Anglo-Saxon & Norman England

• King definition God's representative on Earth. They were a respected law-maker and could raise an army
• Earl definition An important man who was close to the king and who ruled an area of the country
• Peasant farmer definition Someone who rented land and worked for themself and his family. Farmers had to do a set amount of work for the local lord which was required to keep the land they work on.
• Thegn definition A thegn was a local lord, holding more than 5 hides of land. They often lived in large manor houses with a church: the aristocracy and warrior class of Anglo-Saxon England. There were 4000-5000 of them
• Slave definition A slave was a person who could be bought and sold. Slave ownership was a normal part of Anglo-Saxon society
• Ceorl definition A peasant who was free to work for any lord without being tied to any specific land
• Hide A measurement for land which was around 120 acres of land. This was said to be enough land for a family to sustain itself
• Fyrd - The fyrd were the Anglo Saxon army, composed of many part-time soldiers who were part of many battles. - The fyrd were composed of soldiers who were usually thegns, using improvised weapons such as hoes and sickles. - There were two types of troops: = The select fyrd: A group of men who were ready to travel and fight anywhere in England = The general fyrd: A group of men who were gathered to fight but didn't leave an area
• Kingdom The country ruled by the king
• Witan - The Witan was a council of the most important earls and archbishops who advised the king, being made out of aristocrats, earls and bishops. - The kings appointed them to the position and didn't need to follow their advice, but usually did. - The Witan discussed many things such as possible threats, religious affairs, land disputes and appointing new kings (e.g Harold after William's death).
• Earldoms - Earldoms were areas of the country that had courts to try people and had to provide the king with troops for the fyrd. - They were introduced by King Cnut after his invasion in 1015. - The original rules of earldoms were Cnut's followers, but the power was passed down via blood.
• What were shires? Shires were areas of the country ruled by an important man who was close to the king
• What were hundreds? Hundreds were equivalent to 100 hides of land. Each hide in a hundred had a specific obligation such as taxes and military
• Tithings Goup of 10 households
• Social status fluidity Social status was not a fixed position, it was fluid. Peasants could become thegns and some earls could become thegns
• Powers of the king - Law making: Kings created new laws and had to make sure they were inforced- Money: Kings controlled the production of silver pennies- Land ownership: Kings owned large estates and could give or take away land- Military power: Kings had the ability to raise an army and fleet- Taxation: The king decided when taxes needed to be paid and how much they were
• Duties of the people - To obey they law as it was passed down to shire-reeves from the king- To use the king's coins as forgery was a very serious crime- To give tax and military service if you owned land or face punishment- To equip and provide fighters for the army or fleet if you owned land or face punishment
• King Edward the Confessor - Ruled from 1042-66- Succeeded viking king Harthacnut (Cnut)- Son of Emma of Normandy = Due to his Norman heritage they spent their youth in Normandy- Him and his wife Edith of Wessex never produced an heir- Was not a warrior king and relied on the Witan and the Thegns to control the country- He was a very religious man, hence the title Confessor- He was a respected law maker and kept the peace
• Limits to King Edward's power The King's power was limited by two factors:- Danelaw = Areas of England inhabited by the Danish and the Vikings kept their own laws an traditions, creating Danelaw = Danelaw wasn't effected much by Edward's rule, not changing their laws much to accomodate Edward's laws = However there was peace between Edward and the Danish- Earl Godwin of Wessex = Wessex was an extremely wealthy Earldom, and most of it was owned by the Godwin family = The Godwin family was almost as rich as the King and could easily pressure the King with their power
• Earl Godwin of Wessex's and Edward the Confessor's clash - In 1050, Godwin attacked a visiting embassy from Boulogne using the people of Dover. Edward told Godwin to punish the people of Dover, however Godwin refused. = As a result he and two other Earls (Siward and Leofric) forced Godwin to exile.- In 1051, Godwin returned with a fleet and army, requesting his earldom be restored. = As Edward feared war, he accepted his request.
• Earldoms of England - Wessex- Kent- East Anglia- Mercia- Northumbria
• Powers of the earls - Collecting taxes in their earldom, keaping 1/3 of it for themselves.- Oversaw justice and legal punishments in their earldom. Most crime came under their decision- Kept a large military power and had bodyguards (Housecarls) and soldiers
• Limits to the earl's powers - The power of the earls relied on the thegns in their earldoms- Relied on the strength of the king = If the king was strong then they were weak = If the king was weak then they were strong
• Anglo Saxon legal system - The king was the law, creating new rules and being depended upon to keep the peace and justice. = Offences against the king's peace (such as murder) were treated very harshly. - Wergild was introduced to stop the violence of blood feuds, introducing a variable way to pay off families to reduce violence.- The hue and cry was a practise in many burghs, put in action when someone did a crime. = People in the tithing went on the hunt for the criminal, catching them for punishment. - Group punishment of tithings was a common punishment. = One example was if someone refused to join the fyrd then the entire tithing was punished
• The Shire's responsibilities - Social: Each shire had its own court for trying people- Political: The shire reeve acted as the king's representative for the law- Economic: Each shire had a burgh (fortified town) as its main trading and administrative centre- Military: Each shire provided troops for the fyrd
• Shire reeves and their responsibilities The shire reeves (sheriffs) were the king's local government officials and worked within earldoms to look after the king's interests and instructions. Some of their duties included:- Collecting revenues from land- Collecting geld tax- Collecting fines from the shire court- Enforcing and witnessing the law at the shire court- Responsibilities for providing men for the fyrd and for the upkeed of roads and fortificationsThe king issued his orders to the shire reeves via writs. Writs were written instructions with a seal by the king.
