William's Soldiers Had Had Enough - But He Refused to Turn Back

In my last medieval post, we followed the Harrying of the North during the winter of 1069-1070, when William the Conqueror's forces destroyed settlements and food supplies in an attempt to prevent further rebellion. The suffering was terrible, but William still faced resistance elsewhere in England.

By early 1070, William returned to York after he had been campaigning further north. English and Welsh forces had threatened Shrewsbury, and parts of western Mercia still remained troublesome. William decided to lead his army towards Chester, but some of his soldiers had dealt with more than enough.

The chronicler Orderic Vitalis, writing several decades later, described how the soldiers from Anjou, Brittany and Maine complained about their service. They had already been through exhausting winter campaigns, and now William expected them to march through another difficult region. Some of them demanded to be released from service, arguing that his orders were unreasonable and almost impossible to carry out.

William was not prepared to abandon his plans. According to Orderic, he refused to persuade the soldiers with fresh promises and just ordered those that were willing to follow him to continue. He reportedly dismissed the men threatening to leave as cowards.

The journey was extremely difficult. Orderic described the army travelling across mountains, through deep valleys and over dangerous marshy ground. Heavy rain and hail made conditions worse, while horses became trapped and died in bogs. At times, the soldiers were reportedly forced to eat the flesh of the dead animals.

Orderic also claimed that William sometimes walked ahead of his men, helping others through particularly difficult stretches of the journey. It is an interesting description of a king who was determined to continue, although we should remember that the chronicler was writing long after the events.

Eventually, William's army reached Chester, where he brought the remaining resistance under control. In 1070, he established a castle overlooking the River Dee. It provided a permanent Norman stronghold close to the Welsh border. The original fortifications were built using earth and timber, which is quite different from the later stone castle.

The castle was an important part of William's plans for England. Rather than have to rely entirely on armies marching from one rebellion to another, permanent fortifications allowed him to station troops, protect important routes and strengthen Norman authority.

But what happened to the soldiers who had complained?

According to Orderic, William rewarded the men who had endured the campaign and eventually released them from service. Those who had threatened to desert him were treated differently. As punishment, he reportedly kept them in service for another 40 days after their comrades had been dismissed.

By Easter 1070, William was back in Winchester. His western campaign was over, but opposition to Norman rule had not disappeared.

What do you think of Williams leadership? Do you think he should have listened to the concerns of his soldiers?

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Image info:

Bayeux Tapestry, Scenes 55-56, showing William the Conqueror lifting his helmet during the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Photograph by Myrabella, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.