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Medieval England

The History of Western Civilization to 1500 Prof. Dr. George S. Vascik

Outline

•  Roman Britain •  Anglo-Saxon institutions

•  Norman innovations

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Roman Britain •  The Pretani •  Conquest

–  Julius Caesar –  Claudius, 43 AD

•  Control –  Always 3 legions –  Road system

•  Why? –  Granary –  Precious metals

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Roman Britain

•  Colonization –  Administrators,

merchants, and soldiers

–  British nobles were “Romanized”

•  Legions left in 410 •  Local British nobles

and Romans tried to maintain old system –  Arthurian legend

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Germanic invasions •  Germans came by boat in

family groups •  Using river system, they

sailed inland until they found an area unsettled by other Germans

•  Set up their homestead and drove out or subdued locals

•  Organized into “hundreds” or townships

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Anglo-Saxon settlement

Pre-Roman

Roman

Sub-Roman

Romanized

Post-Roman

Germans

Anglo-Saxons

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Characteristics of Saxon society •  Fierce, warlike •  All free men

–  Degrees of obligation •  Leader of each boat was

a warrior - thegn (degen = knife)

•  War leaders with the allegiance of many thegns and owners of vast amounts of land were called Eorls

•  Possessed own written language

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Anglo-Saxon kingdoms •  The first Saxon kingdom

was established in 519 •  By 650, seven kingdoms

had been established –  Major kingdoms were

Wessex, East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria

•  These kingdoms were Christianized by missionaries from Rome

•  Danish invasion and settlement after 800

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Alfred of Wessex •  Alfred (ruled 871-899)

–  united the seven Saxon kingdoms into one

–  Subdued the Danes •  Impact of Danish

population on modern English

–  Unique institutional development by Saxons could read and write

•  Alfred’s family became the ruling dynasty

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Saxon institutions •  Shires

–  Shire reeve - administrator •  Sheriff duties

–  Taxes –  Justice –  Hundred rolls

•  Jury lists •  Fyrd - militia

•  Writs –  Administrative order –  To be legal, it must be

written down •  Witan

–  Large secular and church landowners

–  Should be consulted

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The end of Saxon England

•  Danish invasion (1013) –  Aethelred the Unred –  Canute

•  Saxon restoration (1042) •  Edward the Confessor

–  Last heir to Alfred

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The Conqueror as conservator •  William realized the virtues of the Saxon system

–  Originally left Saxon landowners in place –  Retained Saxon institutions

•  Shires •  Sheriffs •  Writs •  Witan

–  Only replaced Saxon personnel after repeated revolts between 1067 and 1076

•  New landowners (barons) pledged direct fealty to William –  Even then, he retained Saxon forms and language for

documents

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The Conqueror as Innovator •  In 1085, William

decided to go to war with King of France

•  His witan convinced him to survey his resources

•  He sent out census takers to assess all the realm

•  Peasants called this the “Domesday Book”

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Domesday England •  Census takers went to each village and asked

–  Who owned land in neighborhood? –  How much tax did they pay? –  How many soldiers did they provide king? For two dates, 1066 and 1086

•  First nobles, then commoners •  Results were collated and discrepancies

corrected •  William knew more about his realm, and

controlled it more tightly, than any contemporary monarch

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Further Norman innovations •  William’s sons tried to buy

loyalty of barons with gifts of land

•  Needed to exploit remaining resources more efficiently

•  Henry I - exchequer –  Annual accounting of

revenue

•  Henry II - law –  Legal fees

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A little too much •  King John pushed to far •  Over 150 years, barons

had come to think that they had rights

•  In 1215, they forced John to sign the “Great Charter” magna carta acknowledging their rights

•  Every subsequent monarch must pledge to observe these rights

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