1. Anglo-Saxon society Flashcards
What was an earldom? What was the basic structure of how land was divided?
The largest subset/division of land. This was governed by the earls
Kingdom | V Earldom | V Shire | V Hundred | V Village
What trials were used in the Anglo-Saxon era?
TRIAL BY JURY IN THE SHIRE- OR HUNDRED-COURT. The jury knew both the accuser and the accused.
TRIAL BY ORDEAL. The last resort, if trial by jury didn’t work. The accused would have to undergo an ordeal (e.g. trial by hot water). This showed the importance of religion
What roles did the monarch have?
Defend the country from attack - he raised the army
Pass laws and make sure they were obeyed
Granted land to his followers, and took it away from those who acted against him
What were the two other parts of the monarchy? Who did they consist of?
THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD - family, housecarls (soldiers) and servants
THE ROYAL COURT - advisors (chief landowners and bishops)
What was local government? Why was it used?
Where the king appointed other people to govern each local area. It was used because England is too big - it’d be extremely difficult for just one person to rule the entire land.
What was the Witan?
The group of people which offered the king advice on important matters such as religion or war. There were no regular meetings or membership, but it included earls, thegns, archbishops and bishops.
They could also recommend who should become next king
What were the two main categories of the economy?
Town and village
What was village economy like?
Village economy was based mainly on SUBSISTENCE - where you produce just enough for your own family
However, some would produce a little extra for bartering - EXCHANGE economy
Villages were mostly AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIES, but some people developed craft-skills as well, developing goods such as pottery, iron weapons and other tools.
90% of the population lived in villages
What was town economy like?
Though there may be a few towns in a shire, the main one was known as the BURH - this was heavily fortified with large walls, and guarded
Burhs were where taxes were collected, and trade took place
Towns grew in importance because of INTERNATIONAL TRADE LINKS: York with Denmark, Bristol with Ireland. London was the most important - it saw the most trade, with links to Germany and France
Coastal towns or towns next to large rivers were important for international trading routes - they were ports.
What influence did the church have on people?
The Church owned 25% of all land in England
People were strongly Christian - they were worried about going to hell, and church attendance would help avoid this fate
The religion played an important role in holidays - Holy Days such as Easter and Christmas were public days where no-one worked
What methods of policing were used in the Anglo-Saxon era?
Tithings
Hue and cry
What methods of punishment were used in the Anglo-Saxon era?
WERGILD - killing a nobleman = 300 shillings, for instance. Also fines for injuring different body parts - as most worked as farmers/craftsmen, thumbs and shoulders were very important
CAPITAL AND CORPORAL PUNISHMENT - for crimes such as treason or betraying your lord. Repeat offenders were also harshly punished
How was the Church organised?
The two archbishops were at the top. They were in charge of the church in their region
Below them were the 15 bishops, in charge of regions known as dioceses. They were responsible for ensuring that priests obeyed church laws and carried out services properly
What were local priests like?
Local priests were ordinary members of the community.
They usually weren’t very well educated and many couldn’t read Latin (the language of the Church)
They were often married, going against Christian teachings on celibacy within the church clergy
What were monasteries and nunneries like?
These were buildings religious communities of monks and nuns. However, their number was reducing, so monks tended to live in the local community as opposed to the separate holy lives apart from the world.
