After becoming King of England in 1066, William faced a huge challenge.
He now ruled a large kingdom, but he needed to know exactly what he owned, how wealthy England was and how much tax he could collect.
William wanted information.
He wanted to know:
- Who owned land
- How much land they owned
- How many people lived on the land
- How many animals were kept there
- How wealthy each area was
To find these answers, William ordered one of the most famous surveys in English history.
The result was the Domesday Book.
In this lesson, you will learn:
- What the Domesday Book was
- Why William ordered it
- How information was collected
- What the survey discovered
- How the Domesday Book helped Norman rule
- Why historians still use it today