Saxon Towns And Villages Flashcards
What was the country divided into
Earldoms controlled by an earl
What was each earldom divided into
Shires controlled by shire reeves
What was each shire divided into
Hundreds (equal to 100 hides in some areas)
What was each hundred divided into
Tithings (ten households)
Who was the shire reeve
The kings representative in local government
What was the role of the shire reeve
The king issued writs (orders) to the shire reeve.
The reeve had to collect the geld tax (land tax)
Judge at the shire court
Provide men for the fyrd
What was a Hide
A hide of land was a measurement of land equal to around 120 acres
What obligations did each hide carry
Having five hides of land meant you could become a thegn and you must provide one man for the fyrd
What was collective security
If one member of a tithing broke the law the rest were responsible for bringing him to court or would be punished themselves
What was hue and cry
When people In the community would call on all the others to help them track down a criminal
What was the fyrd
An army made up of one man from every five hides
What was the select fyrd made up of
Well equipped thegns and their followers
How long was service in the fyrd for
A fixed 40 day period because they couldn’t leave their farm for too long
What would happen if someone refused to join the fyrd
There would be a consequence for the whole tithing
What were blood fueds
Grudges between families which often lasted generations
What happens if someone from your family was killed
You had the right to kill someone from the murderers family
What is the wergild system
Instead of taking revenge the victims family received compensation from the murderers family
How much was each person worth when killed
Ceorl- worth 20 shillings
Thegn - 1200 shillings
Earl or archbishop - 3600 shillings
Why was Anglo Saxon England one of europes wealthiest countries
Had strong trading links across the seas
England’s towns were trading though almost everyone worked in farming
There was a good climate for farming especially in the south and east for críos and livestock in the west
Who did England have strong trade links with
Across the North Sea to Scandinavia and across the channel to Normandy and flanders
What boosted the earning of the king and the income of his nobles and the church
The efficient tax system when they kept some of their income for themselves
Why trade be taxed
Central control of money supply and trading centres (burghs) meant that money was reliable and kept its value
What was the population in 1060
2 million
How many people were nobles (thegns)
4000-6000
What percentage of the population was made up of peasant farmers
90% and they depended on thegns for land and work
Why was anglo Saxon society flexible
Peasant farmers could become thegns if they did well as acquired more than 5 hides of land
What did a thegns land holdings mean
They could afford weapons armour and horse so were expected to always be ready to serve their lord in battle
What would happen to slaves that did badly
They may have to sell themselves into slavery
How could slaves be freed
By their masters and turned into peasants
What were burghs
The fortified town of the main shire
What happened within the burghs
People from the countryside would take refuge in the burgh when vikings would invade
All important trading happened there (according to kings law) so that it could be taxed
What percentage of people actually lived in burghs during 1060
10%
What made burghs difficult to attack
Strong walls and ramparts
By 1060 what were the 2 biggest cities
York and London with populations of more than 10000 people
Why did towns grow larger
Good trading links
Who did York have strong trading links with
Denmark
Who did London have trading links with
Normandy France Germany flanders
What were houses made from
Wood and straw and lived in by numerous relatives
What did the thegns that lived in the countryside live in
Manor houses that were larger and better built and often had their own church and priest and would often provide services for the whole village
3 reasons why England had strong economy
Climate for farming
Strong trading links
Efficient tax system that was stable
What was each area of land the church owned ran by
Bishops
Who were bishops
Rich and important often serving on the witan as the kings advisors
Who did bishops oppose
Local priests employed by thegns and their Manor House and they eventually became under the control of bishops
Who were local priests
Ordinary members of community and not very educated
Many couldn’t read Latin
Had small land holdings like peasant farmers
Some married going against the reforms of priests required to be celibate
What were the monasteries and nunneries
Religious institutions that were populated by monks and nuns who devoted their lives to God
Monasteries also provided an important role in scribing religious texts
Monks also did work in local communities and weren’t isolated from the local villages
Why was religion very important in Anglo Saxon times
People wee worried about what would happen to them after they died
Believed they were punished in afterlife for sins and sought to reduce this period of punishment by being pious in their lives
What acts of Edward the confessor show that religion was very important to him
Rebuilt Westminster cathedral and sought to reflect Gods will in the way that he ruled
