In 1066, King Harold and Anglo-Saxon Europe were over-ruled by William of Normandy in the Battle of Hastings. William became known as “The Conquerer” and was crowned King of England on December the 25th, 1066. The incipient ruler then utilised the Feudal System as a governmental and social hierarchy to maintain power over the country. He did so through paying his people fiefs (pieces of land) in return for their allegiance. Following the end of King Harold’s reign, England became a “Church-State” called Christendom. This meant that the secular hierarchy (Feudalism) was joined by an ecclesiastical one (the Church). Thought to be the superintendent of fortuity and fate, God sat at the top of both. This gifted Popes, who alongside Kings, were supposedly in equivalent control over England, so that they could grow stronger than Kings between 1100 (12th Century) and 1200 (13th Century), regaining their power following the Great Schism. This was the result of “Investiture Conflict” over who employed the clergy. They could then Preach sermons to the community of nearly 100% Christians, and some even appointed new rulers. Sadly, like previous Kings (who appointed family as Church clergy), some Popes became corrupt and capitalised their power. They prevaricated about what the Bible expressed, to receive more money from the attendants of the Sunday mass. This was the majority of people, known as the Laity. Monks and Nuns were part of the Laity, only they lived their entire
On the 14th of October 1066, Duke William of Normandy defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. His win could be summed up by the fact that William was a better leader. Other factors that contributed to William’s victory include: William was better prepared, the English army was severely weakened as Harold had just fought off an invasion in the North of England, and Harold made a fatal mistake of prematurely entering the Battle of Hastings.
they were organized and knew what to do when the time came to set sail
For most civilizations, religious figures have had a large influence over the lives of the common people. The Roman Catholic Church was a very influential figure in many civilizations. It can trace its origins to over 2000 years ago. One of the Church’s most influential periods of this time was the Middle Ages. The Roman Catholic Church played a very big role in the lives of the people during that period. For many, it was the center of their life. The three most important impacts of the Church on medieval life were their secular roles concerning laws and their position over the state, the way that the Church unified Europe, and their power over the common people.
In the Medieval times, the Roman Catholic Church played a great role in the development of England and had much more power than the Church of today does. In Medieval England, the Roman Catholic Church dominated everyday life and controlled everyone whether it is knights, peasants or kings. The Church was one of the most influential institutions in all of Medieval England and played a large role in education and religion. The Church's power was so great that they could order and control knights and sends them to battle whenever they wished to. The Church also had the power to influence the decision of Kings and could stop or pass laws which benefited them in the long run, adding to this, the Church had most of the wealth in Europe as the
William I became known as William the Conqueror through his will and determination. William gained power through his father and soon he climbed high enough to conquer England and become its new king.
The Catholic Church was by far the largest owner of land during the Middle Ages. While bishops and abbots occupied much the same place as counts and dukes in the feudal hierarchy, there was one important difference between the religious and secular lords. Dukes and counts might shift their loyalty from one overlord to another, depending on the circumstances and the balance of power involved, but the bishops and abbots always had (in principle at least) a primary loyalty to the church in Rome. This was also an age during which the religious teaching of the church had a very strong and pervasive influence throughout Western Europe. These factors combined to make the church the closest thing to a strong central government throughout this period.
Towards the end of the Middle Ages and into the duration of the Renaissance, the Medieval Church’s social and political power dwindled. Centuries prior the Catholic Church gained a surplus of control, largely due to the stability it maintained during the chaotic breakdown of the Western Roman Empire . Yet toward the end of the Middle Ages the Church set in motion factors that would ultimately lead to its downfall as the definitive figure of authority. However, despite political and social controversy surrounding the church, the institutions it established cleared a path for a new way of thinking, shaping society in an enduring way.
William the conqueror in the battle of hastings. September 27 is when things started going William’s way, the wind shifted and started moving them right into England. Directly after reaching shore William decided to make his move and as stated in the document "William I." “William rallied the fleeing horsemen, however, and they turned and slaughtered the foot soldiers chasing them. On two subsequent occasions, William’s horsemen feigned retreat, which fooled Harold’s soldiers, who were then killed by their opponents. Harold’s brothers were also killed early in the battle. Toward nightfall the king himself fell, struck in the eye by an arrow according to Norman accounts, and the English gave up.” (par.1) this quote shows that William knew what he was doing and did the right thing and also that he wasn’t scared. William was about to become a ruler of another country.
Since warfare and disease made life unbearable, everyone from the common serfs to the prosperous king looked to Church for direction on the key to a happy afterlife (Document 9). People paid heavy taxes/gifts and devotion to guaranteed themselves in themselves a place in the Church since their births (Document 9). This showed how they had much power over all the other classes in medieval society, especially when the Truce of God was proclaimed to control knights from committing felonies on holy days (Document 4 and
It is at this time where early transitions and alliances started to pay off. Ancient traditions helped William maintain his ducal authority. Count William of Arques still had to pay homage to the duke. Probably the biggest reason William was able to maintain his authority was due to the Norman relationship with France. King Henry I supported William. Another break for William was the fact that King Henry didn’t take Normandy for himself. He did claim rights over Normandy and placed William under his protection. The King was exercising his rights as overlord to safeguard his kingdom. King Henry didn’t do this completely without any benefit to himself, he did take two fortresses.
William the Conqueror: a powerful man who was taking what was rightfully his, or an illegitimate son thirsty for power, only history can tell if his actions were an act of justice. This debate contains a lot of confusion between promises, traditions overlapping, the support of the people, and proven powerful enough to rule. After understanding the conflicts at the time, history has proven that William the Conqueror proved to have a legitimate claim to the throne, much more than his competition at the time. In order to understand history, we have to look back and see how we got to this point, starting with the set-up for this situation.
Of William I’s (1066-1087) sons, William the II (1087-1100) was a better king than his younger brother Henry I (1100-1135). William I’s was the first Norman king to rule England. He split his heritance between his three living sons. Robert received the rule of Normandy, William II received England and Henry I received five thousand pounds. In early medieval England a good king was a heroic soldier and a strong leader who was fair but enforced the law. It was also important that they were Christian and unsinful. William II “The Rufus”-because of his red face or temper, was true to himself and what he believed in while Henry I “Beauclerc”-because of his high level of education, was a brutal and selfish king, not only to his people, but also
The Battle of Hastings took place on October 14th 1066.It was between Harold Godwinson and William the Duke of Normandy. Edward the confessor (King or England) died of old age.Before he died he promised 3 mens to claim the throne of England.These mens were Horold Godwindon,Willam of Normandy and Harald Hadrada.Each of these mens thought they were the best to claim the throne of England but in oder to find out There was Battles (stamford bridge) .After the battle of Stamford Bridge, Harold Godwinson heard some bad news. This was that William had invaded.At the end William of Normandy was sucessful but why?
People faced the rise and the fall of the Catholic Church during the medieval time. The Popes used to hold the final authority for the church and over the state. Pope Gregory VII asserted the Pope had granted the divine power from God because Saint Peter was the first of getting this
During the Medieval Ages the Catholic Church was able to rise to one of the most powerful institutions in Europe. After Rome subsequently