What the English Thought of William the Conqueror
[1066-1087]
from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
IF any would know what manner of man King William was,
the glory that he obtained, and of how many lands he
was lord; then will we describe him as we have known
him, we, who have looked upon him, and who once lived
in his court. This King William, of whom we are
speaking, was a very wise and a great man, and more
honored and more powerful than any of his predecessors.
He was mild to those good men who loved God, but severe
beyond measure towards those who withstood his will. He
founded a noble monastery on the spot where God
permitted him to conquer England, and he established
monks in it, and he made it very rich. In his days the
great monastery at Canterbury was built, and many
others also throughout England; moreover this land was
filled with monks who lived after the rule of St.
Benedict; and such was the state of religion in his
days that all that would, might observe that which was
prescribed by theii respective orders. King William was
also held in much reverence: he wore his crown three
times every year when he was in England: at Easter he
wore it at Winchester, at Pentecost at Westminster, and
at Christmas at Gloucester. And at these times, all the
men of England were with him,
archbishops, bishops, abbats, and earls, thanes, and
knights.
So also was he a very stern and a wrathful man, so that
none durst do anything against his will, and he kept in
prison those earls who acted against his pleasure. He
removed bishops from their sees, and abbats from their
offices, and he imprisoned thanes, and at length he
spared not his own brother Odo. This Odo was a very
powerful bishop in Normandy, his see was that of
Bayeux, and he was foremost to serve the king. He had
an earldom in England, and when William was in
Normandy, he was the first man in this country, and him
did he cast into prison. Amongst other things the good
order that William established is not to be forgotten;
it was such that any man, who was himself aught, might
travel over the kingdom with a bosom full of gold
unmolested; and no man durst kill another, however
great the injury he might have received from him. He
reigned over England, and being sharp-sighted to his
own interest, he surveyed the kingdom so thoroughly
that there was not a single hide of land throughout the
whole of which he knew not the possessor and how much
it was worth, and this he afterwards entered in his
register. The land of the Britons
was under his sway,
and he built castles therein; moreover he had full
dominion over the Isle of Man (Anglesey): Scotland
also was subject to him froin his great strength; the
land of Normandy was his by inheritance, and he
possessed the earldom of Maine, and had he lived two
years longer he would have subdued Ireland by his
prowess, and that without a battle.
Truly there was much trouble in these times and very
great distress; he caused castles to be built, and
oppressed the poor. The king was also of great
sternness, and he took from his subjects many marks of
gold, and many hundred pounds of silver, and this,
either with or without right, and with little need. He
was given to avarice, and greedily loved gain. He made
large forests for the deer, and enacted laws therewith,
so that whoever killed a hart or a hind should be
blinded. As he forbade killing the deer, so also the
boars; and he loved the tall stags as if he were their
father. He also appointed concerning the hares, that
they should go free. The rich complained, and the poor
murmured, but he was so sturdy that he recked nought of
them; they must will all that the king willed if they
would live, or would keep their lands, or would hold
their possessions, or would be maintained in their
rights. Alas! that any man should so exalt himself and
carry himself in his pride over all! May Almighty God
show mercy to his soul, and grant him the forgiveness
of his sins! We have written concerning him these
things, both good and bad, that virtuous men might
follow after the good, and wholly avoid the evil, and
might go in the way that leadeth to the kingdom of
heaven.
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