William I’s Year in Normandy and the Submission of Edgar the Ætheling (1073–1074)

After successfully reclaiming Maine in 1073, William I returned briefly to England to release his army from service before quickly returning to Normandy, where he spent the entire year of 1074. This period demonstrated that William felt secure enough in his rule over England to leave the kingdom under the governance of his trusted supporters. Meanwhile, the French king attempted to use Edgar the Ætheling as a figurehead against William, though Edgar was ultimately forced to submit to William’s authority.

Governance of England in William’s Absence (1074)

• William left England in the hands of trusted allies, including:
  • Richard fitzGilbert, a Norman lord with significant English holdings.
  • William de Warenne, a leading supporter who had fought at Hastings and held lands in Sussex and Yorkshire.
  • Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, William’s most important clerical advisor, responsible for overseeing ecclesiastical governance.
• The fact that William could remain in Normandy for an entire year reflected his confidence in his control over England, as no major insurrections arose in his absence.

Edgar the Ætheling’s Return and French Support

• Edgar the Ætheling, the last surviving male heir of the Anglo-Saxon royal family, had been in exile in Flanders.
• In 1074, he returned to Scotland, where he had previously taken refuge under King Malcolm III.
• Seeing an opportunity to challenge William, King Philip I of France proposed that Edgar be given the castle of Montreuil-sur-Mer, a strategic port on the English Channel.
• If successful, this move would have given Edgar a military base from which to launch future attacks on William’s rule in England.

Edgar’s Submission to William

• However, Edgar was unable to gain enough military support to make use of the opportunity.
• He was ultimately forced to submit to William, returning to William’s court and abandoning his claim to the English throne—at least for now.
• This event marked another failure in Edgar’s repeated attempts to challenge William’s rule, reinforcing Norman dominance over England.

Significance and Consequences

• William’s year in Normandy (1074) demonstrated his firm control over England, allowing him to focus on continental affairs without fear of rebellion.
• The failure of Philip I’s attempt to install Edgar in Montreuil-sur-Mer showed that even with foreign backing, Edgar lacked the military strength to seriously threaten William.
• With Edgar now back under William’s control, one of the last remaining Anglo-Saxon threats to the Norman regime was effectively neutralized.

Although the French king had sought to challenge William’s authority, the submission of Edgar the Ætheling in 1074 reinforced Norman dominance in England and weakened anti-Norman resistance on the continent.