30 oct. 1066 - Submission of the Earls

Description:

After the Battle of Hastings, the Witan elected Edgar as king.
In response, William marched his forces to London, destroying towns and villages and stopping off at Winchester on the way to take over the royal treasury.
On reaching Berkhamsted, William met Edgar, Morcar and Edwin who submitted and swore an oath of loyalty to him.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

The Earls:
+London was strongly fortified and William would have lost a lot of men attempting to attack it.
+The majority of England was still in control of the Anglo-Saxons.
-William's route threatened to cut off London from trade routes from the north.
-Edgar had no read-made plans and took no decisive actions as king.
-Many of the best warriors had been killed at the Battle of Hastings.

William:
+By taking control of the royal treasury, Edgar couldn't reward his followers.
+William was an effective leader and ensured discipline amongst his soldiers.
+Destroying everything in his path was an effective way to make people submit to him.
-His troops had nowhere to retreat to.
-His claim to the throne was irrelevant if the Witan chose Edgar and was supported by the church.
-He was outnumbered.

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