Answer: One way in which William Rufus defeated the 1088 rebellion was because of his tactics. Firstly he managed to effectively ‘buy off’ many Norman barons in Eastern Normandy. He did this by raising an army of his knights in England and demanding the money from their knight service rather than take them to Normandy. He then used this money to bribe Normans to not support his brother, Robert Curthose. This would have caused the rebellion to fail as it would starve Odo and Robert of vital military support therefore weakening them and reducing their numbers. Another example of William’s tactics was his promise to his English subjects that he would restore many Anglo-Saxon laws. He promised lower taxes and an end to many of the hated ‘forest laws’. This would have helped weaken the rebellion as it would given support to William’s cause. Many would have joined local militias to fight off the rebels as they would have wanted William to stay in power to end these hated Norman laws. A final example of this was his six week siege of Pevensey Castle. This is where Odo and Robert of Mortain were based and William managed to surround the castle and starve them of supplies. This would have weakened the rebellion, as it was huge defeat for them and led to the capture of two of its leaders (Odo and Robert of Mortain). This victory would have boosted William’s popularity in England and would have made many nobles less likely to rebel against him as it looked as if his victory was inevitable.
Another way in which he defeated the rebellion was because of his support within the Church. William had been accepted as his father’s successor by Archbishop Lanfranc and was coronated by him without the authorisation of the Witan. This would have caused the rebellion to weaken as Lanfranc had so much power that many would have feared fighting against a king with the backing of God. By fighting William they could potentially be excommunicated from the Church – this fear would have stopped many joining Odo therefore weakening it. Another example of this support can be seen in the west, when Roger de Lacy and Roger de Montgomery were defeated by a holy army raised by Bishop Wulfstan. This would have caused the rebellion to fail as it prevented these forces on the Marcher borders from joining with those in Norwich, Somerset and Wiltshire.
A final way in which the rebellion was defeated was because William captured and exiled Odo. As various rebellions were being crushed, Odo and his brother Robert held up at Pevsensey castle. After being captured there, Odo escaped to Rochester Castle where he held out hoping that Robert Curthose would arrive from Normandy with an army. Odo was effectively abandoned by Robert and was forced to surrender due to lack of supplies and the threat of disease. He was then stripped of his lands, titles and exiled. This would have resulted in the rebellion failing as it left the rebels without a leader or any structure. It was a symbol that William had been victorious and many rebels would have lost any hope to keep fighting.