Normanisation of England

Hello there! I studied Norman England at GCSE so hopefully, I can help? So when the Normans invented the feudal system, King William was placed at the top of it (think of it as a pyramid). However, the Anglo-Saxons also had a feudal system in which the King was at the top too. The big difference between the two is that in the Norman feudal system, the King OWNS the land and gives the land to the church and nobles, who then give land to the peasants in return for military service, food and protection. So the King is more powerful in this sense. Here's a great video that explains the feudal system really well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txA48AcJNmg . Don't forget that William also made changes to law and order (ordeal by combat and forest laws, for example) which also contributed to the King becoming more powerful. In regards to Archbishop Lanfranc, William the Conqueror did replace Anglo-Saxon bishops and archbishops with Normans, including him replacing Archbishop Stigand with Lanfranc, by 1080 only one Anglo-Saxon bishop was left. Therefore, the King became much more powerful because (in colloquial terms) he had his Norman pals in the church, meaning the King had more influence and control over the church (we know that the Church and the King were constantly battling for who was at the top) making him more powerful.

If you have any questions just ask, these points will need expanding to answer an essay question though (not sure how many marks your said question is, which will obviously impact how many points and paragraphs you need).