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Anglo-Saxon Kingship

1000-66 – Power in Anglo-Saxon England

  • In Anglo-Saxon England, the king was chosen by the Witan
    • This was a council of the earls and the bishops
    • The king was normally the richest and most powerful of the nobles
      • By the 1000s, this was usually the Earl of Wessex, who was the biggest landowner in Britain
    • However, there were often challenges for the throne, and kingship did not pass automatically from father to son – a brother or uncle might also inherit it
  • The king’s most important job was to defend the kingdom
    • He had the wealth to raise and pay for armies
    • It was also his job to protect and nurture the Church, to make laws and ensure everyone obeyed them
    • A weak ruler could cause instability to the kingdom
  • In the early 1000s, Anglo-Saxon England was attacked and overwhelmed by the Vikings
    • In 1016, the Danish leader Cnut became king of England
      • Several features of the prior governing system remained in place, with many nobles raising to greater power
    • After Cnut’s death the Witan chose another king from the family of Wessex
    • By 1066, the Anglo-Saxons were still very much in charge of Britain
  • Anglo-Saxon England worked on the idea of give and take – the king gave land and influential jobs to important earls and churchmen, so they helped him govern the country
    • They advised the king via the Witan
    • They encouraged loyalty amongst citizens
    • They spread information about new laws, taxes, or other measures
    • They provided the king with troops when needed
    • They kept control of their own areas
    • Thegns (lesser nobles) carried out day-to-day business of government, such as collecting taxes and running law courts

430-1016 – The Rise of Wessex

  • The Anglo-Saxons were not one people, Angles and Saxons migrated to England from what is now Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands
    • They first invaded in around AD430, then settled in waves up to the 600s
    • Over time, they settled and mixed with each other into what we know as Anglo-Saxons
  • They established small, family-based communities around England, usually obeying the authority of an elected chief
    • Loyalty to this lord was an important feature of society
  • Some local groups gradually joined together under a common ruler to form kingdoms
    • By AD800, there were numerous kingdoms, with Wessex, East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria being the most powerful
  • Throughout the 800s these kingdoms came under attack from the Vikings who were formidable warriors and sailors from Denmark and Norway
    • The kingdom of Wessex emerged as the most powerful Anglo-Saxon kingdom during the constant wars
  • Alfred the Great (AD849-99) was the king of Wessex
    • He used the efficient administration of his kingdom to collect taxes, raise armies and build a navy
    • He fought off Viking invaders, however he could not get rid of them completely
    • An uneasy peace was established between him and the Vikings, who settled in northern and eastern England
      • This area became known as the Danelaw because many of the Vikings were from Denmark
  • Athelstan (AD894-939) became the first king of England by uniting the various Saxon and Viking kingdoms by force of arms
    • His successors consolidated his power
  • Eadgar (AD959-75) was a lawmaker rather than a conqueror
    • He set out laws on a wide range of issues, including theft and murder, protection of the Church and market and merchant regulations
    • He used the laws to unite England under his rule
  • Aethelred (cAD968-1016) became king in AD978
    • Being a descendent of Alfred and Athelstan, he was proud and greatly respected
    • He was the ruler of a powerful kingdom with an advanced system of government and a rich cultural and spiritual life
    • It was also a troubled kingdom, with problems increasing after 1000

968-1016 – England

  • The majority of the 2.5 million population lived in farmsteads and small settlements not even big enough to be called villages
  • About ten percent of the population lived in towns, and this number was growing
    • Businesses and workshops couldn’t easily be moved, and they needed political stability to prosper
    • Towns relied on trade which required clear laws and a reliable system of money
  • England was famous for its efficient administration, legal system and coinage
    • Coins were minted under royal control and made from silver imported from Germany
      • England must have given Germany something in exchange for the silver, suggesting that trade was both efficient and prosperous
  • The Church was also flourishing by Aethelred’s time and for hundreds of years, kings and noblemen had given the Church gifts of land and money
  • London, York, Rochester, Canterbury and Winchester housed important Church communities centred on a great church, or minster built with wealth donated by the king
  • Locally, most nobles provided money for churches to be built on their lands
    • This was an expression of religious faith as well as an important status symbol of having his ‘own’ church, reminding the population that he was in charge
  • The church hosted community events as well as religious services, and new laws and taxes were announced there
    • Building a church was often the first step towards establishing what we now think of as a typical English village
  • The Church was a source of learning, art and culture as well as looking after the population’s spiritual needs
  • Many churchmen could write, giving the Church many administrative roles
    • The Church had to be protected by a strong and stable state to work this way
  • Anglo-Saxon kings developed a close relationship to the church, partly to make people think of them as both royal and holy
    • The churchmen told citizens how great the king was in return
  • Churchmen could influence the reputation of the king as they wrote the history of a period
    • Many historians believe that while Alfred the Great was an effective king, it was Bishop Asser’s biography that made him a real legend

1000s – Government

  • The evidence of coins, the growth of towns and the Church all indicate that Anglo-Saxon England had an efficient system of government which was based on give and take
  • Athelings (royal princes – sons and other relatives of the king), earls and bishops advised the king in the Witan
    • These men led the armies and ruled the shires on behalf of the king, receiving land, wealth and status in return
  • The thegns carried out administrative roles such as bailiffs, estates managers or tax collectors, and they were the next level of society
  • Shires were divided into districts called hundreds, each hundred had its own law courts and was responsible for finding and equipping a hundred troops when the king required an army
  • Peasants would not see the king; however, they would be familiar with the officials ruling on his behalf
  • At church services, the priest would tell the people about any new laws or rules, and the thegn would punish anyone who broke them

