Editing William the Conqueror (section)

== Consolidation ==
{{Further|Government in Norman and Angevin England}}
=== First actions ===

William remained in England after his coronation and tried to reconcile the native magnates. The remaining earls&nbsp;– Edwin (of Mercia), Morcar (of Northumbria), and [[Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria|Waltheof]] (of Northampton)&nbsp;– were confirmed in their lands and titles.<ref name=Huscroft138/> Waltheof was married to William's niece Judith, daughter of his half-sister Adelaide,<ref name=Douglas423>Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' p. 423</ref> and a marriage between Edwin and one of William's daughters was proposed. Edgar the Ætheling also appears to have been given lands. Ecclesiastical offices continued to be held by the same bishops as before the invasion, including the uncanonical Stigand.<ref name=Huscroft138/> But the families of Harold and his brothers lost their lands, as did some others who had fought against William at Hastings.<ref name=Carpenter75/> By March, William was secure enough to return to Normandy, but he took with him Stigand, Morcar, Edwin, Edgar, and Waltheof. He left his half-brother Odo, the Bishop of Bayeux, in charge of England along with another influential supporter, [[William fitzOsbern]], the son of his former guardian.<ref name=Huscroft138 /> Both men were also named to earldoms&nbsp;– fitzOsbern to Hereford (or Wessex) and Odo to Kent.<ref name=DNB/> Although he put two Normans in overall charge, he retained many of the native English [[sheriff]]s.<ref name=Carpenter75>Carpenter ''Struggle for Mastery'' pp. 75–76</ref> Once in Normandy the new English king went to Rouen and the [[Abbey of Fecamp]],<ref name=Huscroft138>Huscroft ''Norman Conquest'' pp. 138–139</ref> and then attended the consecration of new churches at two Norman monasteries.<ref name=DNB/>

While William was in Normandy, a former ally, [[Eustace II, Count of Boulogne|Eustace]], the [[Count of Boulogne]], [[Kentish Revolt of 1067|invaded at Dover]] but was repulsed. English resistance had also begun, with [[Eadric the Wild]] attacking [[Hereford]] and revolts at [[Exeter]], where Harold's mother Gytha was a focus of resistance.<ref name=Ruling57/> FitzOsbern and Odo found it difficult to control the native population and undertook a programme of castle-building to maintain their hold on the kingdom.<ref name=DNB/> William returned to England in December 1067 and marched on Exeter, which he besieged. The town held out for 18 days. After it fell to William he built a castle to secure his control. Harold's sons were meanwhile raiding the southwest of England from a base in Ireland. Their forces landed near [[Bristol]] but were defeated by [[Eadnoth the Constable|Eadnoth]]. By Easter, William was at Winchester, where he was soon joined by his wife Matilda, who was crowned in May 1068.<ref name=Ruling57>Huscroft ''Ruling England'' pp. 57–58</ref>

=== English resistance ===
{{Main|Harrying of the North}}
[[File:Baile Hill, York.JPG|The remains of [[Baile Hill]], the second [[motte-and-bailey castle]] built by William in York|thumb]]

In 1068 Edwin and Morcar rose in revolt, supported by [[Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria]]. Orderic Vitalis states that Edwin's reason for revolting was that the proposed marriage between himself and one of William's daughters had not taken place, but another reason probably included the increasing power of fitzOsbern in Herefordshire, which affected Edwin's power within his own earldom. The king marched through Edwin's lands and built [[Warwick Castle]]. Edwin and Morcar submitted, but William continued on to York, building [[York Castle|York]] and [[Nottingham Castle]]s before returning south. On his southbound journey, he began constructing [[Lincoln Castle|Lincoln]], [[Huntingdon Castle|Huntingdon]], and [[Cambridge Castle]]s. William placed supporters in charge of these new fortifications&nbsp;– among them [[William Peverel]] at Nottingham and [[Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick|Henry de Beaumont]] at Warwick&nbsp;– then returned to Normandy late in 1068.<ref name=Ruling57/>

Early in 1069, Edgar the Ætheling revolted and attacked York. Although William returned to York and built another castle, Edgar remained free, and in the autumn he joined up with King Sweyn.{{efn|Medieval chroniclers frequently referred to 11th-century events only by the season, making more precise dating impossible.}} The [[Danish attacks on Norman England|Danish king had brought a large fleet to England]] and attacked not only York but Exeter and [[Shrewsbury]]. York was captured by the combined forces of Edgar and Sweyn. Edgar was proclaimed king by his supporters. William responded swiftly, ignoring a continental revolt in Maine, and symbolically wore his crown in the ruins of York on Christmas Day 1069. He then bought off the Danes. He marched to the [[River Tees]], ravaging the countryside as he went. Edgar, having lost much of his support, fled to Scotland,<ref name=Carpenter76/> where King [[Malcolm III]] was married to Edgar's sister Margaret.<ref name=Douglas225>Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' p. 225</ref> Waltheof, who had joined the revolt, submitted, along with Gospatric, and both were allowed to retain their lands. William marched over the [[Pennines]] during the winter and defeated the remaining rebels at Shrewsbury before building [[Chester Castle|Chester]] and [[Stafford Castle]]s. This campaign, which included the burning and destruction of part of the countryside that the royal forces marched through, is usually known as the "[[Harrying of the North]]"; it was over by April 1070, when William wore his crown ceremonially for Easter at Winchester.<ref name=Carpenter76>Carpenter ''Struggle for Mastery'' pp. 76–77</ref>

=== Church affairs ===

While at Winchester in 1070, William met with three [[papal legate]]s&nbsp;– John Minutus, Peter, and Ermenfrid of Sion&nbsp;– who had been sent by the pope. The legates ceremonially crowned William during the Easter court.<ref name=Bates106/> The historian [[David Bates (historian)|David Bates]] sees this coronation as the ceremonial papal "seal of approval" for William's conquest.<ref name=DNB/> The legates and the king then held a series of ecclesiastical councils dedicated to reforming and reorganising the English church. Stigand and his brother, [[Æthelmær of Elmham|Æthelmær]], the [[Bishop of Elmham]], were deposed from their bishoprics. Some of the native abbots were also deposed, both at the council held near Easter and at a further one near [[Whitsun]]. The Whitsun council saw the appointment of Lanfranc as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, and [[Thomas of Bayeux]] as the new Archbishop of York, to replace Ealdred, who had died in September 1069.<ref name=Bates106/> William's half-brother Odo perhaps expected to be appointed to Canterbury, but William probably did not wish to give that much power to a family member.{{efn|The historian Frank Barlow points out that William had suffered from his uncle Mauger's ambitions while young and thus would not have countenanced creating another such situation.<ref name=Barlow59/>}} Another reason for the appointment may have been pressure from the papacy to appoint Lanfranc.<ref name=Barlow59>Barlow ''English Church 1066–1154'' p. 59</ref> Norman clergy were appointed to replace the deposed bishops and abbots, and at the end of the process, only native English bishops remained in office, along with several continental prelates appointed by Edward the Confessor.<ref name=Bates106>Bates ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 106–107</ref> In 1070 William also founded [[Battle Abbey]], a new monastery at the site of the Battle of Hastings, partly as a penance for the deaths in the battle and partly as a memorial to the dead.<ref name=DNB/> At an ecclesiastical council held in Lillebonne in 1080, he was confirmed in his ultimate authority over the Norman church.<ref>Turner "Richard Lionheart" ''French Historical Studies'' p. 521</ref>