William the Conqueror brought a band of about 200 Norman nobles to England. These warlords were landholders in Normandy, vassals of William, sworn to fight for him, each one supplying as many as 5000 men. They expected rewards in return for their service. William took the lands of English nobles (about 4000 of them) and gave them to his Norman supporters.

Following William’s example, the White Tower, in London, the new Norman ruling class built castles throughout the country. In AD 1067 William gave lands on the Welsh March (border) to men such as Roger Montgomery and Hugh d’Avranches. These ‘Marcher lords’ contained the rebellious Welsh, but also became a law unto themselves. Their power and that of other barons would threaten the crown in later generations.

Some of William’s most powerful supporters were members of the church like his half-brother Odo (about 1036-97), whom he appointed Bishop of Bayeux at the age of 13. Odo took part in the invasion of England and received Dover Castle and the earldom of Kent as his reward. Odo commissioned the Bayeux tapestry – probably from English embroiders, who were famed for their skill – which displays a favourable presentation of William’s role, and his own, in the Conquest.