• Burghs - Burghs were essentially the capital town of a shire, linked to one or more burghs by roads, preventing invasion.- Burghs were also planned so nobody was more than 20 miles away from a burgh due to prominent and frequent invasions. - They had strong ramparts which were guarded and maintained by the people
• Aethelflaed They played a major role in the establishment of medieval burghs.
• Features of medieval town - A strong outer wall and large greenery to prevent easy entry- Large roads to allow for large movement- Trade buildings: = The king declared that trade over a set amount had to take place in burghs to pay tax = Towns grew in importance because of international trading links- Villages and village houses: = Houses were made out of wood and thatched straw, holding many people = There was a large number of isolated houses spread around = Thegns lived inside fortified manor houses which were larger
• Population of Norwich 6000
• Influence of the Church - Reforms in Church teaching happened across all of Europe except for England- English bishops were resistant to reform- Religion was focussed on Anglo Saxon and older Celtic saints which were associated with the local area- Saints were part of everyday life- The Church was organised into large areas controlled by a bishop = These bishops were often very rich and were part of the witan- There was conflict between Churchs from the thegns and bishops- Local priests were normally members of the community who married (which was against new reforms)
• Monasteries and nunneries -Monasteries and nunneries were places where people were able to contribute to religion. -Both were on the decline and ,as a result, most workers lived normal lives which were not separate to the normal people
• House of Godwin: What - Godwin's bloodline and family- Started in 1018 during Cnut's reign- Cnut made his favourite adviser (Godwin) Earl of Wessex- Godwin was the son of an Anglo Saxon thegn
• House of Godwin: Who - Leofwine (Earl of Kent)- Harold II (Earl of Wessex) = Married to Edith the Fair (Daughter of Earl Aelfgar)- Tostig (Earl of Northumbria)- Gyrth (Earl of East Anglia)- King Edward = Married to Edith - Wulfnoth (Hostage)
• The Godwin's rise to power 1- Godwin helped Edward become king. In return, Edward married Godwin's daughter in 1045, giving him a link to the throne.2- Harold Godwinson succeeded his father, giving him power over their riches, household, hundreds of thegns and powerful advisors3- Tostig became Earl of Northumbria, giving the Godwin's a powerful base in the North4- In 1057, Gyrth was giving title of Earl of East Anglia5- In 1057 a small Earldom was given to Leofwine
• Reasons for Edward to give the Godwin family power - Edward's marriage to Edith made him kin to the Godwins- England was under threat from Norway, meaning that he needed this earls to be strong leaders = This is why Tostig was made an earl instead of Waltheof as he was too young to be a leader- Harold's marriage to Edith the Fair might have influenced the Godwins gaining East Anglia as they inherited large estates in the region- The Godwins helped Edward get onto the throne
• Aelfar and Llywelyn Aelfar was a powerful rival towards Harold, being exiled twice to Wales. Both times Aelfar was exiled he teamed up with Llywelyn to launch raids and capture back his earldom
• Harold killing Aelfar and Llywelyn - When Aelfar died, Edward and the Godwins did not want to have another rival- In 1062 the Godwins launched a surprise attack on Llywelyn where he barely survived- Harold took a fleet around the coast of South Wales while Tostig lead an army over land- The joint strategy worked, and Harold sent Llywelyn's head to Edward. Harold now controlled Wales
• Sources of the Godwin's power - Extensive landholdings made them as rich as the king- Lords to hundreds of thegns, making them powerful war leaders- Influential to the Church- Godwins had made political marriages- Wessex was England's defence against the attacks from the channel, making Harold's reign important
• Bayeaux Tapestry and limitations The Bayeux tapestry is an embroidery presenting the entire story of the invasion of England. It is a primary source and on of the finest surviving medieval documentsLimitations:- Only one perspective- Mentions Harold's embassy to Normandy where some sources disagree- Harold isn't shown getting Wulfnoth out of being a hostage- Harold could have been forced to take the oath- Normans biased the tapestry in their favour as it was commissioned by William's brother