968-1016 – Aethelred’s Kingship

  • The stable, peaceful, well-governed kingdom only existed in parts of England with rival kingdoms in Wales and Scotland and the threat of the Vikings
  • Aethelred’s predecessors had fought constant battles with them since AD790s until they settled in Danelaw, however Aethelred’s father, Eadgar had won back the land by about AD950
  • By AD980, the period of peace ended, and the Vikings began to attack again
    • In AD991, Earl Brythnoth and his army were defeated by a Viking force in the Battle of Maldon, in Essex
    • King Aethelred consulted the Witan, deciding to pay them off with 10 000 pounds, a payment known as Danegeld
  • The Vikings used ports in Normandy as bases for their raids on England, so Aethelred made a treaty with Norman rulers in which they each agreed not to help the other’s enemies
  • However, the Vikings returned in AD994 and were paid off with 22 000 pounds
  • The raids continued throughout the AD990s and happened again in 1000-02
  • All the Viking invasions highlighted that the majority of Aethelred’s support came from Wessex
    • He gave other powerful nobles in the midlands and the north important positions in government
    • Many local lords still felt vulnerable to invasion
  • Historian John Blair argue that Aethelred mismanaged these relationships, leading to some bad decisions
    • In 1002, he issued an order that all Danes living amongst English should be killed
    • The nobles who were supposed to carry out this order ruled through many people of Danish origin and were unwilling to commit the slaughter
    • When some carried out the order, the Vikings invaded in revenge
  • Raids continued and in 1013 the king of Denmark, Sweyn Forkbeard led a successful invasion, forcing Aethelred to flee into exile in Normandy
  • ‘Aethelred the Unready’ was what the king became known as years later
    • Unready is a mistranslation of the Old English word ‘unraed’, meaning ‘badly advised’
    • Historians point out that the Witan advised the king to pay Danegeld to the Vikings when they began their attacks, and that many of Aethelred’s predecessors did the same
    • Some historians argue that it was difficult to resist the unprecedented scale and effectiveness of Viking attacks
    • When Sweyn died in 1014, the leading nobles refused to accept Cnut as their king so asked Aethelred to come back and lead them; this shows that perhaps he was not such a bad king
      • Aethelred returned to battle Cnut for the throne, but he died in April 1016 and by October, Cnut had conquered the country

1016-64 – England

  • Cnut executed several of Aethelred’s leading supporters, giving their land to his own loyal followers, however he allowed most Anglo-Saxon nobles to keep their land and status
  • He married Aethelred’s widow, showing England that he wanted to be accepted
  • He was a great warrior king and Anglo-Saxons feared and respected him
  • Cnut was also king of Denmark and Norway, so because he could not always be in England, he divided the country into four earldoms
    • Northumbria and East Anglia were given to local Danes to rule
    • Mercia was given to the Anglo-Saxon Earl Siward
    • Wessex was given to the Anglo-Saxon Earl Godwin
      • Godwin seems to have been a clever and farsighted man; declaring his loyalty to Cnut early on, remaining a loyal servant and marrying Cnut’s sister
  • Cnut ruled over a relatively peaceful and stable England until his death in 1035
  • From 1035-42, there were four claims to the throne and the Witan had to choose one
    • Aethelred’s two sons, Alfred and Edward, were living in exile in Normandy
    • Cnut’s two sons, Harthacnut and Harold
  • Alfred was murdered by Godwin’s men in 1036
  • The Witan appointed Harold as king, however he died in 1039, so they appointed Harthacnut
  • Harthacnut died in 1040, so Edward became king
  • Edward the Confessor was not a warrior, he was a very religious man who built great churches, including Westminster Abbey
  • Edward kept Anglo-Saxon England wealthy and well-governed, introducing sheriffs and writs
    • Sheriffs were thegns with extra responsibilities including collecting taxes, running the law courts and ensuring other thegns knew about new laws
    • Writs were a type of document containing instructions or information from Edward to the sheriffs
  • Edward was not challenged by Vikings, however he had to keep the ruling earls loyal to him
    • Earl Godwin of Wessex had supported Edward’s claim to the throne, possibly because he thought he would be weak and easily dominated
    • Edward married Godwin’s daughter
    • However, Edward could still not forgive Godwin for ordering his brother’s murder
    • Edward appointed many of his Norman friends in key positions, and Godwin, amongst others, resented this
      • He appointed Robert of Jumièges as Archbishop of Canterbury
  • In 1051, Godwin raised troops to fight the King, but Edward called on Mercia and Northumbria who rallied their armies to support him
    • Godwin backed down and went into exile with his sons
  • A few years later, Godwin returned and got many thegns in the south-east on his side, forcing Edward to back down
    • He removed several Norman officials including Jumièges
    • Edward was still the king, however Godwin was effectively the ruler
  • Godwin died in 1053 and his son Harold Godwinson took over Wessex, and his other son Tostig became Earl of Northumbria in 1055
    • The Godwin family had more power and influence than King Edward, so many nobles respected and admired Harold and Tostig, especially after they fought a successful campaign against the Welsh king Gruffydd in 1063
  • By 1064, all Edward could do was choose his heir, he had no sons and most nobles favoured Harold Godwinson as the richest and most powerful man in the country

Describe two examples of the Anglo-Saxon system of government. [4]

Describe two examples of Viking attacks on Anglo-Saxon England in the 1000s. [4]

Explain why the Church was important in Anglo-Saxon England. [8]

Explain how Anglo-Saxon kings were chosen. [8]

How significant were the Viking attacks on England in the 1000s? [14]

Aethelred should be called ‘Aethelred the Unlucky’ rather than ‘Aethelred the Unready’. Do you agree? [24]