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22 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Who was at the top of Anglo Saxon society? |
The King |
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What was the king's role? |
To protect people and make laws. He also controlled land ownership, the military and taxation. |
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Who were the Thegns? |
Local lords who held more than 5 hides of land |
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What was a Thegns duty? |
To provide men for the fyrd (army) when needed |
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Why were earls so powerful? |
They advised the king They had great military power Oversaw justice |
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What were the limitations to an earls power? |
They relied on the support of their Thegns |
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Who made up most of the English population? |
Peasants farmers |
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What did the peasants do? |
They worked the land of their local lord |
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What was the name of the people who were free to go and work for another lord? |
Ceorls |
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Who were at the bottom of Anglo-Saxon society |
Slaves |
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Was mobility in Anglo-Saxon society impossible |
No, slaves could be freed and Thegns could be promoted to earls. An earl could be demoted to thegn and a peasant could sell themselves into slavery. |
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What were some of King Edward's strengths |
His earls had a powerful military force and was a respected law maker. |
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What were some of limits to King Edward's power. |
Half the country, the Danelaw, still had strong Danish links. Earl Godwin was also very powerful and could put pressure on him |
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What was the Anglo-Saxon government called |
The Witan |
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Who was part of the Witan? |
They were a council of advisers to the king, made up of important people like earls and archbishops. |
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What did the Witan discuss? |
It discussed threats and disputes, and had a large role in choosing a new king. |
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What were some of the Witans limitations? |
The king decided who was on the Witans and when it met. He did not have to follow it's advice. |
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How did the earls help the king run the country? |
•They collected taxes- earls kept ⅓ of what they collected. •They were in charge of justice and legal punishment in their earldom. •They had great military power-each earl has a highly trained bodyguards called housecarls. |
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What were earldoms divided into? And who oversaw it? |
They were divided into shires, overseen by a shire reeve. |
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What was the fyrd? |
It was the army, made up of 1 man from every 5 hides. These were mainly peasants. |
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What did shire reeves do? |
They carried out the king's instructions. They collected fines, enforced the law and provided men for the fyrd. |
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What was Collective Responsibility? |
If someone refused to join the fyrd and commited a crime, there would be consequences for the whole tithing. |
