The Harrying (or Harrowing) of the North was a series of campaigns waged by William the Conqueror, King of England, in the winter of 1069–1070 in order to subjugate the north of his newfound English kingdom (primarily Northumbria and the Midlands) as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The north at the time was a land of many free farmers and Scandinavians, and the Harrying suppressed their independent way of life. The death toll is believed to be 150,000, with substantial social, cultural, and economic damage. Due to the scorched earth policy, much of the land was laid waste and depopulated, a fact to which Domesday Book, written almost two decades later, readily attests. William I ( 1027 – September 9, 1087), was King of England from 1066 to 1087. ... This is a list of British monarchs, that is, the monarchs on the thrones of some of the various kingdoms that have existed on, or incorporated, the island of Great Britain, namely: England (united with Wales from 1536) up to 1707; Scotland up to 1707; The Kingdom of Great Britain... Events Harrying of the North- King William of England (William the Conqueror) reacts to rebellions made by his people against him. ... Events Hereward the Wake begins a Saxon revolt in the Fens of eastern England. ... Section from Shepherds map of the British Isles about 802 AD showing the kingdom of Northumbria Northumbria is primarily the name of a petty kingdom of Angles which was formed in Great Britain at the beginning of the 7th century, from two smaller kingdoms of Bernicia and Diera, and... In general, the midlands of a territory are its central regions. ... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... For other uses, see Scandinavia (disambiguation). ... A scorched earth policy is a military tactic which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area. ... A line drawing entitled Domesday Book from Andrew Williamss Historic Byways and Highways of Old England. ...

Background

After the abdication of Edgar the Aetheling (whom William had never recognised anyway) from the kingship of England in December 1066, the population of northern England found themselves bereft of the state protection which a king provided, for William's victory had not been secured there. Due to their mixed Anglo-Scandinavian identity, they preferred as their kings members of the House of Munsö of Sweden or the Fairhair Dynasty of Norway, or the Anglo-Saxon House of Wessex. Despite their never having sworn allegiance to him, William considered the northerners rebels as they were within the realm of King Edward, whom he regarded as his direct predecessor. Edgar Ætheling or Eadgar II (c. ... Events January 6 - Harold II is crowned September 20 - Battle of Fulford September 25 - Battle of Stamford Bridge September 29 - William of Normandy lands in England at Pevensey. ... The House of Munsö is the Scandinavian semi-legendary dynasty which is descended from Björn Ironside, one of the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The House of Wessex refers to the family that ruled a kingdom in southwest England known as Wessex. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The situation in Northumbria was secured by William by the quick appointment Copsi, a native who had done homage to William, as earl. The appointment did not last as Copsi was murdered by Osulf, son of Earl Eadulf III of Bernicia, whose family had long been rulers of Bernicia and at times Northumbria also. When the usurping Osulf was killed, his cousin, Cospatrick, bought the earldom from William. He was not long in power before he joined the Aetheling in rebellion in 1068. With support of Edwin, Earl of Mercia, and Morcar, the deposed earl of Northumbria, Edgar rebelled against the new king and was defeated immediately. He fled to the court of King Malcolm III of Scotland and there married his sister Margaret to the Scottish king in return for assistance. This he received and he began to plot with the king of Denmark, Sweyn II, a nephew of King Canute. In 1069, he and his allied forces invaded again to claim the crown to which the old Witan had once elevated him. It was at this time that, on 28 January, the rebels converged on Durham and murdered the newly-named earl Robert de Comines, a Norman who ignored the advice of William's ally, the bishop of Durham, Ethelwin. Copsi was a Northumbrian magnate in late Anglo-Saxon England. ... Osulf II (sometimes Oswulf) was the son of Eadulf III, earl of Northumbria, and thus heir to the ancient family of theirs, which had, until 1041, been ealdormen or earls of Bernicia (between the Tweed and the Tees), with their capital at Bamburgh. ... Eadulf III or Eadwulf (d. ... Bernicia (Brythonic, Brynaich or Bryneich) was a kingdom of the Angles in northern England during the 6th and 7th centuries AD. It later merged with the kingdom of Deira to form the kingdom of Northumbria. ... It has been suggested that Gospatric of Northumberland be merged into this article or section. ... Events Emperor Go-Sanjo ascends the throne of Japan William the Conqueror takes Exeter after a brief siege Births Henry I of England (d. ... Edwin (died 1070) was the elder brother of Morcar, Earl of Northumbria, son of Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia and nephew of Hereward. ... Morcar/Morkere (d. ... Earl of Northumbria was a title in the Anglo-Danish, late Anglo-Saxon, and early Anglo-Norman period in England. ... Máel Coluim mac Donnchada (anglicised Malcolm III) (1030x1038–13 November 1093) was King of Scots. ... Stained glass window image of Saint Margaret of Scotland in the small chapel at Edinburgh Castle Saint Margaret of Scotland, also known by her Anglo-Saxon name Margaret Ætheling (c. ... This is a list of Danish monarchs, that is, the Kings and ruling Queen of Denmark, including Regents of the Kalmar Union. ... Sweyn II Estridsson Ulfsson. ... Canute (or Cnut) I, or Canute the Great (Old Norse: Knútr inn ríki, Danish: Knud den Store, Norwegian: Knut den mektige, Swedish: Knut den store) (ca. ... Events Harrying of the North- King William of England (William the Conqueror) reacts to rebellions made by his people against him. ... The Witenagemot (or Witan) was a political institution in Anglo-Saxon England which operated between approximately the 7th century and 11th century. ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Statistics Population: 42,939 (2001) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: NZ274424 Administration District: City of Durham Shire county: Durham Region: North East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Durham Historic county: Durham Services Police force: County Durham Ambulance service: North East Post office and telephone... Robert Comine (also Robert de Comines) was very briefly earl of Northumbria in 1068. ... Norman conquests in red. ... Arms of the Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the officer of the Church of England responsible for the diocese of Durham, one of the oldest in the country. ... Ethelwin was the last Anglo-Saxon bishop of Durham (1056-1071), the last who was not also a secular ruler, and the only English bishop at the time of the Norman Conquest who did not remain loyal to William the Conqueror. ...

