topic 1 keywords

Question 1

fyrd

Answer 1

working men, mainly peasants, called to serve the king during times of trouble

Question 2

housecarls

Answer 2

the household troops or bodyguard of english kings

Question 3

thegn

Answer 3

a nobleman in anglo-saxon england

Question 4

vassal

Answer 4

a person granted the use of land, in return for promising to be loyal. in addition they usually provided military service or its equivalent to a lord

Question 5

knight

Answer 5

a horseback soldier

Question 6

papal banner

Answer 6

a flag given by the pope to show that a mission had his, and therefore, God’s blessing

Question 7

hauberks

Answer 7

chain mail protection - a shirt reaching at least to mid thigh and including sleeves

Question 8

allegiance

Answer 8

the loyalty of a citizen or subject to their government or king

Question 9

danegeld

Answer 9

a tax raised to pay the Vikings (often Danish) to stop them from plundering from England

Question 10

earldoms

Answer 10

the land owned by Earls

Question 11

fealty

Answer 11

loyalty

Question 12

illegitimate

Answer 12

a child born to unmarried parents

Question 13

sub-regulus

Answer 13

literally ‘below the king’ but meaning acting as the king’s deputy

Question 14

under oath

Answer 14

having sworn to tell the truth

Question 15

wessex

Answer 15

the richest part of england and an earldom controlled by the godwin family prior to the conquest

Question 16

witan

Answer 16

members of the national council in england advising the king before the norman conquest