levo

Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88

Norman government, 1066–88

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 2 booklet B

Overview

What William kept of English government, how he strengthened the crown and sidelined the earls, the Oath of Salisbury of 1086, regents in his absence, the Norman sheriff, the royal demesne, royal forest and forest law, and the Domesday survey, its name and its use to government.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

What were the main features of royal government in England under William I?

Key term

Which parts of English government did William keep after 1066?

Key term

What was the Oath of Salisbury of 1086?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Which parts of English government did William keep after 1066?

    Model answer

    The shires and their courts, the written writ, the geld tax and the royal treasury at Winchester all continued as before.

  2. 2

    How did William make the crown stronger than it had been under Edward?

    Model answer

    He kept far more land in his own hands, took oaths of loyalty from every major landholder, and left no earl rich enough to rival him.

  3. 3

    Why did William make so little use of earls?

    Model answer

    The great earldoms had allowed families like the Godwins to challenge the king, so he broke them up and left most of the country under sheriffs.

  4. 4

    What was the Oath of Salisbury of 1086?

    Model answer

    A gathering at which the leading landholders swore loyalty directly to William, even those who held their land from another lord.

  5. 5

    Who governed England while William was in Normandy?

    Model answer

    Regents acting in his name, among them his half-brother Bishop Odo, William fitzOsbern and later Archbishop Lanfranc.

  6. 6

    What were a Norman sheriff’s main duties?

    Model answer

    He ran the shire for the king, collecting taxes and royal dues, presiding over the shire court, holding royal castles and raising troops.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

See a huge jump in your memorisation

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88
British America, 1713–83: Empire and Revolution
Conflict in the Middle East, 1945–95
Crime and Punishment in Britain, c1000–present

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

£6.6 , fixed in 1921.
billionmillionthousand

Blank Blitz consolidates the facts

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AThe huge loss of life left England short of workers.
BForeign craftsmen and labourers were wanted.
CCompetition for work also bred resentment.

Build It trains answer structure

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Strategy means the plan for a whole campaign.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Every question in Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.