The Harrying

At that juncture, Ethelwin abandoned the pro-Norman camp (the only English prelate to do so) and a mixed army of Gaels, Vikings, and Angles fell on the north to secure the throne for the old dynasty. The army captured York, but made no other headway and the Northumbrians proclaimed no independent state. William promptly and without delay marched an army north, violently razing all the way, to devastate the illegitimate Saxon prince. Again Edgar fled to Scotland and, for the first time in many years, the king of England paid the Danes to leave his soil. This article is about the historic English city. ...

From the Humber to Tees, William's men burnt whole villages and slaughtered the inhabitants. Foodstores and livestock were destroyed so that anyone surviving the initial massacre would soon succumb to starvation over the winter. The survivors were reduced to cannibalism, with one report stating that the skulls of the dead were cracked open so that the brains could be eaten. This led to a plague. River Hull tidal barrier. ... The Tees, a river of England, rises on the eastward slope of Cross Fell in the Pennine Chain, and traverses a valley about 85 miles (137 km) in length to the North Sea. ...

Legacy

William granted Alan of Brittany the fief of Richmondshire in 1071. Brittany has an expansive coastline Flag of Brittany (Gwenn-ha-du) Historical province of Brittany région of Bretagne, see Bretagne. ... Richmondshire is a local government district of North Yorkshire, England. ... Events Byzantine Empire loses Battle of Manzikert to Turkish army under Alp Arslan. ...

It was not until 1072 that William appointed another earl in Northumbria and the Scots made peace. It was, further, not until 1074 that Edgar and William made peace and William's hold on the crown was not even theoretically opposed. Events William I of England invades Scotland, and also receives the submission of Hereward the Wake. ... Events Births February 12 - Conrad, King of Germany and Italy (d. ...

From the Norman point of view, the tactics were a complete success, as large areas, including regions as south and west as Staffordshire, were waste (wasta est, as Domesday says) and further rebellions of any substance did not occur. Contemporary biographers of William considered it to be his cruelest act and a stain upon his soul, but the deed was little mentioned before Whig history and was not mainstream knowledge until then. Staffordshire (abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. ... Whig history is a pejorative name given to a view of history that is shared by a number of eighteenth and nineteenth century British writers on historical subjects. ...

The effect on the north was immense and, in economic terms, there was a great inequality between North and South until the Late Middle Ages and later. In the fifteenth century, the Council of the North was enacted to repair some of these inequities. Dante by Michelino The Late Middle Ages is a term used by historians to describe European history in the period of the 14th and 15th centuries (1300–1500 A.D.). The Late Middle Ages were preceded by the High Middle Ages, and followed by the Early Modern era (Renaissance). ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... The Council of the North was an administrative body set up by Richard III of England in 1484 to improve government control over the northern counties. ...

Despite the economic boom triggered by the Industrial Revolution, the North remains the poorer half of England to this day. A Watt steam engine in Madrid. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

See also

• Earl of Northumbria
• Northumbria
• Norman Conquest
• Domesday Book

Earl of Northumbria was a title in the Anglo-Danish, late Anglo-Saxon, and early Anglo-Norman period in England. ... Section from Shepherds map of the British Isles about 802 AD showing the kingdom of Northumbria Northumbria is primarily the name of a petty kingdom of Angles which was formed in Great Britain at the beginning of the 7th century, from two smaller kingdoms of Bernicia and Diera, and... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... A line drawing entitled Domesday Book from Andrew Williamss Historic Byways and Highways of Old England. ...

Sources

• Stenton, Sir Frank M. Anglo-Saxon England Third Edition. Oxford University Press, 1971.
• Hynde, Thomas (ed). The Domesday Book: England's History Then and Now. 1995.