How Were The Saxons Goverend Flashcards
What is governance
How a country is run and by who
What is the witan
A council that advised the king in Saxon times on key decisions
How is at the top of the hierarchy
King
Who is below the king
Earls
Who is below the earls
Thegns
Who is below the thegn
Ceorls
Who is below ceorls
Peasant farmers
Who is below the peasant farmers
Slaves
What percentage of the population did slaves make up
10%
Where did the Anglo Saxons come from
Germany Belgium and the Netherlands
When did the Anglo Saxons inhabit England
After the romans
What was the main source of income for Anglo Saxons
Farming/ agriculture
What is the population of Anglo Saxons
Small population of 2 million
What was the death rate like in Anglo Saxon times
Low life expectancy and high infant mortality
Who was the most powerful in Anglo Saxon England and no one could tell them what to do
The king
What did kings do to control the country
Kings granted out some of their power to their earls and took advice from the government (the witan)
What could only the king do
Make new laws
Decide on tax payments
Raise the Fyrd army (an army of peasants) and fleet
Grant land and take it away
Why did the king have to allow some independence
Half of the country was Anglo danish with its own laws known as Danelaw
What was the Witans job
To advise the king but the king could decide who was appointed in the witan
Why could the witans opinions be ignored
The king could decide what he needed advice on and didn’t have to follow that advice
Who were the earls
The most important men in the country after the king and ruled over large areas on the kings behalf
What powers did earls have
Collect tax (they kept 1/3)
In charge of law and order in their earldom
Military powers - earls were the kings generals leading their loyal thegns in battle
Who were thegns
Local lords who could complain to the king about earls who governed an earldom badly
What did you need to become a thegn
5 hide of land
What is an example of an earl being reported by thegns
Tostig the earl of Northumbria in 1065 where the witan was involved in deciding what happened
