William the Conqueror’s Brutal Harrying of the North

No conqueror is ever merciful. By rights of conquest, mercy is seldom shown to those being conquered. After all, it was long known in history that those who fear a new ruler will most often obey him as well. William the Conqueror, the Norman invader of England, knew this all too well when he began his devastating campaign to subdue the English north. The last step on the full reign over England, the north had to be captured swiftly and decisively. And it is because of this that William conducted the Harrying of the North, where brutality, destruction, and utter devastation secured him both the victory and the obedience of his new subjects.

The Harrying of the North and the Stain on William’s Rule

William the Conqueror, or “the Bastard” as he was also known, was a seasoned ruler by the time he came to England. A descendant of the Viking chieftain Rollo, who settled in French Normandy and became its Duke, William had the same warlike nature as his Norse predecessors.

William himself was the Duke of Normandy and the leader of the Normans, a distinct cultural group within France that emerged from the Vikings who settled there in the past. When he came to inherit the ducal title in 1035 AD, William had to fight for it. For nearly 30 years he struggled with his rivals and enemies, fighting off rebellions and quelling disorder amongst his vassals. But by 1060 AD, his reign over the Duchy of Normandy was firm. And that meant that he could set his sights on a bigger prize.

William is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry during the Battle of Hastings, lifting his helmet to show that he is still alive. (Public Domain)

At that time, Anglo-Saxon England was in a perilous state. In 1066 AD, its King, Edward the Confessor died, leaving no direct heirs. The throne was vacant, and the rule over England was taken up by Harold Godwinson, the brother-in-law of the late King. But William the Conqueror also had a claim to the throne. And that is why he did not hesitate. He mustered his seasoned Norman warriors, who were at the time the finest military in Medieval Europe. And with this vast army he sailed across the channel and invaded England in that same year. Weakened and fighting on two fronts, Harold Godwinson stood no chance. William’s victory was swift and decisive, and most of England quickly became a new Norman territory.

The North, however, remained an obstacle. The last remaining power-figures of the Anglo-Saxons rallied around Edgar Ætheling, the very last member of the noble house of Wessex. His presence was a threat for William’s rule, as the disaffected nobles could easily flock to him and raise a revolt. At first, however, overwhelmed by the unstoppable advance of the Normans, Edgar and his subjects formally surrendered to William. But by 1069, this was nothing more than a formality. The remaining forces of the Danes, the Northumbrians, and the Anglo-Scandinavians all raised several rebellions and delayed Norman progress. And as they refused to meet William in open battle, he opted to play a move of utter devastation. He wanted to harry the north.

Utter Destruction of the Land

In 1069 AD, William the Conqueror, the new ruler of England, set upon a new campaign. He traveled north and spent the winter in York. The city was before that possessed by a rebel army, which fled when they heard of his approach. The Danes, which were part of that army, decided to enter negotiations. After being paid a substantial sum by the Normans, the Danes decided to call it a day, and went to their ships, sailing home to Denmark.

This only left the final opposing factions, the frail remnants of the Anglo-Saxon state that was so utterly defeated by William. But since these rebels knew that they would be decisively defeated if they met William in open battle, they repeatedly avoided this. So, William employed a strategy that would cut off their food sources, and any option of support.

It was an efficient method – but all too brutal, as it involved the devastation of the crops, the villages, and innocent populace. And the Normans didn’t hesitate. This campaign, which lasted from the winter of 1069-1070, was so brutal that it shocked everyone. A near-contemporary Norman chronicler, Vitalis, wrote about it in the 12 th century:

“The King (William) stopped at nothing to hunt his enemies. He cut down many people and destroyed homes and land. Nowhere else had he shown such cruelty. This made a real change. To his shame, William made no effort to control his fury, punishing the innocent with the guilty. He ordered that crops and herds; tools and food be burned to ashes. More than 100,000 people perished of starvation. I have often praised William in this book, but I can say nothing good about this brutal slaughter. God will punish him.”

Vitalis, Ordericus: The Ecclesiastical history of England and Normandy. Vol. 2 Bk 4. (1854) Henry G. Bohn.

As he went on the march with his army, William ordered the harrying of the lands on both sides of his route, north of the River Aire. The Norman warriors showed deadly efficiency. They burned all crops to the ground; destroyed homes and granaries; burned entire villages and hamlets; killed rebels and civilians alike; and forced many people into exile and hiding. And with the majority of the crops now gone in this territory, starvation ensued. In the period following this brutal action, many civilians perished from starvation. Modern estimates suggest that between 100,000 and 150,000 people died as a result.

Scene from the Bayeux Tapestry showing the Normans provisioning armor and wine for the invasion of England. (Public Domain)

An Early Form of Genocide?

