- King Harold, all his brothers, and a fair portion of the Saxon aristocracy were dead. England sat before William like a ripe fruit, waiting to be plucked.
But the conquest was far from over...
After his hard-won victory at Hastings, William proceeded to the key to the kingdom: London. He left a trail of devastation in his path and bypassed London Bridge, which was too well-defended, in order to cross the Thames at Wallingford. Before he could reach the city he was met by a group of notable citizens, including Archbishop Stigand and the earls Edwin and Morcar, who may have considered resistance but instead surrendered the city. William marched into London and, on Christmas day, was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.
William promised his new subjects that he would rule in the tradition of the Wessex kings, and all present at his coronation pledged their allegiance to him. Yet there was a strong feeling of resentment among the remaining Saxon nobility. In spite of their promises some Saxons rebelled, and the Conqueror often used severe measures to put down the revolts.
Another Storm
Resistance sprang up early and in many parts of the kingdom. Even before William reached London, Edgar the Aetheling, the grandson of King Edmund II ("Ironside"), was proposed as the next king. The brothers Morcar and Edwin, unable to assist Harold at Hastings and unable, or unwilling, to stop William's coronation, eventually took up arms against the new king, and perished. Factions in Wales and Scotland saw the disorder in William's newly-won kingdom as an opportunity to plunder England and even allied themselves with English rebels. Notable upstarts like Hereward the Wake made names for themselves and went down in history as martyrs and romantic heroes.
And, though they were never again successful, Scandinavian raiders continued to attempt invasion of the British Isles.
But as widespread as resistance was, it lacked strong, centralized leadership, and never amounted to more than a series of setbacks for the new king. Perhaps a different man might have been overcome by such persistent trouble; but William had exceptional energy and an infallible sense of when to deal cruelly and when to show mercy. By 1071 the rebellions were effectively over.
Whether or not the Saxons settled into their new roles in England's political structure is another matter.
If William had had any intention of allowing the Saxon nobility to retain a measure of wealth and influence in the governance of England, by the end of five years of resistance his policy was undeniably different. Most of the old English aristocracy was displaced, and the posts left open by the Saxons who had died at Hastings went to Normans who had supported William's invasion. The leadership of England was now unmistakably "Norman."
Continued on page two.
Guide note: This feature was first posted in January, 2000 and was updated in October, 2007.
