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Anglo-Saxon and Norman society (The legal system (Trials (There were…
Anglo-Saxon and Norman society
Power of English Monarchy
The structure of society in England was heirarchical. Each group knew its place and obeyed those who were above them
The role of the king and nobles
The king was the head of government and made all the important decisions
Had to display good military skills and ensure laws were made and obeyed
Had to manage his nobles by cooperating with them and controlling them
The earls were the most important of the nobles: there were 6 of them and they were always powerful land owners
If the king needed advice, he would call for the Witan- literal meaning 'a meeting of wise men'
The Witan comprised the most powerful nobles and they offered the king their views
The Witan could make a recommendation if the king wanted advice on the succession
The earls and thegns
The earls controlled large areas of England. The most important earldoms were Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria and East Anglia
The earls governed their areas for the king and prevented rebellions, upheld the law and raised armies
The thegns were nobles who held their lands directly from the king in return for military service in time of war. They were less powerful than the earls
To ensure good government in the earldoms, land had been divided into shires and hundreds
The shires were looked after by the sheriffs and hundreds were looked after by reeves
Ceorls, peasants and slaves
Ceorls were free men who owned their land. They had to serve in an army if called on to do so
Peasants rented land from the thegn and had to work on his land for three days each week
About 10% of the 2 million population were slaves and they were not free. They had no land, and worked for the thegn as farm labourers or servants
The economy
Village and town economies
Villages had a subsistence economy: they produced enough food for themselves and some were able to produce other materials for themselves
Some goods would be traded at local markets and either bartered or sold
Towns would have weekly markets where goods were bartered (exchange of goods not involving money) and/or sold
Craftsmen would trade their hand- made goods
Towns with mints would make silver coins, overseen by a royal official
The legal system
People followed the kings laws but some local legal customs still existed, such as the blood feud (A lengthy conflict between families involving a cycle of retaliatory killings)
Meant in case of a murder or severe wrong doing there could be retaliation without resort to the courts (if went on too long the king would intervene)
The Wergild (The cash value of someone's life in Anglo Saxon England ) was used to compensate victims of crime
The amount of compensation depended on the rank of the person in society (higher staus= higher compensation)
Capital punishment was used for those who committed treason, or betrayed their lord or the ruler
Crimes against the church could mean mutilation and re offenders also suffered mutilation
There were no police forces
Local communities used the tithing system (men were placed in groups of 10 and were expected to be responsible for each others behavior)
Anyone breaking the law would have to be brought to court (failure to do so resulted in a fine for the group)
Trials
There were two types of courts- shire and hundred
Shire and hundred courts used a jury made up of people who knew both parties in the case. The jury listened to the evidence and came to a judgement
If the two courts could not come to an agreement, then trail by ordeal (A method of determining a person's guilt or innocence by subjecting the accused person to dangerous or painful tests believed to be under the influence of god) followed. This took place in a church
The organisation and influence of the church
The church held sway over all classes in society and people attteneded church
It was heirarchically oragnised (like society)
2 archbishops (Canterbury and York)
15 bishops- In charge of a diocese (An area administered by a bishop) and they ensured priests carries our their duties effectively
Numerous priests
The church owned 25% of the land in England. Senior members of the church were often members of the Witan and were advisers to the king
People accepted that God controlled harvests, diseases and entry to heaven. Hence the church was a major part of daily life
There were several Holy Days and many Saints' days, which meant that all people could attend church services
there were many abbeys where monks and nuns lived. Here, the inhabitants spent time praying , writing manuscripts and growing produce