Norman Conquest: On the Eve of Conquest

What was the role of the king in Anglo-Saxon society?

What was the role of the king in Anglo-Saxon society?

• Owned the most land

• Issued laws

• Responsible for justice

• Responsible for the work of the Church

• Raised taxes

What was the role of the Earls in Anglo-Saxon society?

• King’s chief advisors

• Couldn’t own armies but led the King’s armed forces

• Rivalries, plots and murders made England unstable

• Most powerful Earl was Harold Godwinson

What was the role of thegns in Anglo-Saxon society?

• High status came from land ownership

• Had to hold 250 hectares of land

• Most lived comfortably

• Roughly 5000

• Fought if necessary

• Carried out the kings work such as running local courts and collecting taxes

What was the role of ceorls in Anglo-Saxon society?

• Most of the population

• Some had special skills such as carpentry or blacksmiths

• Most worked the land

• Owned some land and a house but had to pay rent to a thegn

• Expected to fight in the king’s armed forces

Who were thralls in Anglo-Saxon society?

• Slaves- property of their master

• Not free to work elsewhere

• 10% of the population

• Some captured in wars or sold into slavery

• Anyone born a slave remained one

What were the lives of women like in Anglo-Saxon society?

• Had the legal right to own land and property

• Could divorce a husband who committed adultery- cases of this were very rare

• Fines for sexual harassment

• In charge of the household stores and money

What percentage of land was owned by women Anglo-Saxon England?

5%

What is wergild?

• The value of life

• If someone had killed another person, they could pay the price or be killed

• King 18000 shillings, Prince 9000, Earl 4800, thegn 1200, Ceorl 160, thrall- no value

When was the Roman Catholic Church brought to England?

597 AD

What religion were the Anglo-Saxons before Catholics?

Pagans

What was the Church influenced by in the North of England?

Missionaries from Ireland

Why is art produced by the Church in England different to other Christian art?

Because they avoided straight lines and preferred elaborate patterns made up of interlaced bands

How did the English Language in Anglo-Saxon times affect the Bible and the Church?

• The Bible was written in old English

• The Catholic Church only wanted the Bible in Latin because they didn’t want anything to be lost in translation

• This shows that the Church in England was independent and the monks continued to write extracts of the Bible in English

How did people worship in Anglo-Saxon England?

• People gathered around large stone crosses to worship

• Only after the Normans arrived did each village have it’s own stone Church

What did the Pope in Rome complain about with the Church in England?

The Church in England had too many saints and saints were supposed to be appointed by the Pope

How were Anglo-Saxon behaviours and beliefs influenced by Catholocism?

• Behaviours like binge-drinking, overeating and indulging in sex were criticised

• Pagan beliefs like witchcraft and spells were criticised

Who was St Dunstan?

• Monk from Somerset

• Became the Archbishop of Canterbury in 960 AD

• Devoted, generous and selfless

What standards did St Dunstan have for the Church?

• Insisted priests should not marry

• Improved education and commitment of nuns, monks and priests

• Organised the rebuilding of many churches, abbeys and monasteries by donations of thegn who wanted monks to pray for them

• Wanted to end greed/corruption

Why were there no more Church reforms after St Dunstan died?

Because of Viking raids in 1011 destroying much of Canterbury

Who was Stigand?

• 1065- both the Archbishop of Canterbury and bishop of Winchester- holding two positions is pluralism which is frowned upon

• Did little to improve the Church

• Served the King and Harold Godwinson as an advisor

How was Stigand corrupt?

• Sold of Church positions to the highest bidder- simony

• He had two positions in the Church of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Winchester- pluralism

• Had influence because of Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex

• Gained land in ten shires and became rich, making some generous gifts to churches and monasteries

How did the Pope try to convince Stigand to give up his position of Bishop at Winchester?

• The Pope was deeply upset and offered to give him an official blessing

• Stigand ignored him and stayed in England

What were Anglo-Saxon villages like?

• Houses made of wattle and daub, main building material was wood

• Houses had a hearth (fire) with a hole in the ceiling to let smoke escape

• The church was very important

• Rivers were full of fish to eat and sell to make money

• Earls had many facilities like guesthouses, storehouses and areas for soldier training

What was the Alfred Jewel and what does it tell us about the Anglo-Saxons?

• Intricate shapes and patterns

• May have been attached to a long stick

• Used to identify words and images in manuscripts

• Sent around the country in 890 AD by King Alfred

• Tells us the Anglo-Saxons were skilled craftsmen and they could work with precious metals

What was the Fuller Brooch and what does it tell us about the Anglo-Saxons?

