1042-1065

Question 1

Who was the King before 1066?

Answer 1

Edward the Confessor

Question 2

What was the name of the King’s council?

Answer 2

The Witan

Question 3

What were Saxon houses made from?

Answer 3

Wattle and Daub

Question 4

In which year was Earl Godwin and his son exiled?

Answer 4

1051

Question 5

What earldom was controlled by Tostig, and when was he appointed?

Answer 5

Northumbria, 1055

Question 6

What was compensation for victims of crime called?

Answer 6

Wergild

Question 7

What was the punishment for treason and betrayal?

Answer 7

Death.

Question 8

How were trials conducted in Anglo-Saxon England?

Answer 8

Trials by juries made up of those who knew the accuser and the accused, or trials by ordeal if the jury couldn’t decide. There was also trial by combat.

Question 9

What were Anglo-Saxon pennies made of?

Answer 9

German silver

Question 10

How was England divided?

Answer 10

It was divided into four great earldoms, (Northumbria, Wessex, East Anglia and Mercia) and 3 smaller earldoms in the south east (Essex, Kent and Sussex). Then into shires(40 in the whole country), with each having a sheriff who collected taxes and oversaw justice; then hundreds (100 hides of land), and tithings (10 households)

Question 11

Why were the Danelaw areas of England treated differently to the rest of the country?

Answer 11

They had been settled by Viking invaders, so they had different customs, traditions, language, and taxation.

Question 12

Who was just below Earls in terms of power?

Answer 12

Thegns, who had to fight in return for their land

Question 13

What were the responsibilities of an Earl?

Answer 13

They had to protect large amounts of land (their earldom), advise the King in the Witan, and enforce local laws.

Question 14

Who passed laws in Anglo-Saxon England?

Answer 14

The King

Question 15

Who had to choose the next King when one died?

Answer 15

The Witan

Question 16

Who made Earl Godwin an earl in 1018, and of what earldom?

Answer 16

King Cnut, Wessex

Question 17

What was the name of freemen who had their own land?

Answer 17

Ceorls, they also had to fight for the King if needed.

Question 18

What percentage of people lived in towns before 1066?

Answer 18

10%

Question 19

How many Godwins were earls in 1058?

Answer 19

Four: Harold, Tostig, Leofwine, Gyrth

Question 20

Who did Harold and Tostig defeat in battle to make the King indebted to them?

Answer 20

Gruffud ap Llewelyn - Welsh prince

Question 21

Who apparently captured Harold during his embassy to Normandy in 1064?

Answer 21

Count Guy de Pontieau

Question 22

Who appointed Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury?

Answer 22

Earl Godwin

Question 23

Who was summoned to England by Edward the Confessor in 1057?

Answer 23

Edward ‘the Exile’ and Edgar Aetheling

Question 24

Why was there any uprising against Earl Tostig in 1065?

Answer 24

• he taxed Danelaw areas
• he killed people who could have rivaled him for his position
• He was friends with the Scottish king

Question 25

Why was Edgar Aetheling not deemed a suitable heir?

Answer 25

He was a teenager at the time of the succession crisis, and was not showing signs of becoming a successful king

Question 26

How many bishops were there in Anglo-Saxon England?

Answer 26

25, below 2 archbishops

Question 27

What happened at the end of 1065?

Answer 27

Edward’s great project, Westminster Abbey, was consecrated (though he was too ill too attend)

Question 28

What was the relationship between the Archbishops of York and Canterbury (pre-1066)?

Answer 28

They were of equal importance