Anglo Saxon and Norman England
Anglo Saxon Society:
Hierarchy of Anglo-Saxon Society
1. King
2. Earls
3. Thegns
4. Ceorls
5. Peasants
6. Slaves
What jobs did Anglo-Saxons do?
King:
o Only one king
o Defend country from attack, pass good laws and make sure the laws were obeyed.
o Power over the church
Earls:
o Most powerful lords
o Owned huge areas of land
o Usually no more than 6
o Kings’ advisors in the Witan they made sure his laws were followed in their regions,
raised men for the king’s army
o Protect the people on their lands
o Most important aristocrats
o Relationship between king and earl was based on loyalty
o Earls competed against one another to be the king’s favourite and the one that the king
relied on the most so that the king would give him the most rewards and honour
o Sometimes the earls challenged the king to increase his own power.
Thegns:
o Less than 1% of the population- between 4000-5000 thegns by 1060
o Noble, but less powerful than earls
o Warriors who defended the king, in return for land important part of aristocracy
o Carried out local duties like guarding tax collectors from attack and organising the
repair of fortifications (like burhs), roads and bridges
o Local lords
o Important man in the community: holding more lands than peasants and living in a
manor house with a tower and a separate church.
Ceorls:
o 10% of the population
o Sometimes called freemen
o Owned their own small area of land
o Being free meant they did not have to work for their lord every week, unlike peasants
and slaves
o All male ceorls had to serve in an army if needed.
Peasants:
o Over 70% of the population
o Had to work on the lands of their lord for up to three days a week and do any job he
requested
o On other days they farmed their own rented land to grow enough food to live off and
pay their rent
o Every male peasant could be asked to fight for their lord in wartime.
o Rented small farms that they worked on for their families
o If they did not carry out the work for the lord, they could lose their right to work on their
land.
, Slaves:
o 10% of the population
o Not free and had no land
o Worked on their lord’s land or in his house as servants
o Their master dictated every aspect of their life: how much they worked, the food they
ate, even who they should marry.
o Could be bought and sold
o If they committed crimes, they would not be punished harshly as other people because
it might damage their ability to work
o Seen more like property
o Normans though owning slaves was barbaric, but it was normal in Anglo Saxon society.
Anglo Saxon Society:
The country was ruled by a king.
The king was dependent on help from the Lords and the Earls to help him to rule effectively.
Taxes were paid to the crown and the people were expected to be loyal to their monarch and
fight for him if he needed them.
About 1.5 million people lived in England in 1066.
People lived in small villages, there were only about 15 towns, London and Winchester were
cities.
Earl Harold Godwinson controlled the richest part of England which was in the South.
England was a very rich country because of the good agricultural and pastoral farming.
The rich earls built elaborate churches and have luxurious homes.
Although there were a lot of poor people, they still had a good life from farming and other
trades.
If you were a peasant who earned more than 5 hides of land that he paid tax on, he could
become a thegn.
Merchants who owned ships could also become thegns.
Slaves could be set free by their masters and free peasants could sell themselves into slavery
to feed their families.
Thegns could also become earls and earls could become kings.
Earldoms and Saxon Governments:
The Anglo Saxon Earldoms:
Over centuries, several kingdoms formed.
These were the basis of the earldoms on which Saxon government relied
North of the Danelaw the customs, traditions, taxes, laws and language were more influenced
by Norse/Viking culture.
Earls- Strengths, powers and limitations:
In order to aid the king in governing the country, the earls were given many of the king’s
powers.
1. Wealth: earls received 1/3 of all the money raised by taxes. They were supposed to use
this wealth to ensure their earldom was well defended and well run.
2. Law and order: though the king made the laws, the earls made sure the law was
obeyed. They decided who was guilty or not in their earldom.
3. Armies: earls were tohe lords to many thegns and also maintained an elite bodyguard
of professional soldiers called housecarls. The king used his earls like generals: they
were jis ilitary leaders against the King’s enemies.
When a king was strong, as Cnut was for most of his reign, the power of the earls was
definitely less than that of the king.
A powerful king like Cnut would demand obedience and would punish those who failed him
A king like Edward the confessor was not so strong
He spent most of his time in exile or in prayer and did not have the support of hundreds of
important followers in England.
