Norwich under siege.

Alright?

There’s something about the sight of Norwich Castle, and the way it looms over the city centre, that forces one to wonder: How would I attack that if I had to?

Of course, when you’re in the castle, looking over the city from the battlements, the mind inevitably switches to matters of defence. Could I hold off an invading army if I had unlimited arrows, a decent supply of tinned food and a multi-room Netflix subscription?

Unless something bonkers happens (let’s never rule that out), defending the castle will remain a hypothetical thought experiment for us. But for one 16-year-old girl in 1075, it was a life-or-death necessity.

(Btw, we’re running another Norwich Pub Tour on Sunday, 22nd February. Click the button below to join! ⬇️)

Meet Emma de Guader.

It’s 1075. Most of the nobility in England speak French because, nine years prior, a Frenchman called William (he called himself William the Conqueror on his LinkedIn profile) successfully invaded.

The Earl of East Anglia (a now-defunct title started by Cnut (that’s C-N-U-T, behave), in 1017) was a rich chap called Ralph de Gael. Remember his name.

Ralph wanted to marry a woman called Emma Fitz-Osborn, a relative of William the Conqueror (her Dad was William’s cousin).

William didn’t like the idea of these two shacking up, mind you. Most historians reckon it’s because Emma and Ralph were both from powerful houses, and such a big merger might pose a threat to William’s strength.

Here’s where it gets fruity: Ralph and Emma marry anyway. Without William’s permission. Strap in.

The Revolt of the Earls.

Emma and Ralph’s wedding feast was probably a fantastic party. I bet there was an excellent buffet. Woodforde’s probably provided the ale.

At some point - presumably between the first dance and the ABBA megamix - three Earls get talking.

Ralph is one of them. Emma’s brother, Roger, is another. The third is called Waltheof, the 1st Earl of Northumberland and an Englishman.

There, at the wedding feast, with the faint din of Don’t Look Back in Anger ringing from the main hall, a rebellion against William the Conqueror is born.

The siege of Norwich Castle.

The rebellion was short-lived. Waltheof - said to be strong of body but weak of mind - quickly lost heart, and confessed the plan to revolt to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lanfranc, before going to the big man himself, William, and telling him as well. Which was a nightmare for Roger and Ralph.

Betrayed, Roger and Ralph’s plans to join forces were scuppered by William’s forces.

Ralph was forced to retreat to his home, Norwich Castle, where he left his new wife, Emma, to defend it whilst he sailed to Denmark in search of help. Obviously.

Around 16-years-old and with the King’s army surrounding her, the Countess of Norfolk’s odds didn’t look great.

But Norwich Castle was a tough nut to crack - even then. Combined with Emma’s brave and diligent organisation of its defences, what might’ve been a routine victory for William turned into a three-month-long battle of attrition.

How does this story end?

After what I’m sure must’ve been an arduous ~90 days for everyone involved, William was eventually forced to offer Emma a compromise. In exchange for the castle and her lands, Emma and her supporters were given 40 days of safe passage to leave England.

Emma left for Brittany, where she met up with her husband (whose holiday to Denmark wasn’t massively productive). There, they had at least three kids. She died at the age of 40, in 1096.

What of the other rebels?

Well, Roger, Emma’s brother, was put on trial for treason in 1075 for his part in the uprising, but was given “perpetual imprisonment” instead. Whilst other political prisoners were released after William’s death in 1087, Roger was kept imprisoned. We don’t know when he died.

As for Waltheof - the one who betrayed his fellow rebellious earls - he was brought to trial and beheaded in 1076. He has the dubious honour of being the only English aristocrat to be executed during William the Conqueror’s reign.

The ill-fated Revolt of the Earls was the last serious rebellion against William the Conqueror. But whilst the rebellion itself failed, it contained a story of surprising resilience that endures to this day.

See you next week,

Secret Norwich