anglo-saxons

• Society 1

  Slaves: 10% population; could be bought and sold; not punished harshly for crimes as it might damage their ability to work

  Peasant Farmers: rented small farms; set work by thegns which if not carried out they would lose right to use the land

  Ceorls: peasants not tied to their land; free to work for another lord if they wanted
• society 2

  thegns: 4000-5000 by 1060; local lords; held more than 5 hides of land (120 acres); lived in manor house

  earls: loyal to king; competed to be most trusted by king; challenged king for more power

  witan: council advised king; earls and archbishops; foreign threats, religious affairs and land disputes discussed; approved new kings

  king: law-making; controlled money production; granted land; taxation
• changing social status

  • less rigid than europe, which depended on ancestry
  • prosperous peasant with more than 5 hides or successful merchants could become thegns
  • slaves could be freed and peasants could sell themselves into slavery
  • earls could be demoted, thegns could become earls, earls could sometimes become kings
• local governments:

  • shire reeves: collected geld tax and fines from shire court; upkeep of roads and shire
  • fyrd: thegns well equipped with weapons selected to fight for the king for up to 40 days (otherwise management of farms would suffer)
• the legal system

  • collective responsibility: when a crime was committed members of a tithing had to hunt for the criminal (hue and cry). tithings responsible for each other, eg if someone refused to join fyrd there were consequences for everyone
• Northumbria:

  • part of Danelaw, did not speak English
  • less fertile land than south but taxed the same: over-taxation, resentment
  • vulnerable to Scottish and Scandinavian threat
• reasons for rising against tostig 1065:

  • tostig was close to Malcolm III, so did not defend Cumbria from Scottish invasions
  • resentment from over-taxation
  • difficulties communicating with Danelaw, which along with how Tostig was from South, meant it was largely left to govern itself
  • he imposed new laws from south that abused his power. enemies claimed he falsely accused them of crimes to take land and money
• Harold’s response to the rising, 1065

  • he agreed at conference he would meet with rebels and pass on Edward’s agreement to their terms
  • tostig exiled, harold marries Morcar’s sister to increase links with Mercia and popularity
  • Harold now extremely powerful and able to challenge Edward. he demanded he raised army to put down rebels but Harold disobeyed.
  • he disposed of family member for his own benefit