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Anglo-Saxon Society (The legal system (Earldoms were divided into shires:…
Anglo-Saxon Society
The legal system
Earldoms were divided into shires: Each shire had its own court for trying cases and giving punishments; The shire reeve acted as the king’s representative in the shire; Each shire had a burh (fortified town) as its main administrative and trading centre; Each shire provided troops for the fyrd
Shires were divided into hundreds, and hundreds into tithings (units of 10 households). At the base of the who system was a hid. Each hide of land carried obligations such as payment of taxes and military service.
The shire reeves, or sheriffs, were the king’s local government officials and they worked within the earldoms to look after the king’s interests and carry out his instructions. Their duties included: Collecting revenues from the king’s land; Collecting the geld tax (a tax on land); Collecting fines from the shire court; Enforcing and witnessing the law at the shire court; Responsibilities for providing men for the fyrd and for the upkeep of roads and fortifications
When the call came from the king, each group of 5 hides was obliged to provide 1 man for the fyrd (the Anglo-Saxon army and fleet), together with his battle equipment. A period of 40 days was fixed for their service, after which a fyrd would be disbanded.
Traditionally, if a family member was attacked, then the rest of the family would find the person responsible and punish them. This led to blood feuds. Feuds could continue for generations. The solution was Wergild. Instead of taking revenge, the family who had suffered the murder were paid compensation by the murderer’s family. It showed the importance of status: a ceorl was worth 20 shillings, a thegn was worth 1200 shillings and an earl or bishop was worth 3600 shillings.
When a crime was committed, it was the duty of all members of a tithing (10 households) to hunt for the criminal: this was called the ‘hue and cry’. The men of the tithing were also responsible for the good behaviour of their tithing. If someone was proved to have done something wrong, they all had to pay a fine. This community-based justice system followed a principle called ‘collective responsibility’.
Local Government
In order to aid the king in governing the country, the earls were given many of the powers of the king. They were responsible for collecting taxes from their earldom and received a third of all collected making them very rich. They oversaw justice and punishments in their earldom. Only the king could make new laws but earls still had strong powers. They had great military power. They were the lords of hundreds of thegns and also had an elite bodyguard of professional soldiers called housecarls. The king therefore used his earls like generals.
A powerful king would demand obedience and would punish those who failed him. But a king like Edward the Confessor was not so strong. He spent most of his life in exile and did not have the backing of hundreds of important followers in England. It seems likely that he had to depend on Earl Godwin in particular. However, the earls’ power relied on the support of the thegns. We know this because of occasions when thegns demanded that Earls be removed from their positions eg. Earl Tostig Godwinson in Northumbria.
In 1066, 10% of the population in England lived in towns. Each shire had its main town. These fortified towns were called burhs and had been planned so that no one was more than 15 or 20 miles from safety if there was a Viking raid. They were linked by roads so that troops could move quickly from one burh to another. They had strong walls and ramparts and were guarded by men of the town. Administration and upkeep of the town and its fortifications was the responsibility of the burgh's inhabitants.
Villages were a large number of isolated homes and farms scattered over the countryside. The houses were made of wood and thatched with straw, and were homes for lots of relatives living together rather than just one family. Most thegns lived in the countryside too. Their manor houses were larger and better built than peasant huts. Thegns often built a church on their land and employed a priest to hold services for the thegns household. These churches would also provide services for the surrounding area.
The Church
The English Church was traditional, resistant to reform and it focused on Anglo-Saxon saints as well as older Celtic saints. These Anglo-Saxon and Celtic saints were often linked to a local area and were saints that the local people felt were familiar.
The Church was organised into large areas, each controlled by a bishop. The bishops were often rich, important people. Bishops served on the Witan as the king’s advisers. Local priests were usually quite ordinary members of the community. They were not especially well-educated, had small landholdings like peasants and were usually married, which went against reforms that required priests to be single. England also had monasteries and nunneries. Unlike in Normandy, monasteries in England were in decline.
Religion in Anglo-Saxon England was an important part of everyday life. The influence of the Church was very strong because people were worried about what would happen when they died. Everyone believed that they would spend time in the afterlife being punished for their sins, and participating in religious activity and prayer provided a way for people to reduce this period of punishment. Religion was especially important to King Edward, who devoted his later years to rebuilding Westminster Cathedral.
National Government
The Witan was a council that advised the king. It was made up of the most important aristocrats including earls and archbishops. It discussed: Possible threats from foreign powers; Religious affairs; Land disputes and how to settle them. The Witan also had an important role in approving a new king. The king did not have to follow the Witan’s advice. The king also decided who was appointed to the Witan and when it should meet.
Offences against the king’s peace, such as robbing a traveller, were punished harshly. The people expected the king to provide justice: to treat everyone of the same social standing in the same way.
The economy
Cloth products are likely to have been the most important products. Farming was well organised: for example, there were over 6000 mills throughout the country used for grinding the local community’s grain into flour. Eastern England was ideal for arable farming (growing crops), whereas western England was well suited for rearing sheep. Most of the silver used to make Anglo-Saxon coins came from Germany. Therefore, England must have been able to export products that had high value abroad to be able to import expensive silver.
Burhs were also trading hubs. The king’s laws demanded that all trade more than a set amount of money should take place in burhs so trade tax was paid. In 1060 the biggest cities in England were London and York with populations of more than 10000 people. Towns like Norwich and Lincoln had populations of around 6000. York had trade links with Denmark, Bristol had trade links with the west of England and Viking settlements in Ireland. London was the biggest trading hub of all, trading with Germany, France, Normandy and Flanders.