Anglo-Saxon Flashcards
Who was King of England from 1048-66?
Edward the confessor
What was good about England prior to 1066?
England had a strong government as well as prosperous economy, boosted by extensive trade links across the North sea
Who were the vikings and why were they feared?
England had faced terrible threat for centuries from the vikings. These were Scandinavians who had raided settlements all along the coasts of Europe. In England these raids were often followed by invasions
Why did the Vikings have a claim to the English throne?
The king before Edward the confessor was a Viking- Cnut
What was the order of society in Anglo-saxon England and what did each do?
1)The King - made and set rules, ruled the country as well as fighting for it
2) The Earls - Ruled areas of land, completed tasks such as tax collecting and were the Kings advisors
3) The Thegnes - Fought for the King in return for land and completed tasks like guarding the Earls land whilst they were tax collecting
4) The Peasants
5) The Slaves
What did Anglo-saxons think about changing your social status in society?
They thought at birth you were placed into one of the classes of society, you had the capability to go up or down in social status
What was the Danelaw?
The part of England where Danish had been strongest. Descendants kept land and followed Danish laws instead of some Anglo-saxon ones
What is a Hide?
The way to measure land
What was an embassy?
An official visit by representatives of one ruler to another
What was a shire reeve?
An official of the King (his sheriff). They would manage the Kings estates collected revenue (taxes) for him and were incharge of the courts
What was an oath?
A solemn promise to something
Anglo-saxons often swore on holy relics to show they mean it
What was a blood feud?
A legal revenge system where if someone was killed, the victim’s family could kill someone from the muderer’s family
What was a Fyrd?
The men of the Anglo-saxon army.
Every 5 hides provided 1 man for this.
