Hello, welcome to History here at Oak National Academy.

My name's Mr. Newton, and I'll be your teacher today guiding you through the entirety of the lesson.

Right.

Let's get started.

Over the next few lessons we'll be thinking about our big inquiry question, "How did Norman government impact England?" This is the question we'll use to investigate the nature of Norman England.

After the Normans had successfully conquered England, it was uncertain what an Anglo-Norman state would look like.

There had been a complete change in the ruling elites.

The Anglo-Saxon aristocracy had been replaced by Normans.

One member of the Norman aristocracy would have a significant impact, and it just so happened to be William the Conqueror's half-brother.

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to describe the career of Bishop Odo of Bayeux and his impact on England.

Before we begin, there are a few key words we need to understand.

A regent is a person who rules a country for a limited period because the monarch is absent, too young, or too ill.

Someone who's focused on the secular is focused on things that have no connection with religion or the spiritual world, such as land and money.

Today's lesson is split into two parts.

In the first part, we'll look at Odo's involvement in the Norman invasion before looking at his career after 1066, where some have claimed he became a tyrant.

Okay, let's start the lesson with Odo and the Norman invasion.

After the Norman conquest of England, there was a complete change in the ruling elite.

The Norman aristocracy replaced the Anglo-Saxons.

If you have a look at the diagram on the left, it shows the Anglo-Saxon society, and we can see the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy, the king, the earls, and the thegns at the top ruling over England.

And we can see that after the Norman invasion, the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy was completely replaced by Normans.

This not only had an impact on England as a whole, but it's also radically changed the lives of many Normans who suddenly inherited the responsibility and wealth of England and its earldoms. One example of this is the career of Lanfranc.

He went from being an abbot in Normandy with responsibility for a group of monks, but he went on to become the head of the English church and governed England as William's regents.

And another example of course is William's half-brother, Odo of Bayeux.

In 1049, William appointed Odo as the bishop of Bayeux in Normandy.

However, Odo was not a natural choice.

As a young man, he did not show great piety or spiritual thoughtfulness, and was more focused on secular distractions.

Have a look at the image on the left of Bishop Odo.

Although Odo is wearing his bishop's outfit, the illustration very much projects Odo as a powerful ruler who looks more interested in war and wealth than the crucifix which trails behind him.

Okay, let's check your understanding.

Why did the Norman invasion represent a radical change for aristocrats like Odo and Lanfranc? A, they gained massive responsibilities and power.

B, they lost their positions and influence.

C, they maintain the same roles as before the conquest.

Pause the video, have a think, and come right back.

Okay, welcome back and well done if you knew it was A, they gained massive responsibilities and power.

And obviously, this not only impacted their own lives and their own career, but they would impact England as well.

Okay, let's have another check.

This sentence contains an error.

What I want you to do is use a keyword to correct the error.

So have a read of the sentence and see if you can correct that error.

Pause the video, have a go, and come right back.

Okay, welcome back.

Let's see how that sentence should have read.

"Odo was not an obvious choice to be a bishop as he was more focused on secular concerns than spiritual ones." Okay, let's continue with the story.

So Odo clearly didn't show spiritual thoughtfulness, but he certainly hungered for power and wealth.

Odo became a leading man within Normandy and played an important part in the early plans to invade England.

Have a look on the left.

It's a scene from the Bayeux Tapestry showing Odo on the left, talking to William in the centre.

And we can imagine the brothers plotting their future conquest.

Odo pledged his full support of William's risky project to invade England and contributed 100 ships to the invasion fleets.

Odo also played a leading role in the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Well, at least according to the Bayeux Tapestry.

Have a look at the image on the left.

It's a detail from the Bayeux Tapestry showing Odo fighting in the Battle of Hastings.

And we can see Odo is riding into the centre of combat, swinging his club to encourage the lads after the Norman retreats.

His active role in the battle may seem surprising, given that he was a bishop.

Odo may have carried a club rather than an edged weapon like a sword, so that he could fight without drawing blood, thereby avoiding some of the sinful consequences of dispatching enemies in battle.

However, Odo's leading role in the Bayeux Tapestry might be because it was made on his orders.

