Chapter 2 - Alfred and governance Flashcards
What are chaplains?
members of the clergy
What are household warriors?
members of personal troops of Scandinavian kings
Knights for Anglo Saxons
What are blood kin ?
People who are unified by blood / ancestry
What are the Witan ?
People who advise the king , discuss religious and local issues
What is Fluid institution ?
People moving in and out of different areas of the kingdom depending on what was needed at the time
What are Vils ?
Royal residence in a town or country side
What are Burhs ?
Alfred encouraged the making of fortified towns to defend against the vikings
Pre existing roman towns were reused . communication was vital for these small towns
Religion was taken into account when establishing burhs
What were the function of Burhs ?
Mainly defensive purposes - strategically placed all over Wessex
Places of administration / community / methods of control
Centres of commerce - markets and trade
What were the consequences of the creation of the burh system ?
Seemed to end the threat of viking attacks / a potential takeover of Wessex
E.g when the Danes returned , they could only reestablish authority in Mercia and east Anglia , attempts to take Wessex were destroyed
Goods and services were bought . Creation of code that regulated merchant activities
What was Burgal Hidadge?
A document that recorded the administrative system in England . It lists 33 Burhs along with Hides attached to burhs .
What was the problem with the provenance of the Burgal Hidage ?
Historians refer to two sources of the document
The difference between source A and B was that A states that there were many hides attached to burhs , whereas in B , it is very limited . Some were missing or not mentioned .
How did burhs in oxford grow ?
Oxford was designed as a military and administrative base .
There was a street plan which allowed trade and manufacturing of goods to supply the military
There were large buildings where grain would go . leather work was popular there including linen
How did the burh in Winchester grow ?
Alfred replaced the old roman drainage system to allow flow through the town .
renovated the old roman structure
Was a place of royal admin . Was constructed based on defence , street plans allowed soldiers to move easier .
How did the burh in Chichester grow ?
Built on top of old roman walls , used gridlines to accommodate religious buildings
It needed to be reformed as it was built on the coast , which eventually defended against viking ships
How did the burh in Wareham grow ?
Became the centre of Christianity , it was defended by a high bank surrounding the town
was considered an important place to protect Wessex . remained religiously significant .
was a place for the minting of currency .
What was the importance of Alfred’s law code ?
Wanted to show the public what the kings values were about ideology and politics .
Created based on mosaic law to emphasise christian teachings . Also to emphasise oath taking and truthfulness/obedience
What were some features of Alfred’s law code ?
Has stories about the origins from mosaic law . Gives and outline of the history of law , then it talks about Alfred’s law code
What were some principles of Alfred’s law code ?
Criminals would be allowed to live or be killed
Trials would occur if guilt was not obvious ( trial by fire )
Establishment of guilt was followed by appropriate punishment .
What was the impact of Alfred’s Law code ?
He managed to rule Wessex with very little opposition ( internal ) .
The emphasis on respect and fairness gave him respect and attention placed on oath taking / maintenance of loyalty .
Did Alfred deserve the title of being called King of the English ?
NO - He was King of all the English except for the areas owned by the Vikings ( which was a large portion of England )
YES - Athelweard said that he was King of the Saxons , a pillar of western people: a man replete with justice and vigorous in welfare instructed in divine leadership
NO - Accounts focus on his attributes yet did not compare Alfred to other kings at the time
YES - Charles I and II have both based themselves upon Alfred’s lessons . In the 19th century , Alfred was seen as one of the main reasons for the countries success
YES - promoted as the founder of the British navy / an integral establishment in the British empire
What are some reasons for why Alfred reformed England’s education system ?
The Vikings had destroyed religious and learning in Anglo Saxon Britain .
Alfred believed that the damage caused by the Vikings was a consequence of decay in English learning , church life and morality.
The Vikings were a punishment from God
Alfred thought an educated England was formidable and strong
Project of educating was part of military defence in England . If they were educated he hoped that the people would unite under the threat of the Vikings
Why did Alfred implement a programme for learning ?
- To get God on his side . Alfred thought that the bible and God acted as a moral code of conduct, you would be rewarded on earth and heaven . ( MORALITY IDEAS )
- To enable administrators to implement a fair and just legal system based on Christian teachings to therefore make morally correct judgments . ( POLITICAL IDEAS )
- Alfred had his own personal reasons for wanting a methodical approach to school and learning . E.G his education was neglected by his parents as he was the youngest in the family , so he had to catch up in his older years
How significant were court intellectuals in the developing of learning in Alfred’s rule ?
They were very significant as Alfred said that there were no good scholars in the entirety of Wessex . He was craving knowledge and learning .
It was also significant as court intellectuals could help Alfred speed up the time it would have taken to reform the education system . So his utopia was created quicker
What were the Worcester Charters ?
Educated individuals who knew Latin very well . They were not ravaged by the Vikings the same way England was
