History - Anglo saxons notes, Edexcel GCSE 2018
- Created by: sophielewis02
- Created on: 07-04-18 16:19
ANGLO-SAXON SOCIETY
The social system
Peasant farmers
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Rented small farms worked for themselves and their families
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Did a set amount of work for a local lord and worked land for their families
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If they didn’t do set work they could lose land
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Ceorls- free peasant farmers not tied to their land
Slaves
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10% of saxon society
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Bought and sold
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Not punished as harshly so they could still work
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Normans thought it was barbaric but slaves were normal in saxon society
Thegns
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Local lords
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Between 4000-5000 by 1060
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Aristocracy of saxon age, warrior class
Earls
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Most important aristocrats
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Competed against each other to be most trusted by kind
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Got rewards and honour from king
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Sometimes challenged king
The power if the English monarch
Powers of king
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Law-making
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Money- controlled production
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Landownership- could grant and take away land
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Military power- had ability to raise national army and fleet
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Taxation - decided when they were payed and was delivered to him
Duties of the people
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Obey the law
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Use kings coins
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Land carried two obligations; payment of tax + military service
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Landholders provide + equip fighters for army or fleet or they were fined or lost land
How powerful was edward the confessor
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Was a respected law-maker
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Was very religious , believed to be anointed by God
Limits to kings power
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Half of england was danelaw , had their own laws
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Earl godwin was as rich as king and was very powerful and so put pressure on king
Government
The witan
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A council that advised king on issues of the government
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Made up of most important aristocrats in kingdom
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discussed ; possible threats from foreign powers, religious affairs, land disputes and settling them
Earldoms
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Introduced by king cnut
Powers of earls
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Responsible for collecting taxes
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Oversaw justice and legal punishments
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Had great military power
Local government
Shire
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Each shire had its own court
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Shire reeve acted as kings representative
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Each shire had a burh
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Each shire provided troops for the fyrd
Shire reeves
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Collected revenues from kings land
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Collected geld tax
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Collected fines from court
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Enforced and witnessed law at shire court
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Responsible for providing men for fyrd
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Responsible for maintaining upkeep of roads
Military service
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Select fyrd- men to fight anywhere in england for king
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General fyrd- gathered men to fight who didn’t travel outside local area
The legal system
Blood feuds and wergild
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Blood feud- a revenge based system, if someone was killed victims family had right to kill someone from murders family and so on
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wergild - paid compensation by murders family price varied based on social status
Collective responsibility
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There would be consequences for everyone in a tithing if someone commited a crime
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Community based justice system
Saxon economy
Towns
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10% of population lived in town
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Had strong walls and ramparts guarded by men of town
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Upkeep of town was responsibility of burh’s inhabitants
Towns and trade
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Burhs were trading hubs
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Kings laws all trade should be worth more than a set of money so that trade could be…
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