2.1 how did buhrs and those that run them change a’s england'? pt1 Flashcards
(35 cards)
Give 5 features of Alfred’s ‘household’.
Household, witan, thegns, clergy, ealdormen, reeves.
What did the household form?
The central part of the gov.
Who was in the household?
A mixture of officials, servants and chapains.
Who did the household liaise (cooperate) with?
The witan.
Why was the household a ‘fluid’ institution? Therefore the household moved…
Individuals seemed to move in and out (TRANSITORY) of it depending on what Alfred required at any point of time. …around the kingdom.
What was there a lack of in the household? Why might this cause a problem?
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.
What didn’t exist to support the governing process here? Therefore how was unity maintained? What does this link to?
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.
What did the Witan consist of?
Individuals who were trust worthy enough to advise the King on a variety of matters.
What is the Witangamont? Why was this weird?
Meeting of the witan to confirm a king. Rare to gather all of the ealdormen.
What matters did the Witan discuss?
Holy nature (SYNOD) and secular affairs (ASSEMBLY).
List 2 functions of the Witan.
-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.
Why did membership change often? (2)
According to what was being discussed and where the Witan was held.
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?
Represented a form of parliament. A form of constitutional monarchy- to gain status and not to challenge the power of the King.
What was the reality of Alfred’s assemblies?
Large assemblies were infrequent and Alfred was quite and authoritarian, obscure monarch in how he ruled.
What does Anglo-Saxon Chronicle imply about all the individuals in Alfred’s court? Who might this have included?
All important officials in Alfred’s court were thegns (person of high rank who served the king). Bishops, ealdormen and reeves.
How were thegns linked to communication?
Between the court and the localities.
How did Alfred reform the role of thegns and why?
Creating a rotational (1 month on, 2 months off) duty (buhrs) system.
Who were the clergy? What were they associated with? What were they directly linked to?
Bishops, priests, chaplains. Associated with the church and directly linked to the functioning of the household.
What 3 things were the clergy involved in?
-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)
What did some of the clergy form? What did they do? E.g..?
Royal secretariat, secret communications with the king and government, interpreted Alfred’s will.
Who were the ealdormen? How did they climb the ranks? E.g..?
Senior officials and major land owners, having been thegns serving in the royal household. E.g. Ealdormen Wulfred of Hampshire.
How many ealdormen supported Alfred in his reign? How many of them had previously been thegns? Overall, what is Alfred using promotion for?
25, 15, to buy loyalty, able and trustworthy individuals.
List 5 duties of the ealdormen.
-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
What shows that ealdormen are highly valued? E.g..?
Legal protection e.g. anyone caught taking property from an ealdorman was heavily fined.
