One of the major threats to his stronghold was the Viking invasion which resulted in widespread revolts in the north due to collaboration between the Vikings and the rebelling Saxon nobles and caused the capturing of York. William was under threat to losing Northumbria to the Scandinavians completely and to prevent this, William used an excessive amount of force and ‘fell on the English of the northern shires like a ravening lion’ (part of Williams deathbed confession). William stormed north to eradicate the Vikings and after William had beaten the challengers, he systematically harried Yorkshire and other parts of Northumbria and northern Mercia to make sure that these areas would never again dispute his rule- this became known as The Harrowing of the North. He sent armies through the countryside, depopulating large areas and making them uninhabitable. Although Williams’s methods were undoubtedly morally questionable and they destroyed the prosperity of York greatly, The Harrying of the North ultimately had the desired effect- the north was tamed.
The death of many English nobles in battle, plus the fact that William's followers expected to be rewarded for faithful and efficacious service, meant that much land would change hands. This of course was against many English nobles and many of the public too; however, William left three earls in place, Edwin, Morcar, and Waltheof, and used the established power of the English monarchy to assert his authority in those parts of the country - most of it north of London - not actually under Norman occupation. This allowed William to focus on more problematic areas of England and showed great skill in his takeover.
Another area where William used force was during the revolt of the English earls in 1075. A group of Norman knights and one surviving Saxon leader, Waltheof revolted and fought a battle but lost. Waltheof gave himself up to William, who beheaded him - this was considered harsh if not unfair, the Norman knights merely had lands confiscated and were imprisoned for life. This shows one of Williams great weaknesses as a leader, this would have caused a loss of respect by the English public and meant that the main reason why he did keep control was due to force.
Despite the use of force to control England, the skills William displayed at the battle of Hastings such as his skill in leadership and in politics were continued throughout his rule and reign. William used a large amount of dexterity in his controlling and altering of the English government; One of his greatest strengths was his reliance upon the style of kingship and government founded in Anglo-Saxon times- connecting the two nationalities together. This reinforced his “legal” claim to Edward the Confessors throne and combined with his Itinerant Kingship where he moved from place to place, increasing his control and establishing his rule, William became more popular as he was able to gain respect from the public, and, subtly change the government causing as little uprising against him as possible.
In addition to the personal visits of the king in his itinerant kingship where the king toured the country investigating, inspecting and encouraging his officers, William established control by his laws written up in the commonly used today- Chancery.
The Chancery was an aspect of government upon which the Normans had very little knowledge of, this lack, which could have weakened Williams position merely strengthened his situation; he enlightened the system with a scriptorium where the documents were written up and organised and even started the ‘privy seal’, whereby documents could be printed with the ‘great seal’ while the king was travelling. This well organised system in the Chancery increased Williams control over the English as he was able to clearly create laws, publicize them, and keep them in good condition- minimizing opposition towards the laws and further increasing the awareness of his social and political skill.
When it came to enhancing control on a more local basis, William yet again used the English method and kept the ‘shire and hundred courts’ system in place. The shire court system tried offences against the crown while also supplying authoritative information on local customs and rights. The use of a familiar system to the public reduced uprising and increased the respect for William as a ruler of the kingdom, ensuring that he was the rightful heir. However, shire courts seldom took place (twice a year) so to create a sense of importance amongst matters of a lower value, the king kept the ‘hundred courts’ too, where more petty matters were dealt with more regularly. The keeping place of these systems informs us of Williams’s awareness of Anglo-Saxon strength and also shows Williams skill and knowledge on controlling the government and public.
However, one of the key ways in which William established control was through laws- and consequently, force. William reflected the nature of his conquest by protecting the Norman-French settlers in England by creating a fine to be imposed upon any hundred where a Norman was found to be murdered and his assassin to be missing. Other laws enforcing his rule were the prevention of other religions other than Christianity- this would have enhanced his claim to the throne through ‘holy war’ and therefore enhance his kingship as a whole. These combined with many other laws, although forced, were also for the benefit of the nation: an example of this was the law which prevented the selling of men; this shows the early stages of human rights in medieval times and allowed freedom and happiness to the public, which while forced, benefited the country and therefore made quality of life greater along with greater respect for the king himself.
Laws instituted control; however one of the greatest surveys augmented this further: the doomsday book. It is the best illustration of Anglo-Saxon legal, administrative and financial systems and shows how they were controlled by William - which was by adapting or continuing the regimes. It gave an insight to how much William could tax each hundred and how many taxes were owed. The timing of the doomsday book is essential as it was during a crisis against the Scandinavians when it was requested whereby William needed to pay his army and know where they were situated in England. The Doomsday book therefore shows Williams military skill as a leader, confirming his success in past battles while also establishing organisation throughout the country to increase control without needing to force it.
This sophisticated and organised system made William a leader ahead of his time; he also proposed breaking free from Rome almost 400 years before King Henry VIII did. He did this by refusing to send his bishops to Rome - besides Lafranc - , and sent letters as an alternative. During his reign, there was an Anti-pope gaining power in Germany; William very cleverly played them off on one another reducing opposition towards England and making his reign more respected and worthy amongst the English.
William also altered the church internally, replacing the hostile Anglo-Saxon Abbots and Bishops with Norman aristocracy; this increased loyalty between the church and the king which was crucial in avoiding uprisings against him. He changed the structure of the church by introducing the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury and a hierarchical system, while also reducing the amount of power the church had by taking away land and taking down monasteries to make the new regime clear to the public. This new structure meant that carrying out laws were easier and this led to further power to William without using force.
William had reformed the church, and now needed to focus on the hundreds and the public. One of the great symbols of Norman rule in England is the castle, and it is an accurate one. William demanded that hundreds of Motte-and-Bailey castles were to be built throughout England. They were quick and easy to erect, allowing quick consequences: they created a sense of power for the Normans by their physical presence, they were too sophisticated for Anglo-Saxon weaponry, and most importantly allowed William to spread Norman influence throughout the kingdom -The castles were a successful method of control without being brutal. However, the castles were one of the weapons William used when using force; the abundance of castles meant that he could readily deploy troops at anytime and gave Norman knights the ability to exercise control and terrorise Saxon natives.
Despite his ability in politics and leadership shown in his altering of the English government, church and establishment of the castles, William was soon put into a position where he had to either thoroughly subdue England by force, or give up and go home. William began using force even before his coronation whereby he pillaged southern land in order for Harold’s successor Edgar Atheling to surrender, achieving this, William was crowned king with the full rights. Very soon after his Christmas, 1066 coronation, William felt it necessary to return to Normandy taking with him the natural leaders of the English. Nevertheless, there was trouble and although William returned and put down these first revolts easily, new ones followed.
From the beginning of his rule, William had to be tough, he was foreign and therefore not welcomed by the English – the conquest was forced upon Britain like any conquest would be. It was sometimes required for William to be brutal, rebellions would not be ended by negotiation and therefore had to be crushed in order for William to remain in power. But, beyond that we find a modernised and well structured society, with collaborated support from both Norman and Anglo-Saxon methods, and this while improving the economy and society of the country, also allowed loyalty and trust to form between William and the public by taking things slowly and subtly. His policies were innovative and largely for the benefit of the kingdom- he used fortification, the church and reformation in the government too creating boundaries and allowing enforcement of laws.