• Represents the five senses

• Example- man at the centre staring with open eyes represents sight

• Tells us they had remarkable skills as craftsmen

• They were used to working with precious metals

What is this pen case and what does it tell us about the Anglo-Saxons? (See image)

• Made from walrus ivory

• Engraved with dragons, lions, birds of prey and human hunters

• Used to hold quill or musical instrument

• Shows they had remarkable skill as craftsmen and they could work with precious materials

What was the Anglo-Saxon calendar and the Marvels of the East and what do they tell us about the Anglo-Saxons?

• Contains information about the world

• Information about astronomy

• Information about far off places in Marvels of the East

• Images of half man half lion and a giant eating a human

• Shows the Anglo-Saxons were trying to learn about the world but they were not very knowledgeable

What is Beowulf and what does it tell us about the Anglo-Saxons?

• 3000 line long poem

• Beowulf hunts down and slays a monster

• Nor originally wrote by Anglo-Saxons but popular among them

• Shows Anglo-Saxons were interested in literature and passed it through word of mouth

What is the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and what does it tell us about the Anglo-Saxons?

• Monks wrote a history of Britain staring with the arrival of Julius Caesar

• Copies made in monasteries around England

• Ordered by Alfred the Great

• Monks updated history books independently until the 12th century

• Had gaps and was one sided

• Shows the growing sense of identity as a nation

What was the Exeter Book and what does it tell us about the Anglo-Saxons?

• Largest known collection of Anglo-Saxon writings

• Most famous writings were riddles

• Had sermons, poems, biographies of saints, medial treatments, advice on grammar

• Shows the Anglo-Saxons wanted to pass on their works of literature and they started writing it down

What were buildings like in Anglo-Saxon England and what does it tell us about the Anglo-Saxons?

• Almost entirely wood

• All rotted away now

• Had upright timbers

• Rectangular, single storey, thatched roofs

• Thegns lived in large, two floor houses

• Built in simple shapes- rectangles and squares

• Shows Anglo-Saxons mainly only knew how to use wood

What was the Nunnery at Wilton and what does it tell us about the Anglo-Saxons?

• Fairly small

• Compared to the temple of Solomon by an Anglo-Saxon writer

• Fine wooden carving

• Beautifully painted plasterwork

• Winding staircase

• Precious stones and ornaments

• Delighted in garments worn by nuns

• Shows Anglo-Saxons had great skills of weaving, building and embroidery

What were burhs and what does it tell us about the Anglo-Saxons?

• Only 3 by 1065

• Surrounded by walls- few made from stone

• Londonburh (London) had growing importance

• Defended by earthwork of ditches and ramparts with a strong wooden barriers

• Anglo-Saxon were growing their country

• They had effective systems of defence

What were Churches like and what does it tell us about the Anglo-Saxons?

• The only stone buildings the Anglo-Saxons had

• Replaced wooden shelters for worship

• Ground floor was where people stood for worship

• Decorated

• Buildings made of wood were uncommon except for churches

• Shows Anglo-Saxon were developing their building and becoming more devoted to Christianity

What is Westminster Abbey and what does it tell us about the Anglo-Saxons?

• In London

• Made in the popular style of abbeys in Normandy

• Made from carefully cut stone

• King Edward tried to make it as splendid as he could

• Opened on 25th December 1065

• Shows Anglo-Saxons adopted other cultures and they were becoming more skilled builders

What reasons may Anglo-Saxon life seem ‘golden’ regarding society?

• Women had rights- owned land, could divorce

• Wergild- value of life

• One of the wealthiest states in Europe

• Could move up or down classes

What reasons may Anglo-Saxon life not seem ‘golden’ regarding society?

• 5% of land owned by women

• Cases of women using their rights were very rare

• 10% of people were thralls

• Political instability due to rivalries between earls

• King Edward the Confessor was weak- Harold Godwinson ruled

What reasons may Anglo-Saxon life seem ‘golden’ regarding religion?

• English Church worshipped differently to Europe such as the Bible being in English instead of Latin

• St Dunstan worked to end corruption within the Church

• Building of churches, abbeys and monasteries

What reasons may Anglo-Saxon life not seem ‘golden’ regarding religion?

• Some pagan beliefs still remained for example, a pagan ring found in Essex with Christian and Pagan symbols

• Stigand was very corrupt- involved in pluralism and simony

• Many priests were uneducated and married

What reasons may Anglo-Saxon life seem ‘golden’ regarding culture?

• Decorative items show Anglo-Saxons were skilled craftsmen like the Alfred Jewel and Fuller Brooch

• Literature shows interest in science and history- Marvels of the East and Anglo-Saxon Chronicles

• Growth of church buildings shows commitment to Christianity

What reasons may Anglo-Saxon life not seem ‘golden’ regarding culture and buildings?

• Most buildings made of wood- prone to fire and rotting

• Burhs kept people safe- shows there was a fear of attack or lawlessness

• Written history could be one sided and had gaps such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle