BattlefieldsEarl Waltheof Arrest 1075
Medieval

Earl Waltheof Arrest 1075

1075
Durham, England
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Durham, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Earl Waltheof
Forces
the last English earl
VS
Victor
William I
Forces
William I's royal justice
Outcome
Waltheof arrested, tried, and executed; last English earl eliminated; Northumbrian aristocracy replaced entirely by Normans
The Battle

History & Significance

Earl Waltheof of Northumbria, who had participated in the Earls Revolt and then confessed it to Archbishop Lanfranc, was arrested on William's return to England and imprisoned at Winchester. Despite being married to William's niece Judith and having confessed voluntarily, he was convicted of treason at a great council in 1076 and beheaded at Winchester -- the only English earl executed during the entire Conquest. His tomb at Crowland Abbey became a site of popular veneration.

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