It seems likely that he had to depend on earl godwin in particular
Anglo Saxon Society:
Hierarchy of Anglo-Saxon Society
1. King
2. Earls
3. Thegns
4. Ceorls
5. Peasants
6. Slaves
What jobs did Anglo-Saxons do?
King:
o Only one king
o Defend country from attack, pass good laws and make sure the laws were obeyed.
o Power over the church
Earls:
o Most powerful lords
o Owned huge areas of land
o Usually no more than 6
o Kings’ advisors in the Witan they made sure his laws were followed in their regions,
raised men for the king’s army
o Protect the people on their lands
o Most important aristocrats
o Relationship between king and earl was based on loyalty
o Earls competed against one another to be the king’s favourite and the one that the king
relied on the most so that the king would give him the most rewards and honour
o Sometimes the earls challenged the king to increase his own power.
Thegns:
o Less than 1% of the population- between 4000-5000 thegns by 1060
o Noble, but less powerful than earls
o Warriors who defended the king, in return for land important part of aristocracy
o Carried out local duties like guarding tax collectors from attack and organising the
repair of fortifications (like burhs), roads and bridges
o Local lords
o Important man in the community: holding more lands than peasants and living in a
manor house with a tower and a separate church.
Ceorls:
o 10% of the population
o Sometimes called freemen
o Owned their own small area of land
o Being free meant they did not have to work for their lord every week, unlike peasants
and slaves
o All male ceorls had to serve in an army if needed.
Peasants:
o Over 70% of the population
o Had to work on the lands of their lord for up to three days a week and do any job he
requested
o On other days they farmed their own rented land to grow enough food to live off and
pay their rent
o Every male peasant could be asked to fight for their lord in wartime.
o Rented small farms that they worked on for their families
o If they did not carry out the work for the lord, they could lose their right to work on their
land.
, Slaves:
o 10% of the population
o Not free and had no land
o Worked on their lord’s land or in his house as servants
o Their master dictated every aspect of their life: how much they worked, the food they
ate, even who they should marry.
o Could be bought and sold
o If they committed crimes, they would not be punished harshly as other people because
it might damage their ability to work
o Seen more like property
o Normans though owning slaves was barbaric, but it was normal in Anglo Saxon society.
Anglo Saxon Society:
The country was ruled by a king.
The king was dependent on help from the Lords and the Earls to help him to rule effectively.
Taxes were paid to the crown and the people were expected to be loyal to their monarch and
fight for him if he needed them.
About 1.5 million people lived in England in 1066.
People lived in small villages, there were only about 15 towns, London and Winchester were
cities.
Earl Harold Godwinson controlled the richest part of England which was in the South.
England was a very rich country because of the good agricultural and pastoral farming.
The rich earls built elaborate churches and have luxurious homes.
Although there were a lot of poor people, they still had a good life from farming and other
trades.
If you were a peasant who earned more than 5 hides of land that he paid tax on, he could
become a thegn.
Merchants who owned ships could also become thegns.
Slaves could be set free by their masters and free peasants could sell themselves into slavery
to feed their families.
Thegns could also become earls and earls could become kings.
Earldoms and Saxon Governments:
The Anglo Saxon Earldoms:
Over centuries, several kingdoms formed.
These were the basis of the earldoms on which Saxon government relied
North of the Danelaw the customs, traditions, taxes, laws and language were more influenced
by Norse/Viking culture.
Earls- Strengths, powers and limitations:
In order to aid the king in governing the country, the earls were given many of the king’s
powers.
1. Wealth: earls received 1/3 of all the money raised by taxes. They were supposed to use
this wealth to ensure their earldom was well defended and well run.
2. Law and order: though the king made the laws, the earls made sure the law was
obeyed. They decided who was guilty or not in their earldom.
3. Armies: earls were tohe lords to many thegns and also maintained an elite bodyguard
of professional soldiers called housecarls. The king used his earls like generals: they
were jis ilitary leaders against the King’s enemies.
When a king was strong, as Cnut was for most of his reign, the power of the earls was
definitely less than that of the king.
A powerful king like Cnut would demand obedience and would punish those who failed him
A king like Edward the confessor was not so strong
He spent most of his time in exile or in prayer and did not have the support of hundreds of
important followers in England.
It seems likely that he had to depend on earl godwin in particular
