Chapter 2 - Alfred and governance Flashcards
(39 cards)
What are chaplains?
members of the clergy
What are household warriors?
members of personal troops of Scandinavian kings
Knights for Anglo Saxons
What are blood kin ?
People who are unified by blood / ancestry
What are the Witan ?
People who advise the king , discuss religious and local issues
What is Fluid institution ?
People moving in and out of different areas of the kingdom depending on what was needed at the time
What are Vils ?
Royal residence in a town or country side
What are Burhs ?
Alfred encouraged the making of fortified towns to defend against the vikings
Pre existing roman towns were reused . communication was vital for these small towns
Religion was taken into account when establishing burhs
What were the function of Burhs ?
Mainly defensive purposes - strategically placed all over Wessex
Places of administration / community / methods of control
Centres of commerce - markets and trade
What were the consequences of the creation of the burh system ?
Seemed to end the threat of viking attacks / a potential takeover of Wessex
E.g when the Danes returned , they could only reestablish authority in Mercia and east Anglia , attempts to take Wessex were destroyed
Goods and services were bought . Creation of code that regulated merchant activities
What was Burgal Hidadge?
A document that recorded the administrative system in England . It lists 33 Burhs along with Hides attached to burhs .
What was the problem with the provenance of the Burgal Hidage ?
Historians refer to two sources of the document
The difference between source A and B was that A states that there were many hides attached to burhs , whereas in B , it is very limited . Some were missing or not mentioned .
How did burhs in oxford grow ?
Oxford was designed as a military and administrative base .
There was a street plan which allowed trade and manufacturing of goods to supply the military
There were large buildings where grain would go . leather work was popular there including linen
How did the burh in Winchester grow ?
Alfred replaced the old roman drainage system to allow flow through the town .
renovated the old roman structure
Was a place of royal admin . Was constructed based on defence , street plans allowed soldiers to move easier .
How did the burh in Chichester grow ?
Built on top of old roman walls , used gridlines to accommodate religious buildings
It needed to be reformed as it was built on the coast , which eventually defended against viking ships
How did the burh in Wareham grow ?
Became the centre of Christianity , it was defended by a high bank surrounding the town
was considered an important place to protect Wessex . remained religiously significant .
was a place for the minting of currency .
What was the importance of Alfred’s law code ?
Wanted to show the public what the kings values were about ideology and politics .
Created based on mosaic law to emphasise christian teachings . Also to emphasise oath taking and truthfulness/obedience
What were some features of Alfred’s law code ?
Has stories about the origins from mosaic law . Gives and outline of the history of law , then it talks about Alfred’s law code
What were some principles of Alfred’s law code ?
Criminals would be allowed to live or be killed
Trials would occur if guilt was not obvious ( trial by fire )
Establishment of guilt was followed by appropriate punishment .
What was the impact of Alfred’s Law code ?
He managed to rule Wessex with very little opposition ( internal ) .
The emphasis on respect and fairness gave him respect and attention placed on oath taking / maintenance of loyalty .
Did Alfred deserve the title of being called King of the English ?
NO - He was King of all the English except for the areas owned by the Vikings ( which was a large portion of England )
YES - Athelweard said that he was King of the Saxons , a pillar of western people: a man replete with justice and vigorous in welfare instructed in divine leadership
NO - Accounts focus on his attributes yet did not compare Alfred to other kings at the time
YES - Charles I and II have both based themselves upon Alfred’s lessons . In the 19th century , Alfred was seen as one of the main reasons for the countries success
YES - promoted as the founder of the British navy / an integral establishment in the British empire
What are some reasons for why Alfred reformed England’s education system ?
The Vikings had destroyed religious and learning in Anglo Saxon Britain .
Alfred believed that the damage caused by the Vikings was a consequence of decay in English learning , church life and morality.
The Vikings were a punishment from God
Alfred thought an educated England was formidable and strong
Project of educating was part of military defence in England . If they were educated he hoped that the people would unite under the threat of the Vikings
Why did Alfred implement a programme for learning ?
- To get God on his side . Alfred thought that the bible and God acted as a moral code of conduct, you would be rewarded on earth and heaven . ( MORALITY IDEAS )
- To enable administrators to implement a fair and just legal system based on Christian teachings to therefore make morally correct judgments . ( POLITICAL IDEAS )
- Alfred had his own personal reasons for wanting a methodical approach to school and learning . E.G his education was neglected by his parents as he was the youngest in the family , so he had to catch up in his older years
How significant were court intellectuals in the developing of learning in Alfred’s rule ?
They were very significant as Alfred said that there were no good scholars in the entirety of Wessex . He was craving knowledge and learning .
It was also significant as court intellectuals could help Alfred speed up the time it would have taken to reform the education system . So his utopia was created quicker
What were the Worcester Charters ?
Educated individuals who knew Latin very well . They were not ravaged by the Vikings the same way England was
