'The Bloody Aftermath of the Battle of Hastings'
In the winter of 1069-70 after the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror waged a series of military campaigns to subjugate northern England and consolidate his power, where the presence of the last Wessex claimant, Edgar Atheling, had encouraged Anglo-Danish rebellions.
The "Harrying Of The North" as it became known, saw William the Conqueror's knights lay waste to Yorkshire and neighbouring shires. Entire villages were razed and their inhabitants killed, livestock slaughtered and stores of food destroyed.
This scorched-earth operation is one of the defining episodes of the Norman Conquest, not just from a military-political perspective but also in terms of how it has shaped modern perceptions of the Normans as a tyrannical and merciless warrior class. But why were such brutal measures considered necessary and why was the north in particular targeted? Watch this video to find out!
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