Siege of Exeter (1068)

The Siege of Exeter occurred in 1068 when William I marched a combined army of Normans and Englishmen loyal to the king west to force the submission of Exeter, a stronghold of Anglo-Saxon resistance against Norman rule.

For other sieges of Exeter, see Siege of Exeter.

Siege of Exeter
Part of Norman conquest of England
Date1068
Location
Exeter
Result Conditional surrender of the city
Belligerents
Exonian rebels and allies from other nearby cities Royal forces
Commanders and leaders
Gytha Thorkelsdóttir William I of England
Strength
Much of Exeter's population of 2500 and allies from other local cities Initially 500 cavalry with reinforcements arriving throughout the siege
Casualties and losses
Unknown Heavy[1]
[2][3][4]

After the Norman Conquest, the Saxons of Devon, Somerset and Dorset rallied at Exeter in support of the remnants of the Godwin family. The citizens, together with Harold Godwinson’s mother, Gytha, refused to swear fealty to William or pay the tax he demanded, and shut the gates against him. William marched upon the city, where he was met with fierce armed resistance. After a siege of 18 days, Exeter capitulated (though Gytha escaped), and Rougemont Castle was established and garrisoned by the Normans.[5] Despite the king's initial threats against the citizens of Exeter, at the city's surrender William agreed that he would not harm its inhabitants, confiscate their possessions, or increase the amount of tax they had paid to the pre-conquest monarchy. William did not allow any of this to happen again.

See also

References and notes
  1. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle D version
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. http://www.dot-domesday.me.uk/william.htm
  5. The Routledge Companion to Medieval Warfare - 2004 - Jim Bradbury


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