Chevauchée - William The Conqueror's Harrying of the North

William the Conqueror was one of the most successful and ruthless military commanders of the medieval era. Although he won the Crown of England with his victory at The Battle of Hastings it took him rather longer to truly conquer the Kingdom.

During the winter of 1069/70 he headed North in response to the threat of insurrection with the support of King Sven of Denmark who had arrived with some 240 ships and took the city of York on 20 September 1069.

William's response has come down to us as the "Harrying of the North". He utterly devastated the surrounding lands, burnt the crops and destroyed all food sources for the rapidly approaching winter. This strategy isolated the Danes and cut them off from any supplies which might have come from the countryside. The Danes came to terms and left but the impact on the country as far north as Northumbria was terrible. Hunger and famine was everywhere and killed more people than those put to death by the sword.

Basically William targeted the rural population. He wasn't fighting an army or attacking medieval castles but destroying the countryside and denying food and sustenance to the people. This wasn't the first or indeed the last time that such tactics were used in medieval times. Terrible though they were their impact was undeniable.

References: Harrying Of The North on Wikipedia
"By sword and Fire". Sean McGlynn. Pub Phoenix.

Image from the Bayeaux tapestry of William 1st

Connecting With A Medieval Christmas

When you sit down on Christmas Day and eat your turkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding, here are 3 medieval connections you might like to reflect on.

• William the Conqueror chose Christmas Day 1066 for his coronation as King of England at Westminster Abbey in London. Read more about the medieval kings of England.


• On Christmas Day no-one in medieval Europe ate turkey - it was the 16th century before the humble turkey was brought from America. In medieval times it was usually goose or venison for the rich on Christmas Day and pottage with perhaps a little meat thrown in for the peasants. Read more about pottage recipes.


• The tradition of having a Christmas pudding was as popular then as it is now except that the pudding was a little different in medieval times. It was called frumenty and was a spicy, thick porridge made with wheat, currants, dried fruit and spices. Read more about medieval desserts.