2.1 how did buhrs and those that run them change alfred's 'england'? pt1

Question 1

Give 5 features of Alfred’s ‘household’.

Answer 1

Household, witan, thegns, clergy, ealdormen, reeves.

Question 2

What did the household form?

Answer 2

The central part of the gov.

Question 3

Who was in the household?

Answer 3

A mixture of officials, servants and chapains.

Question 4

Who did the household liaise (cooperate) with?

Answer 4

The witan.

Question 5

Why was the household a ‘fluid’ institution? Therefore the household moved…

Answer 5

Individuals seemed to move in and out (TRANSITORY) of it depending on what Alfred required at any point of time. …around the kingdom.

Question 6

What was there a lack of in the household? Why might this cause a problem?

Answer 6

Formal lines of communication between Alfred, household and the rest of the kingdom (a lot of the ealdormen couldn’t read)>messages would have to be passed on by 3rd parties.

Question 7

What didn’t exist to support the governing process here? Therefore how was unity maintained? What does this link to?

Answer 7

Bureaucratic bodies to support what he did or thought>insufficient>unity was maintained by giving praise and punishment, depending on the actions of the individual>Alfred’s law code.

Question 8

What did the Witan consist of?

Answer 8

Individuals who were trust worthy enough to advise the King on a variety of matters.

Question 9

What is the Witangamont? Why was this weird?

Answer 9

Meeting of the witan to confirm a king. Rare to gather all of the ealdormen.

Question 10

What matters did the Witan discuss?

Answer 10

Holy nature (SYNOD) and secular affairs (ASSEMBLY).

Question 11

List 2 functions of the Witan.

Answer 11

-Discussion of local nature: land disputes, granting charters, attended by the ealdormen, bishop and others.
-Issues of wider nature: broader membership, discussed laws, how to deal with external threats.

Question 12

Why did membership change often? (2)

Answer 12

According to what was being discussed and where the Witan was held.

Question 13

What do some historians claim about Alfred’s assemblies of Witan and Household? What did they say that Alfred created? Why did people join these bodies?

Answer 13

Represented a form of parliament. A form of constitutional monarchy- to gain status and not to challenge the power of the King.

Question 14

What was the reality of Alfred’s assemblies?

Answer 14

Large assemblies were infrequent and Alfred was quite and authoritarian, obscure monarch in how he ruled.

Question 15

What does Anglo-Saxon Chronicle imply about all the individuals in Alfred’s court? Who might this have included?

Answer 15

All important officials in Alfred’s court were thegns (person of high rank who served the king). Bishops, ealdormen and reeves.

Question 16

How were thegns linked to communication?

Answer 16

Between the court and the localities.

Question 17

How did Alfred reform the role of thegns and why?

Answer 17

Creating a rotational (1 month on, 2 months off) duty (buhrs) system.

Question 18

Who were the clergy? What were they associated with? What were they directly linked to?

Answer 18

Bishops, priests, chaplains. Associated with the church and directly linked to the functioning of the household.

Question 19

What 3 things were the clergy involved in?

Answer 19

-Instructing the king on all matters of spiritual nature.
-Praying for the welfare and educating of the King and his immediate family.
-Dealing with correspondence from landowners and dignitaries (high ranked in office)

Question 20

What did some of the clergy form? What did they do? E.g..?

Answer 20

Royal secretariat, secret communications with the king and government, interpreted Alfred’s will.

Question 21

Who were the ealdormen? How did they climb the ranks? E.g..?

Answer 21

Senior officials and major land owners, having been thegns serving in the royal household. E.g. Ealdormen Wulfred of Hampshire.

Question 22

How many ealdormen supported Alfred in his reign? How many of them had previously been thegns? Overall, what is Alfred using promotion for?

Answer 22

25, 15, to buy loyalty, able and trustworthy individuals.

Question 23

List 5 duties of the ealdormen.

Answer 23

-Raised armies from the shires during times of war and acted as the King’s military advisors.
-Collected the ‘royal tribute’
-Acted as special messengers
-Enforced the law
-Ensured that people carried out services in support of the King

Question 24

What shows that ealdormen are highly valued? E.g..?

Answer 24

Legal protection e.g. anyone caught taking property from an ealdorman was heavily fined.

Question 25

Why did ealdormen have heavy financial burdens? E.g..?

Answer 25

They were responsible for the upkeep of roads and buildings, paying soldiers under their command.

Question 26

What was most important for ealdormen?

Answer 26

The allegiance and loyalty that ealdormen swore to their King.

Question 27

What relationship did the Reeves have with the people?

Answer 27

Face to face relationship with the people of the shires.

Question 28

What were the Reeves 3 main responsibilities?

Answer 28

-General administration of the King’s estates.
-Monitoiring of labour services, collection of renders and food rents from peasants.
-Keeping law and order by making legal decisions and by acting as witnesses of accusations of wrong doing.

Question 29

How did Alfred impact the latter (after) duty? What was this the basis for later on?

Answer 29

Law codes>hundred court, becomes local government.

Question 30

Which parts of the hierarchy were involved in local government?

Answer 30

Reeves.

Question 31

Which parts of the hierarchy were involved in helping other parts communicate with each other?

Answer 31

Royal secretariat (clergy), thegns.

Question 32

Which parts of the hierarchy were designed for those in power to feel like they had influence over the king?

Answer 32

Witan.

Question 33

How had the role of the clergy changed? (2)

Answer 33

-Became the royal secretariat.
-Educating the royal family>church removing the ‘foster system’>ealdormen aren’t happy>Alfred wants to get rid of the ealdormen so that they don’t overpower him>ealdormen cannot do anything about this>civil war (monostric crisis 973).

Question 34

How was the role of the thegn different to the other roles? (3)

Answer 34

-Anyone can be a thegn.
-Buhrs cannot be ran without them.
-Closer to the King>get more land.

Question 35

What does innovative mean?

Answer 35

Something that hasn’t been done before.