Conqueror, King, and Disrupter: William the Conqueror, Part 4, Women’s Rights

William the Conqueror didn’t just win a few battles and become King of England. He changed everything about England in a short time. Æthelstan (Ruler from 924 to 939), considered the first King of England, unified all the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in 927 and declared himself “King of the English.” William the Conqueror disrupted every aspect of the country, including women’s rights, the church, social structure, treasury, and forestry. In Part 4 of my William the Conqueror series, I’ll examine the disruption of women’s rights.

Before William, under Anglo-Saxon rule, women could: 1. Own Land, 2. inherit property, 3. start divorce proceedings, and 4. act as legal witnesses. The Norman Conquest ushered in an increased patriarchal legal and social order, reshaping women’s roles and rights dramatically.

Before the conquest, women were tenants-in-chief, holding land directly from the king, while others held land deeded locally or inherited. In the 1086 Domesday Book, there were 479 women landholders out of over 16,000.

After the Battle of Hastings, many Anglo-Saxon women inherited land from their deceased husbands and fathers. William’s rule required these women to marry a Norman to keep their inheritance. Since the deceased soldiers were traitors, by association, so were those who refused to marry a Norman. Marriages became tools of political consolidation to transfer land ownership to the Norman husbands.

Anglo-Saxon women often avoided forced marriages by joining a nunnery. Others rebelled by teaching their Anglo-Norman children English and thus preserved the language. French was the dominant language of the English court, law, and aristocracy. However, the English language survived since most common women had little to do with the hierarchy. Almost three hundred years later, English replaced French as the official language in legal proceedings in 1362,

They couldn’t own or inherit land, but could save the English language.