Which arrangement allowed Edwin and Morcar to keep their earldoms after they surrendered?

• A. They surrendered and were allowed to keep their earldoms
• B. They were executed
• C. They were exiled to Normandy
• D. They were stripped of all titles

Answer: (A)

The situation tests how royal authority could stabilize a recently conquered realm by balancing mercy with control. After the Norman Conquest, William needed to secure loyalty while avoiding constant rebellion. Allowing respected Anglo-Saxon leaders to surrender and keep their titles was a pragmatic approach: it reduced resentment and kept local governance familiar, while still ensuring the king held ultimate power through Norman oversight.

In this case, Edwin and Morcar chose to surrender and pledge loyalty to William, and as part of that settlement they were permitted to retain their earldoms. Their survival as earls under Norman overlordship meant the realm could avoid a power vacuum or further upheaval, and Norman officials could be installed to supervise, rather than annihilating the existing aristocracy. This blend of clemency and consolidation is why keeping the earldoms was the best fit.

Other harsher options—execution, exile, or stripping of titles—would have intensified resistance and disrupted governance, so they were not the path taken in this arrangement.