Anglo Saxon Society

• Hierarchy of Anglo-Saxon society


  • King
  • Earls
  • Thegns
  • Ceorls
  • Peasants
  • Slaves
• Slaves represented a smaller proportion of society than peasants
• Peasants were the largest section of society followed by Ceorls, Thanes, and so forth
• King's main job was to defend the country from attack, pass good laws, ensure laws were obeyed, and have power over the church
• Earls were the most powerful lords, owned huge areas of land, ruled what were basically the old kingdoms, advised the king, raised men for the king's army, and protected the people in their lands
• Witan was the council of wise men made up of important earls and bishops to ensure the king's laws were followed by their regions
• Thanes represented less than one percent of the population, were noble warriors who defended the king in return for land, and carried out local duties like guarding tax collectors and organizing fortification repairs
• Charles represented about 10% of the population, owned their own small area of land, farmed, did not have to work for their lord every week, and all male charles had to serve in the army if needed
• Peasants represented over 70% of the population, worked on their lord's land, farmed their own rented land, could be asked to fight for their lord in wartime, and had to work for their lord for up to three days a week
• Slaves made up around 10% of the population, had no land, worked on their lord's land or in his house as servants, and were dictated every aspect of their life by their master
• Slaves did not have to serve in the army typically
• It's not usually a good idea to arm your slaves who might have a grudge against you
• The country was ruled by a king
• Taxes were paid to the crown and people were expected to be loyal to their monarch and to fight for him if he needed them
• There were about 1.5 million people who lived in England in 1066
• People lived in small villages
• There were only about 15 towns in England
• London and Winchester were the only cities
• Earl Harold Godwinson controlled the richest parts of England which were in the south
• England was a very rich country for the time especially because of its good agricultural and pastoral farming lands
• The nobles built elaborate churches and had luxurious homes
• Despite a lot of poor people, they still had a good life from farming and other trades compared to many other European countries
• If you were a peasant and earned more than five heinz heights of land that you paid tax on, you could become a thane
• Merchants who owned ships could also become thanes
• Slaves could be set free by their masters
• Free peasants could sell themselves into slavery to feed their families, although that would be a real move of desperation
• Thanes could become earls and earls could become thanes
• Thanes were local lords, there were between four thousand and five thousand thanes by 1060
• A thane was an important man in the community holding more land than the peasants and living in a manor house with a tower and a separate church
• Thanes are an important part of the aristocracy, its warrior class
• Earls were the most important aristocrats, the most important men after the king
• The earls competed against one another to be the king's favorite and the one that the king relied on the most so that the king would give them the most rewards and honor
• Sometimes the earls challenged the king to increase their own power
• Ten percent of the Anglo-Saxon population were slaves
• Slaves could be bought and sold
• If slaves committed crimes, they were not often punished as harshly as other people because they already had a pretty poor life
• Slaves were seen more like property than people
• The Normans thought that owning slaves was barbaric but it was a normal part of Anglo-Saxon society
• The majority of Anglo-Saxons were peasant farmers who rented small farms that they worked on with their families
• Peasants did a set amount of work for their local lord as well as working the land to support themselves and their families