Anglo-Saxon and Norman England Practice Test 2026 - Free Exam Questions and Study Guide

The plan is about securing the border with Wales. William set up marcher earldoms as fortified frontiers, giving powerful nobles near the border the authority and means to defend the land, build castles, and raise troops quickly. This created a ready-to-use buffer zone that could repel incursions and stabilize the frontier without waiting for central royal action in London. It’s a strategic move to control and defend the boundary right at the point of contact with Wales.

This wasn’t mainly about rewarding loyal knights, nor was it about centralizing power in London or cutting taxes across the kingdom. The key idea is frontier defense: a line of defendable, self-contained zones that could respond to threats on the border.