The feudal system allowed William to control land in England. Barons or Lords who were given land directly from the king were known as tenants-in-chief. The feudal system meant that everyone in England, apart from the king, was a tenant. This was shown in the Peasants' Revolt in 1381. Peasants had very few rights and little power on their own, however as a collective group they had the potential to threaten the power of the king. Some peasants were freemen and they had more rights than villeins. Most peasants were villeins and they were at the bottom of the system.
Peasants were the largest and lowest group in medieval society, making up over 90% of the population. The nobility became wealthy from rent raised from peasants they let farm on the land. Noblemen would also let peasants live and work on the land, in return for taxes and food. They would distribute some of their land to knights, who would raise an army to fight for the king when needed. This included the clergy, barons, and lords and ladies. The nobility were below the king in the hierarchy.
To manage this, he gave large areas of land to noblemen, including the clergy, lords and barons, in return for them raising him money and an army. When he conquered England, King William took all of the land in the country. The king was at the top of society, and therefore at the top of the feudal system. The Domesday Book was produced to give William this information. He also wanted to raise money to fund an army to protect his land in case of invasion, meaning he had to find out who he could tax. This wasn’t as immediate as the other problems. To raise taxes and run the country effectively, William needed to know who owned land and how much money they had. Knowing little about England and its people Motte-and-bailey castles were built all over the country to protect his supporters.Ĥ. William needed to quickly find a way to protect his supporters and soldiers in England. His division of land ownership, the feudal system, solved this.ģ. If large landowners opposed him then they could raise money and possibly an army to rebel against him. William needed to make sure that the people who owned land were supportive of his rule. The Harrying of the North dealt with the northern opposition. Rebellions in the North could threaten his rule and needed to be dealt with. There was support in the north of England for Edgar the Atheling to become king. All four problems were important for different reasons
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