Although the Normans did not control Scotland they did have a great influence on the way life was lived in this country.

Protection

Hundreds of years earlier, whilst the Roman Empire was falling apart, ordinary people in fear of their safety worked for a rich person. Those who could not afford taxes had to give up their land to a landowner, who would in turn let that man be his tenant for life. This system was developed in France, over a few centuries.

Men fighting on horseback were found to be the best fighting force of the time; cavalry was an excellent attack and support weapon, but maintaining a cavalry force was very expensive. Even rich landowners found the cost of horses taxing on their wealth. A solution to this was to let people who had their own horses become tenants of the landowner. In this way they could remain in the loyal service of their lord, keep their own horses, and the landowners could have control of a cavalry force relatively cheaply. From this came a new class of men called Knights.

The Feudal System

The idea of the feudal system was that while the King owned all the land, he granted parts of his Kingdom to Barons and Earls for past services and services to come. In turn the Barons and Earls made grants of pieces of their land to Knights for much the same reason. Under the Knights were the free tenants renting their farms from their lord. Lowest of all were the Serfs, who were virtually owned by the Lord and came with the Estate; they were not even allowed to marry without the consent of their lord. The Feudal system grew and continued until everyone became a part of it.

The Normans were originally Vikings who attacked France in 885 AD. There they settled in the rich farmlands of the north. In 910AD the French king gave them a large area of land and thus the Dukedom of Normandy was formed. The Normans mixed with the local French population and gave up their pagan religion for Christianity; by 1000AD they spoke a dialect of French.

The Normans were an efficient and productive society that operated a feudal system and maintained a standing army of knights who were constantly training in the skills of war. These men fought on horseback and were the first to employ stirrups to hold them on. They encouraged trade and large settlements in the areas that they controlled.

Due to these factors the Normans were a formidable enemy for any foe. In 1066 the English found the truth of this fact to their cost when they were invaded and their lands conquered by William, Duke of Normandy. He was a very powerful and dangerous neighbour and Malcolm III realised this.

In 1071 he was proved right when, after provocation, the Normans invaded with a huge army and the Scottish king could only avoid being overrun by paying homage to the invading army.

Malcolm’s three sons all went on to rule Scotland. Edgar, Alexander and David all realised that there was a lot to be learned from the new neighbours; David, brought up and educated in England, was much favoured by the English as the younger brother of Maud, Malcolm and Margaret’s daughter and the Queen of England. (She was married to King Henry I)

One of the most important changes that the Normans brought was the introduction of the feudal system. The feudal system was different from the clan or tribal system, which had operated in Scotland up to that point. Families of Gaelic princes ruled large parts because they could raise large forces to fight. During peacetime the leaders lived with their people but the king found them very difficult to control and preferred to replace these fiercely independent warriors with loyal knights who would rule the lands given to them when they paid homage and provide the King with soldiers when required.

Norman troops were sent north from England to decide who would be the next king in 1097. Many Norman knights were given land by the Scots king Edgar in return for a promise of military support. The new Norman lords were given important positions in the country such as that of sheriffs or judiciaries.

During King Edgar’s reign, and even more when his brothers Alexander and David were on the throne, new and great building projects began. The local people, using oxen for pulling timber, were forced to build motte and bailey castles for the new Norman knights. Two hundred were built during the Twelfth Century.

The Normans helped to establish David in Lothian and Strathclyde as Comes when Alexander I became king on the death of King Edgar in 1107. Here he operated quite independently until he succeeded his brother to the throne of Scotland in 1124. His reign, which lasted till 1153, was one of the most important in Scottish history as he extended Scotland’s territory as far south as the Tees and the Eden and presided over the growth of towns and trade in Scotland as well as extensive building of castles and monasteries.

Thus the Normans came by royal invitation, especially after 1124, as King David wanted to secure his power by surrounding himself with rich powerful friends who were good soldiers. The chief reason they came to Scotland was to help rule the country and put down unruly subjects. Since their families originally came from France they introduced many new surnames such as Fraser, Hay, Menzies and Boswell.

This social order came to England with William the Conqueror in 1066. It came to Scotland half a century later by royal invitation. In the Lowlands the old Celtic ideas of tribe and kinship were replaced by the feudal system. However in the mountains and islands of the north the northern Scots held on to the ancient ways and the clans remained strong.