William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

, the first

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

King of England who reigned from 1066 until his death in 1087, created 10 laws for the English people to abide by after the

Battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings nrf, Batâle dé Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, the Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conque ...

Laws

* The first law stated that "First that above all things he wishes one God to be revered throughout his whole realm, one faith in Christ to be kept ever inviolate, and peace and security to be preserved between English and Normans." * The second law stated that every freeman shall make an oath that he will be loyal to king William and protect his lands. * The third law stated that the Normans that he brought with him shall have peace and if any of them is murdered then the lord shall seize him. * The fourth law stated that every Frenchmen shall pay what they call

Scot and lot Scot and lot is a phrase common in the records of English, Welsh and Irish medieval boroughs, referring to local rights and obligations. The term ''scot'' comes from the Old English word ''sceat'', an ordinary coin in Anglo-Saxon times, equivalen ...

. * The fifth law stated that one could only sell cattle in a city with three credible witnesses. * The sixth law stated that if a Norman shall charge an Englishman with a crime, then the Englishman can defend himself in such manner as he prefers: with either a hot iron or a battle. * The seventh law stated that people shall follow the laws of King Edward the Confessor in respect to lands and possessions. * The eighth law stated that "Every man who wishes to be considered a freeman shall be in pledge so that his surety shall hold him and hand him over to justice if he shall offend in any way." * The ninth law stated that the sale of a man to anyone outside of the country would incur a fine payable in full to William. * The tenth law stated that none shall be hanged or slain for any crime. Instead they were to be blinded and castrated. If violated then they shall pay a fine to William.

References

{{reflist Legal history of England William the Conqueror