William the Conqueror

Aftermath: The Salisbury Oath

The rebellion that brought William back to England was a serious one, in which the rebels cooperated with Viking forces. It cost William considerable effort to suppress it, and in its wake he made a new arrangement with his barons. William ordered his nobility to the Salisbury plain where they swore an oath of fealty directly to him. This relationship was unique in Europe at the time. Usually, a minor knight might hold a few acres from a baron, who in turn held the land from a count or earl, who in turn held large tracts of the king. But in 1086 William forced all his vassals to swear service directly to him for their fiefs.

Here again we see William's clear-mindedness and pragmatism. It is likely that other kings thought of doing what William did, or longed for it, but no French or German king ever had the remarkable authority and power that the Conqueror did. Indeed, even later English kings found their authority fragmented and attenuated by divided loyalties among the baronage. The Salisbury Oath was possible not only because William could conceive of it, but because he was king of a conquered people and could achieve it.

History of Western Civilization

E.L. Skip Knox
Boise State University

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