The Norman aristocracy

What features did the thegnly class and the knightly class both have?

Strong bonds of loyalty to their lords, principal warriors of the age, cemented ties with symbolic acts

What did land form the basis of for an enfeoffed knight?

Both his military service and loyalty to his lord

Why was the bond between knight and lord far stronger than the first generation of conquerers?

Due to their shared experiences of war and danger

What did a thegn's military service stem from?

His rank rather than the terms of his land tenure

What ways were there of securing loyalty?

The granting of land, a thegn might follow a lord as a result of personal commendation

What did a thegn have to possess?

5 hides of land

What was different about a knight's estate in comparison to a thegn's?

The knight's varied in size

Who filled the great Baronial households?

A class of landless knights in Norman England

Who were the landless knights more akin to?

The housecarls of Anglo Saxon times

Whose service was more military orientated?

Knights

What did knights, landed or household, typically fight on?

Horseback

What did a knight's service include?

Periods of garrison duty or active service in the royal army

What could a thegn's military service also form?

Just one part of their wider duties to their locality

What were thegns also?

Country gentlemen

What did thegns fight on?

Foot

How long did thegns hold their land for?

A lifetime or for three lifetimes

What was it known as when a thegn held their land for three years if granted to them by a charter?

Book land

What did estate of knights become towards the end of William's reign?

Hereditary