Harrying of the North

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)
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The north of England had been under Danish control for much of the previous half-century. William the Conqueror led a campaign in the winter of 1069-70 to subjugate the local population, known as the Harrying of the North. Whole villages were burnt and one estimate has put the death toll at 100,000. Food stores were deliberately destroyed so that even those who survived the initial slaughter would face starvation over the winter months. This campaign allowed William to replace the local Anglo-Danish lords with Norman ones of his own choice, who would be loyal to the crown. However, the rest of the population largely retained a Viking character for at least another century.

112 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Harrying of the North". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 July 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1948, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1948 Harrying of the North 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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