So there are reasons to be sceptical about his heroic depiction in the Tapestry.

Historians now agree that the Bayeux Tapestry was commissioned by Odo, perhaps a decade after the 1066 conquest of England.

It was embroidered in Odo's earldom of Kent in Canterbury, and was found in his Bishop book of Bayeux.

This perhaps explains why Odo is self importantly shown as central to the planning and delivery of the invasion.

Okay, let's have a check for understanding.

How did Odo contribute to the Norman invasion of England? Select two correct answers.

A, he contributed 100 ships.

B, he lectured troops on avoiding secular distractions.

C, he provided medical assistance to the troops.

D, he rode into battle encouraging the troops.

Pause the video, select your two correct answers, and then come right back.

Okay, welcome back and well done if you knew it was A, Odo contributed 100 ships to the Norman invasion, and D, he rode into battle encouraging the troops.

Okay, excellent.

Let's move on to Task A.

What I want you to do here is complete the following sentences.

The first sentence reads, "Odo was important to William because.

." And we could perhaps complete that sentence with some additional information which reinforces why Odo was important to William.

The second sentence states, "Odo was important to William but.

." And here we need some additional information which may counter or be more sceptical of the statement that Odo was important to William.

And the final sentence, "Odo was important to William so.

." And this sentence leaves quite an open-ended answer.

Provide additional information or some further explanation with regards to Odo being important to William.

Pause the video, complete the sentence starters, and then come right back.

Okay, great.

Welcome back.

Let's check those answers.

So your sentences may have looked like this.

So for the first sentence starter, "Odo was important to William because he played a key role in the Norman invasion, planning, contributing ships, and encouraging the soldiers in the Battle of Hastings." Let's have a look at the second sentence.

"Odo was important to William but there is reason to be sceptical if using the Bayeux Tapestry as a source because it was commissioned by Odo and may have exaggerated his importance." And the final sentence, "Odo was important to William so he could achieve the power and wealth he wanted by successfully invading England." So hopefully those sentence starters got you to think about a range of aspects to do with Odo's importance to William.

Okay, excellent.

Let's move on to the second part of the lesson, Odo the tyrants.

So the story goes that William said that Odo was not a bishop, but a tyrant.

And that's if he was ever released from prison, he would ravage the whole of England and bring destruction to thousands of people.

So how did William come to imprison Odo and have such words for his half-brother and great supporter in the Norman conquest of England? After the Battle of Hastings in 1067, William rewarded Odo with important lands and titles.

Odo was made the Earl of Kent and was Regent.

If we have a look at the map on the left and focus in on the pie chart at the top, we can see that King William has the largest slice of the pie.

However, we can see that William's half-brothers, Odo and Robert Mortain, have the second largest slice of the pie.

In 1086, Domesday Book records Odo holding land in 22 counties, making Odo only second to William in the amount of land he held.

This made Odo extraordinarily wealthy.

This is significant because William would only have given Odo this vast amount of land and powerful titles if he was a loyal and trusted supporter.

Okay, let's check your understanding.

What was Odo's reward after the Battle of Hastings? Select two correct answers.

A, he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.

B, he was appointed Bishop of Bayeux.

C, he was appointed Earl of Kent.

D, he was appointed regent.

Pause the video, select your two correct answers, and then come right back.

Okay.

Welcome back.

Well done if you knew that Odo was appointed Earl of Kent after the Battle of Hastings, and he was appointed regent.

So, as time went on, it seems as though Odo really relished his roles as El and regents.

However, the prospect of wielding such power not known to him before, may have gone to Odo's head.

Firstly, with William away in Normandy, Odo was described as an oppressive and unjust regent.

He protected his soldiers after they had raped and plundered in England.

Secondly, Domesday Book revealed that Odo had the power to redistribute land and settle land disputes.

As this level of authority would normally need the King's permission, this highlights how powerful Odo was in England.

A chronicler stated that Odo was feared by the English and that he acted like a second king.

By 1070, after several Anglo-Saxon uprisings, William took land away from the Anglo-Saxon mobility and gave it to Norman Lords.

It seems Odo had a role in the administration of this large scale transfer of England's land, which involved land grabs and monasteries having treasures taken away from them.

