing on jurisdiction, papal recognition and royal control of the Church.