On the 25th of December 1066, William of Normandy was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey. He had defeated Harold Godwinson at Hastings and secured the submission of leading English figures, but his hold over much of the country was still uncertain.
Yet in March 1067, only a few months after his coronation, William sailed back to Normandy.
He was still Duke of Normandy, with responsibilities and interests across the sea. His return also gave him the opportunity to celebrate his victory, and before sailing from Pevensey, he appears to have made a show of rewarding some of the men who had helped him conquer England.
Before leaving, William had attempted to reach an understanding with several leading English nobles. Earls Edwin, Morcar and Waltheof had initially been allowed to keep their lands and titles. Edgar Ætheling, whom English leaders had chosen as king following Harold’s death but who had never been crowned, had also received favourable treatment.
However, William did not leave these powerful men behind in England.
Edgar, Edwin, Morcar and Waltheof all accompanied him to Normandy, along with Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury. Keeping them close meant that some of the most influential English figures were away from their own supporters during William’s absence.
Back in England, the king left his half-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and William fitzOsbern, one of his closest supporters, to oversee the government of his new kingdom.
Although some English officials remained in their positions, the changes brought by the conquest were already being felt. Lands belonging to Harold’s family and others who had fought against William were being confiscated, while Norman castles and garrisons helped the new rulers establish their authority.
And while William was away, resistance began to emerge.
In Kent, Eustace, Count of Boulogne, who had fought alongside William at Hastings, joined forces with English opponents of Norman rule. Together they attempted to capture Dover Castle, but the attack was repelled by its garrison.
Further west, Eadric the Wild joined forces with Welsh allies and attacked the Norman defenders at Hereford. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that they inflicted considerable harm on the castle’s men.
William returned to England in December 1067, but the unrest was far from over. In 1068, he faced further resistance at Exeter, where the inhabitants held out against him before eventually surrendering after a siege.
It is easy to think of the Battle of Hastings as the moment England was conquered. But William’s departure and the fighting that followed show just how much remained unsettled.
He had been crowned King of England, but the struggle to bring the country under Norman control would continue for years.
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Image info:
The South-East View of Pevensey Castle, Sussex, engraving by Samuel and Nathaniel Buck, 1737. Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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