Domesday Book list several accounts of people complaining of Odo stealing their land.

The illustration on the left imagines the impact that Norman's had when taking land from Anglo-Saxons.

Indeed, one chronicler described the greedy Odo as a ravening wolf.

This is important because Odo's actions contributed to his unpopular reputation amongst the English population, and may have provoked the already hostile Anglo-Saxon population into further resistance against William's rule.

It took someone of Lanfranc's high-ranking position to finally challenge Odo's behaviour.

In 1076, Lanfranc claimed that some church lands in Canterbury had been illegally seized by Odo.

Lanfranc took these complaints to the King.

William ordered an inquiry, and after hearing three days worth of evidence, the court found that Odo did need to return some church land.

Other Anglo-Saxon victims of Odo's land grabs likely never saw it again.

Okay, let's check your understanding.

Who finally challenged Odo's behaviour? A, Anglo-Saxon landholders.

B, Lanfranc.

C, the Pope.

D, William I.

Pause the video, have a think, and come right back.

Okay, welcome back and well done if you knew it was Lanfranc who finally stood up to Odo's behaviour.

Okay, let's continue.

In 1082, William had Odo arrested and imprisoned, and he stayed in prison until the dying William was convinced reluctantly to release him.

Historians are not certain what Odo did to upset and enrage his King, but it seems likely that it involved Odo taking knights out of England as part of a plan.

Odo had to get himself made pope.

William had reasons to be furious at Odo's plan.

No one except the king was allowed to take knights out of England.

William and Lanfranc had also worked hard to stop the pope having influence over church appointments in England.

Odo as Pope would not likely respect this arrangement.

The story goes that William had to arrest Odo himself as no one else dared to confront him.

The illustration on the left shows Odo having to be arrested by his brother, William the Conqueror.

This demonstrates Odo's dominance in England.

Only the King and the Archbishop of Canterbury could stand up to him.

Odo was taken back to Normandy and imprisoned in a castle at Rouen.

Even though Odo was his half-brother and had helped in the invasion of England, William was keen to maintain justice in his kingdom, and to stop any Norman aristocrats who may have had desires on his throne.

William clearly had significant concerns that Odo would be a danger in the kingdom if he was ever released.

And in 1088, Odo actually led a revolt against William's successor, William II.

This suggests that William's suspicions were right.

Odo was clearly ambitious enough to rebel against the King of England.

However, the story ends happily for the half-brothers.

William's other half-brother, Robert of Mortain, pleaded that Odo should be freed from prison.

William on his deathbed, and perhaps seeking divine forgiveness, reluctantly agreed.

Okay, let's check your understanding.

Who finally arrested Odo and had him in prison? A, Anglo-Saxon landholders.

B, Lanfranc.

C, the Pope.

D, William I.

Pause the video, have a think, and come right back.

Okay, welcome back and well done if you knew it was D, William himself had to arrest Odo.

Okay, excellent.

Let's move on to Task B.

What I want you to do here is using crosses, plot a graph of the significant events of Odo's career.

And in the next slide, I'll give you those events that you need to plot onto the graph.

So I want you to decide where on the vertical axis these events should go.

If you think the event represents success in Odo's career, you'll give it a higher placement.

And if you think the event represents a failure in Odo's career, you'll give it a lower placement.

And you can see I've done the first event for you in 1049, and I've placed the cross in the middle of the vertical axis towards the success, but not a total success.

'cause I believe this event represents the start of Odo's career.

Once you've plotted all your events, I want you to join them up with a line.

So, here are those significant events of Odo's career to 1082.

In 1049, William made Odo the Bishop of Bayeux.

In August 1066, Odo contributed 100 ships to William's invasion of England.

In October 1066, Odo encourages the lads at the Battle of Hastings.

In 1067, William rewarded Odo land and titles, regent and Earl of Kent.

And in the 1070s, the Bayeux Tapestry was commissioned by Odo.

Moving on to 1076, Odo is investigated and was found to have illegally seized land.

And finally, in 1082, William imprisoned Odo for trying to take nights out of England.

So pause the video, plot those events onto your graph, and then come right back.