In modern historiography, people often overlook the scale and the effect of this devastating campaign. Marching from York, the Norman army had the whole of the North of England laid out for plunder and destruction. It is an enormous territory and a fertile breadbasket of the region. The army spread out over this great territory and laid everything to waste. The result was nothing short of a catastrophe. The famine that ensued was so terrible that many contemporary historians were appalled by it. In modern times, it has been dubbed a genocide. Medieval writers, such as Florence of Worcester, wrote:

“[King William] assembled an army, and hastened into Northumbria, giving way to his resentment; and spent the whole winter in laying waste the country, slaughtering the inhabitants, and inflicting every sort of evil, without cessation. A severe famine prevailed in most parts of the Kingdom, chiefly in Northumbria. Men were driven to feed on the flesh of horses, dogs, cats, and even human beings.”

Florence of Worcester: Forester, Thomas (ed.). The Chronicle of Florence of Worcester. Translated by Forester, Thomas. (1854).   Henry G. Bohn.

This historian confirms that the effects of the famine were so great that even cannibalism appeared in the countryside. Another chronicler from the same time confirms this:

“… so great a famine prevailed that men, compelled by hunger, devoured human flesh, that of horses, dogs, and cats, and whatever custom abhors; others sold themselves to perpetual slavery, so that they might in any way preserve their wretched existence.”

Symeon of Durham: The Historical works of Simeon of Durham. The Church Historians of England. Vol. III Part II. Translated by Joseph Stevenson. (1855). London: Seeleys.

Scene from the Bayeux Tapestry whose text shows William supplying weapons to Harold during Harold’s trip to the continent in 1064. (Public Domain)

Depopulation, Devastation, Devaluation

The Harrying of the North had the desired effect – it rendered the rebel force nearly non-existent. William appointed new leaders in the north, chiefly a new Earl of Northumbria, from amongst his own nobles. He also granted many lands and estates to his trusted vassals, but these lands were now largely deserted and scorched. Those that survived the harrying fled, mostly further north, to the lowlands of Scotland. Some fled south as well, as far as Worcestershire. This means that many of the lands in the region that were granted were in essence of little value, as it would be years before things would once again go back to normal.

The devastation was not only bad for the people, but for the economy as well. Even some 16 years after the harrying, it was reported that many parts of the north were still deserted and wasted. The list of records compiled in the Domesday Book in 1086 show us that many of the villages and manors in this region have a note beside them – wasteas est – meaning “it is wasted”. Roughly around 66% of all the villages in the area were laid waste, even so long after the campaign. Of course, all this resulted in a drastic decline in land prices, which reflected on other parts of the medieval English economy.

Nevertheless, William’s campaign was a success. The lands were subdued, and new Norman lords were appointed to rule them. But efforts still had to be made to repopulate the land and once more return it to the normal state. Records from the time show that Norman landowners sought to bring in new settlers to live on the land and work the fields. Nobles were renting land to any men who showed loyalty. What is more, the Normans and their culture were reserved mostly for the ruling class. This meant that the English people were still allowed to live on their traditional lands and to cultivate their culture as previously, as long as they remained loyal to their overlords.

Norman conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (WorldHistory)

Fear and Obedience

History of powerful kingdoms was seldom peaceful and without bloodshed. And when it comes to Medieval England, this is certainly true. From the ravaging Vikings to the Danes and the Normans – the land suffered. And it was always the common peasant that suffered and had to work the land for another’s use. In the case of the Harrying of the North, it was the sad case that so many innocent civilians suffered as a result, when the target were the rebel armies.

But even so, many modern historians suggest that the scale of the harrying was smaller than it is suggested from medieval sources. Some say that William could not have commanded a large enough army to harry such vast territories, while others say that the figure of 100,000 dead civilians is too high. But whatever the case is, William succeeded in his mission. The folk feared his wrath, and as a result – obeyed him.

Top image: Normans burned land and villages, portrayed here in AI generation, to illustrate Harrying of the North.                Source: Public Domain

By Aleksa Vučković

References
Abbot, J. 2012. History of William the Conqueror. Skyhorse Publishing.

Douglas, D. C. 1964. William the Conqueror: The Norman Impact Upon England. University of California Press.

Florence of Worcester 1854. Forester, Thomas (ed.). The Chronicle of Florence of Worcester. Translated by Forester, Thomas. Henry G. Bohn.

Morris, M. 2022. The Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England. Simon and Schuster.

Symeon of Durham (1855). The Historical works of Simeon of Durham. The Church Historians of England. Vol. III Part II. Translated by Joseph Stevenson. London: Seeleys.

Vitalis, O. 1853. The Ecclesiastical history of England and Normandy. Vol. 2 Bk 4. Henry G. Bohn.