earldoms & saxon government

• the earldoms

  northumbria

  mercia

  east anglia

  wessex

  kent
• danelaw

  customs, traditions, taxes, laws + language were influenced by viking culture
• strengths + power of earls

  wealth - earls got 1/3 of money raised by taxes

  law and order - earls made sure laws were obeyed, they decided who was guilty or not in their earldom

  armies - earls were lords to many thegns and maintained housecarls, they were the kings generals
• king cnut

  he was strong and power of the earls was less, he would demand obedience and punish those who failed him (contrasting to edward who depended on earl godwin)
• tostig

  he was demanded by the thegns to be removed in 1065, he was exiled and lost his earldom

  there were protests from his thegns about how he governed his earldom northumbria