Anglo-Saxon Society

Hierarchy:

  1. King

  2. Earls

  3. Thegns

  4. Ceorls

  5. Peasants

  6. Slaves

Kings: Only one. defends country from attacks, pass good laws and make sure the laws were obeyed. power over the church.

Earls: Most powerful lords. owned huge areas of land. usually no more than 6. kings advisors in the Witan. they made sure his laws were followed in their regions, raised men for the Kings army. protect the people on their lands.

Thegns: less than 1% of the population. noble, but less powerful than earls. warriors who defended the king, in return for land. carried out local duties like guarding tax collectors from attack and organising the repair of fortifications, roads and bridges.

Ceorls: 10% of the population. sometimes called freemen. owned their own small area of land. being free meant they did not have to work for their lord every week, unlike peasants and slaves. all male ceorls had to serve in an army if needed.

Peasants: over 70% of the population. had to work on the lands of their lord for up to 3 days a week and do any job he requested. on other days they farmed their own rented land to grow enough food to live off and pay their rent. every male peasant could be asked to fight for their lord in wartime.

Slaves: 10% of the population. not free and had no land. worked on their lords land or in his house as servants. the master dictated every aspect of their life: how much they worked, the food they ate, who they should marry.

the country was ruled by a king. the king was dependent on help from the lords and the earls to help him rule effectively. taxes were paid to the crown and the people were expected to be loyal to their monarch and fight for him if he needed them.

1.5 million people lived in England in 1066. people lived in small villages, there were only about 15 towns. London and Winchester were cities. Earl Harold Godwinson controlled the richest part of England in the south.

England was a very rich country because of the good agricultural and pastoral farming land. The rich Earls built elaborate churches and have luxurious homes. Although there were a lot of poor people, they still and a good life from farming and other trades.

if you were a peasant who earned more than 5 hides pf land that he paid tax on, he could become a thegn. Merchants who owned ships could also become thegns. slaves could be set free by their masters and free peasants could sell themselves into slavery to feed their families. Thegns could become earls and earls could become kings.

Thegns were local lords. there were between 4000-5000 thegns by 1060. a thegn was an important man in the community: holding more land than the peasants and living in a manor house with a tower and a separate church. thegns were an important part of the aristocracy: its warrior class.

Earls were the most important aristocrats: the most important men after the king. the relationship between the king and the earls was based on loyalty. the earls competed against one another to be the king’s favourite and the one that the king relied on the most so that the king relied on the most rewards and honour. sometimes the earls challenged the king to increase their own power.

10% of the Anglo-Saxon population were slaves. slaves could be bought and sold. if they committed crimes, they were not often punished as harshly as other people because it might damage their ability to work: they were seen more like property than people. the Normans thought that owning slaves was barbaric, but it was a normal part of Anglo-Saxon society.

the majority of Anglo-Saxons were peasant farmers, who rented small farms that they worked on for their families. Peasants