Revolt of the Earls

Revolt of the Earls

The Revolt of the Earls in 1075 was a rebellion of three earls against William I of England (William the Conqueror). It was the last serious act of resistance against William in the Norman Conquest.

Course

The revolt was caused by the king's refusal (in his absence - he had been in Normandy since 1073) to sanction the marriage between Emma (daughter of William Fitzosbern, 1st Earl of Hereford and Adelissa de Tosny) and Ralph de Guader in 1075.

In William's absence, Ralph, his new brother-in-law Roger de Breteuil, 2nd Earl of Hereford, and Waltheof, 1st Earl of Northumberland began the revolt, but it was plagued by disaster.

Waltheof soon lost heart and confessed the conspiracy to Lanfranc, who urged Earl Roger to return to his allegiance, and finally excommunicated him and his adherents, and then to William, who was in Normandy.

Roger, who was to bring his force from the west to join Ralph, was held in check at the River Severn by the Worcestershire fyrd which the English bishop Wulfstan brought into the field against him. Ralph in the meantime encountered a much superior force under the warrior bishops Odo of Bayeux and Geoffrey de Montbray (the latter ordered that all rebels should have their right foot cut off!) near Cambridge and retreated hurriedly to Norwich, hotly pursued by the royal army. Leaving his wife to defend Norwich Castle, he sailed for Denmark in search of help, and eventually returned to England with a fleet of 200 ships under Cnut and Hakon, which failed to do anything effective.

Meanwhile the Countess held out in Norwich until she obtained terms for herself and her followers, who were deprived of their lands, but were allowed forty days to leave the realm. Thereupon the Countess retired to her estate in Brittany, where she was rejoined by her husband.

Results

*Ralph was deprived of all his lands and of his Earldom.
*Roger was tried before the Great Council, deprived of his lands and earldom, and sentenced to perpetual imprisonment; but he was released, with other political prisoners, at the death of William I in 1087.
*Returning to England with William, Waltheof was arrested, and after being brought twice before the king's court was sentenced to death. On the 31st of May 1076 he was beheaded on St. Giles's Hill, near Winchester. He is said to have been a man of immense bodily strength, weak and unreliable yet devout and charitable, and so was regarded by the English as a martyr, and miracles were said to have been worked at his tomb at Crowland.

References

*D. Crook (1991). "Central England and the Revolt of the Earls". "Historical Research". 64:403-10.
*Mike Ibeji, [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/normans/after_10.shtml Treachery of the Earls] , by Mike Ibeji, from "BBC History of the Normans".
*Edward Augustus Freeman (1901). " [http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC01359516&id=u2oNAAAAIAAJ&printsec=titlepage A Short History of the Norman Conquest of England] ". [http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC01359516&id=u2oNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA113&lpg=PA113&dq=%22revolt+of+the+earls%22 Page 113-114]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The Pale — In this district, many townlands have English, and even French names. HistoryIn 1171 the Norman conquest of Ireland assumed the sovereignty of the Plantagenet dynasty over Ireland. From the thirteenth century onwards, the Hiberno Norman invasion… …   Wikipedia

  • The Revenger's Tragedy — This article is about the play. For the film, see Revengers Tragedy. The Revenger s Tragedy is an English language Jacobean revenge tragedy, in the past attributed to Cyril Tourneur but now usually recognized as the work of Thomas Middleton. It… …   Wikipedia

  • William the Conqueror — The Duke of Normandy in the Bayeux Tapestry King of England Reign 25 December 1066 9 September 1087 Coronation 25 December 106 …   Wikipedia

  • Scotland in the High Middle Ages — The history of Scotland in the High Middle Ages covers Scotland in the era between the death of Domnall II in 900 AD and the death of king Alexander III in 1286, which led indirectly to the Scottish Wars of Independence.In the tenth and eleventh… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Puritans — The history of the Puritans can be traced back to the Vestments Controversy in the reign of Edward VI ending in a decline in the mid 1700s. Background, to 1559 The English Reformation, begun his reign in the reign of Henry VIII of England, was… …   Wikipedia

  • Wars of the Roses — The Wars of the Roses (1455–1485) were a series of dynastic civil wars fought in England between supporters of the Houses of Lancaster and York. Although armed clashes had occurred previously between supporters of Lancastrian King Henry VI and… …   Wikipedia

  • Robert the Bruce — Robert Bruce redirects here. For other uses, see Robert Bruce (disambiguation). The Bruce redirects here. For other uses, see Bruce (disambiguation). Robert I King of Scots Reign 1306–1329 Coronation …   Wikipedia

  • Rising of the North — Date November 1569 January 1570 Location Northern England Result Victory for the Elizabethan forces, strengthening Elizabeth s authority, weakening the aristocracy of the North …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Isle of Man — The Isle of Man became separated from Britain and Ireland by about 8000 BC. It appears that colonisation took place by sea sometime before 6500 BC.[1] The island has been visited by various raiders and trading peoples over the years. After being… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the English fiscal system — The history of the English fiscal system affords the best known example of continuous financial development in terms of both institutions and methods. Although periods of great upheaval occurred from the time of the Norman Conquest to the… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”