First uprisings

Submission, however, was not the same as lasting support. English nobles could resent losing land and power, while local communities could oppose the behaviour of Norman officials and soldiers. The first uprisings therefore challenged both William’s right to rule and the way Norman rule was being imposed.

Edric the Wild: resistance on the Welsh border

In 1067, Edric the Wild, a thegn from Herefordshire, began resistance along the Welsh border. This was an area that earlier English kings had also found difficult to control. Edric attracted support from English people and Welsh princes, so his resistance crossed the border rather than remaining an entirely English movement.

The campaign continued beyond its first year. In 1069, the rebels burned Shrewsbury and fought William at the Battle of Stafford. William personally led efforts to suppress the rebellion and eventually defeated it. Edric’s uprising shows that resistance in the west could be prolonged and could draw strength from alliances with neighbouring Welsh rulers.

Dover: an early challenge during William’s absence

Another challenge came in 1067 at Dover. Eustace, Count of Boulogne and brother-in-law of Edward the Confessor, attacked Dover Castle after encouragement from local people dissatisfied with their Norman rulers. Eustace was not an English rebel: his involvement shows that opposition could bring together local grievances and a powerful outsider.

He attacked while William was in Normandy and William’s half-brother Odo was helping govern England. The castle’s knights successfully resisted the attack. Eustace later reconciled with William, showing that defeated opponents were not necessarily excluded permanently from power.

Exeter: resistance in the south-west

Exeter refused to swear loyalty to William in 1068. The surrounding area contained supporters of Harold Godwinson, including his mother, Gytha. Their presence made Exeter’s defiance particularly threatening: opposition there was connected to the family and supporters of the king William had defeated.

William personally led a siege of the city. After 18 days, Exeter surrendered. He then built a castle to help prevent future rebellions.

The siege and the castle served different purposes. The siege ended the immediate resistance; the castle provided a permanent Norman military presence to discourage another uprising. William was turning a battlefield victory into continuing control over the region.

Edwin and Morcar: why Mercia rebelled

Edwin was Earl of Mercia, a large region of the Midlands, while his brother Morcar was Earl of Northumbria. Both had accepted William after Hastings, but their position weakened under his rule. In 1068, they rebelled and sought to replace William with Edgar the Atheling, an English royal claimant. They hoped that Edgar would restore their authority.

Their grievances were both personal and political. William had promised Edwin marriage to his daughter but did not fulfil the promise. Edwin’s earldom had also been reduced, while Morcar had lost authority in Northumbria. Less territory meant less wealth and influence, so the brothers had practical reasons to fear Norman control.

Wider grievances helped make resistance attractive. Odo of Bayeux and William FitzOsbern took English land unlawfully, and soldiers’ abuse of English women went unpunished. William’s increased geld tax also caused resentment. Castles further weakened the earls because the areas supporting them were controlled by castle commanders rather than directly by the earls. Norman authority was therefore reaching into regions that English nobles had previously dominated.

The brothers gained support from other leading figures, including Maerleswein, Waltheof, Gospatric and Edgar. Nevertheless, support did not mean that all the rebels shared the same priorities. Noble leaders could be seeking to recover their own power rather than pursuing one united programme.

Defeat, submission and stronger Norman control

Edwin and Morcar surrendered, and their rebellion collapsed. William pardoned them but required them to remain at his court. This kept potentially dangerous opponents close to him rather than leaving them free to organise resistance in their own regions. William’s ability to raise an army and build castles also discouraged further opposition.

The early uprisings reveal a pattern: William faced separate regional challenges and answered them through military force, castles and selective reconciliation. He survived these challenges, but their defeat did not end resistance throughout England.

They also help explain the idea of the Norman Yoke. Land seizures, taxation and the loss of English nobles’ authority gave people reasons to experience Norman rule as domination. However, the rebels were not a single united movement: their motives ranged from local grievances to personal ambition and loyalty to the former royal family.