Anglo-Saxon Society in c1060 (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Author
Zoe WadeExpertise
History
Anglo-Saxon Rule Before c1060 - Summary
In c1060, Anglo-Saxons had ruled England for approximately 600 years. The Anglo-Saxons originated from tribes in modern-day Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. The end of Roman rule in England in c410 CE allowed the Anglo-Saxons to establish their control over the country. The government, ruled by a king, became very powerful by the 11th century. In 600 years of Anglo-Saxon rule, England's economy had grown. The Anglo-Saxons were a farming community. They established strong trade links across Europe by selling produce like wool and cloth. Anglo-Saxon England faced challenges. The Vikings invaded numerous times over the centuries and attempted to take control of England. One of their most famous attempts was the raid on Lindisfarne in Northumbria in 793 CE. Vikings came from Scandinavia. Through their raiding and pillaging, the Vikings created settlements in Northern England. The king had to treat Viking settlers differently to ensure they did not attack Anglo-Saxons. |
Exam Tip
You may have noted a date that begins with ‘c’. This stands for ‘circa’, which means ‘approximately'. Even historians are unsure when some historical events happened. You can also use the abbreviation ‘c’ in an exam if you are uncertain of the exact year of a significant moment that you want to talk about. An approximate date is better than an incorrect date.
Nowadays, historians do not use the terms BC and AD to measure time. This is because they are associated with Christianity. Instead, they use the non-religious terms of BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era), which you should try to use in your exams. There is no year difference in dates between BC/AD and BCE/CE.
A map showing Anglo-Saxon England and its earldoms
The Anglo-Saxon Social System
England was very different in c1060 than it is today
England had a population of roughly 2 million people
This is almost a quarter of the population of London today
Life expectancy was low
Infant mortality was high
Anglo-Saxons had to survive on what they grew on their land. This way of life was incredibly hard
There was a clear hierarchy in society
The Hierarchy of Anglo-Saxon England
A diagram showing how society was structured in Anglo-Saxon England
Name | How large was this group? | Role in society |
Earl | Very small | Earls were the most important people in England after the king. They controlled areas of England known as earldoms. They competed with other earls to gain the trust of the king |
Thegn | 4,000-5,000 in c1060 | Thegns were local lords who lived in earldoms. To become a thegn, a person had to hold five hides of land. Thegns lived in a manor house and had a separate church |
Ceorls | Small | Ceorls were peasant farmers who were free to work for another lord in the local community. They still had to work for their thegn in return for land to farm |
Peasant farmers | The majority of England's population | Peasant farmers paid their thegn rent to farm a small piece of land for their families. A percentage of their crops would go to their local lord. If a peasant farmer refused or did not grow enough to give to the thegn, they would lose the right to farm the land |
Enslaved people | About 10% of the population | Slavery was an accepted part of Anglo-Saxon society. Enslaved people could be bought and sold by thegns to work for them. Anglo-Saxons saw enslaved people as property. They only valued enslaved people for their ability to work |
Exam Tip
Students struggle with spelling the words 'ceorl' and 'thegn'. Both words do not sound the way they are spelt as they originate from an older form of English. Keep practising the spelling of these words until you feel more confident. You could also create a mnemonic for words that you find difficult in this topic. This will help you to remember the order of the letters in each word.
Changing Social Status in Anglo-Saxon England
Unlike some societies, social mobility was possible in Anglo-Saxon England
How could someone move up the hierarchy of Anglo-Saxon society?
A enslaved person could become a peasant by:
Being freed by their master
A peasant could become a thegn by:
Growing enough crops to have the money to purchase five hides of land
Becoming a merchant who travelled abroad
Ceorls were more likely to sell foreign goods. The money would allow the ceorl to become a thegn
A thegn could become an earl by:
Being promoted to the position of earl by the king
An earl could even become king
The king could name an earl the heir to the throne
How could someone fall down the hierarchy in Anglo-Saxon society?
A peasant could become enslaved by:
Selling himself into slavery to protect their family from starvation
Being punished for a crime
A thegn could become a peasant by:
Being forced to sell their five hides of land if they were not producing enough crops
An earl could become a thegn by:
Doing something to lose the trust of the king
Worked Example
Describe two features of the social system in Anglo-Saxon England
4 marks
Answer:
One feature of Anglo-Saxon society is the use of slaves (1). Around 10% of the population of Anglo-Saxon England were slaves (1)
Another feature of Anglo-Saxon society was that it was not fixed (1). For example, a master could free a slave, which would make the slave a free peasant (1)
Exam Tip
When answering ‘Describe two features of…’ questions, the four marks are given to you for:
Identify - write a relevant point based on the question topic (1)
Describe - add some specific own knowledge about the point you have made (1)
To achieve full marks, you must do these steps twice
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