Okay, welcome back and well done for having a go at that task.

Now, your graph might look slightly different from mine and you may be able to bring forward evidence which backs up the position of your crosses on your graph.

Nonetheless, compare your graph with what I have here.

So in 1049, William made Odo the Bishop of Bayeux, and I've placed that somewhat in the centre.

This is clearly a success and not a failure, but it's the beginning of his career when Odo has made the Bishop of Bayeux.

Then we flash forward to August 1066, and Odo has become a leading man in Normandy and he's now contributed 100 ships to William's invasion of England.

So we can definitely say that Odo's career is in the upward trajectory and we can put the cross slightly higher.

And then a few months later, in October 1066, Odo encourages the lads at the Battle of Hastings.

And again, if we take the Bayeux Tapestry as a source and assume that Odo played an important role in the Battle of Hastings, again, we can place our cross on the graph even higher up the vertical axis representing a success.

Our next event is 1067, William rewarded Odo land and titles such as regent and Earl of Kent.

And I've placed my cross very high up the vertical axis, as I believe this represents a big success for Odo.

As you'll remember, he starts his career in Bayeux as a bishop, so he has some relative power in a small part of Normandy.

But now, he holds lands across Kent, and he's the regent of the whole kingdom of England.

The next event takes place in the 1070s, the Bayeux Tapestry was commissioned by Odo.

And again, I think we can say that this represents a significant success in his career.

He's a very wealthy individual.

He can have something like the Bayeux Tapestry commissioned, and it will go on to be a very important source for this time period.

And the fact that we're still talking about the Bayeux Tapestry to this day, shows how significant Odo's contribution to history really was.

However, by 1076, Odo is investigated and was found to have illegally seized land.

And of course, this represents a low point in the career of Odo.

He's not been in prison, so it's not complete failure.

He's been told he has to give the land back, but he's still a very wealthy and powerful individual.

And then finally in 1082, William imprisoned Odo for trying to take knights out of England.

And again, we can see the trajectories going down, and this event clearly was a huge failure to Odo's career.

Okay, great.

Let's move on to the second part of Task B.

What does Odo's career show about how Norman government impacted England? Explain your answer fully using examples from your completed graph and the lesson.

Consider using these words in your answer.

Regent, transfer of land, tyrannical, Lanfranc.

So your graph here really helps you to summarise today's lesson, to have a big picture understanding of Odo's career and the impact he has on England.

So use that knowledge to explain what Odo's career shows about how Norman government impacted England.

And those bullet points will help you to think about the specific aspects of Odo's career, which had an impact on England.

Pause the video, have a go at the task, and then come right back.

Okay, welcome back and well done having a go at that task.

There's many ways you could have answered that question, but compare your answer with what I have here.

One impact is that the government changed from Anglo-Saxon aristocrats to Norman Aristocrats, as members of the Norman aristocracy, like Odo, suddenly inherited the responsibility and wealth of England and its earldoms. Another impact is that the Anglo-Saxons became less wealthy as some aristocrats used their positions of power to raid the riches of England just as Odo did in his role as regent.

Odo's role in the transfer of land also shows the impact of Norman control.

Domesday Book is several accounts of people complaining of Odo, and some chroniclers have described his time in government as tyrannical.

Finally, the eventual challenge of Odo by Lanfranc and Williams shows that the Norman government only intervened when other Normans were affected.

Okay, excellent.

Well, hopefully you can see how the graph helped you to write that answer.

And you can see I have highlighted the bullet points I gave you in the answer.

Okay, let's summarise today's lesson.

Odo had an important role in the Norman invasion, planning, contributing ships, and encouraging the soldiers in the Battle of Hastings.

Although Odo was a bishop, sources suggest that he was much more focused on the secular distractions of power and wealth than religious matters.

After Hastings, Odo was rewarded with land and titles such as regent and Earl of Kent.

Lanfranc was able to challenge Odo.

However, it took William to uphold justice and finally imprison the Bishop of Bayeux.

Well done on a brilliant lesson and thank you for joining me for our study into the nature of Norman England.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the life of Bishop Odo of Bayeux.

I will see you next time when we continue our inquiry.

See you in the next lesson.