Power - anglo-saxon England C1000- 1066

Question 1

The top of society held the power

Answer 1

• king chosen by the witan
• earl of wessex-biggest landowner in the country + often made king
• king = defender, raised armies, produces laws
• king, earls (large landowners), thegns (small landowners), ceorls (peasants that were free to more), peasants (tied to land) and finally slaves (not seen as human)

Question 2

Strong system of government

Answer 2

• King gives land + influence to nobles + churchmen who gave the king loyalty,troops + could govern shires
• country divided into shires, shires were subdivided into hundreds, each hundred had its own courts+ provide king with an army
• lesser nobles (thegns) did administration jobs (bailiffs, estate managers, tax collectors etc. )

Question 3

Peasants

Answer 3

No vote, can’t rebel, no intelligence

Question 4

Alfred the great

Answer 4

• King of Wessex
• efficient administration - collect taxes, raise armies, build navy
• fought Off Viking invaders - uneasiness between alfred/vikings
• Vikings settled in north and east England - called danelaw (Vikings from Denmark )
• tried to fight Vikings by paying Danegeld (advised by witan to pay them to make them go away )

Question 5

Athelstan

Answer 5

• United Saxon + Viking kingdoms by force of arms (oreapons)
• First king of England

Question 6

Edgar

Answer 6

• law maker - including theft + murder, protection of church + now markets/merchantsshould be regulated
• united England

Question 7

Athelred the unready

Answer 7

• Difficult to maintain good relation with some of his subjects
• local lords didn’t believe Athelred could could protect England from Vikings
• witan advised Athelred to pay Danegeld to Vikings in 991, but they returned again to be paid again
• 1002 -Athelred ordered all Dane’s living in England to be killed, unpopular with nobles who ruled danish people, so they refused
• 1013, sweyn Forkbeard (king of Denmark) led a full scale invasion of England and Athelred went into exile

Question 8

Cnut

Answer 8

• sweyn Forkbeard died 1014
• Athelred returned but died in 1016
• 1016 October, Cnut (sweyn’s son), conquered England
• Cnut executed Anglo-Saxon nobles, and gave land to his followers
• he divided England into four earldoms Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia and Wessex
• he protected his country and was called the warrior King
• cnut’s kids became king, but died early, it was the witan’s choice to make his kids king