Anglo-Saxon England under Edward the Confessor (Edexcel GCSE History)

Thegns and earls had to provide soldiers for the king. Peasants had to fight for the king. Failure to do this would result in fines or the confiscation of land.

True.

Oaths were important in Anglo-Saxon England. By refusing to fulfil their duties, the person would gain a reputation as an 'oath breaker' and could lose their land.

Pious means to be solemnly religious. Edward the Confessor was incredibly pious. People believed that, when the church anointed Edward, he became God's representative on Earth.

Yes.

Edward introduced laws that helped resolve long-standing family feuds. This approach brought more peace into Anglo-Saxon society.

One disadvantage of Edward not being a warrior king was that he had to rely on his earls to fight for him and lead his military force.

The Danelaw was the area that used Danish laws and customs to govern. The north of England established the Danelaw. Edward the Confessor had to respect the Danelaw.

False.

Wessex was the richest earldom in Anglo-Saxon England. The Earl of Wessex was called Godwin. The Godwins were as rich as the king.

No.

In c1051, Edward exiled Godwin for refusing to punish Dover for attacking an embassy from Boulogne. Godwin returned from exile in 1052 with an army. Godwin forced Edward to give the earldom of Wessex back to him.

The Witan was a council of important English aristocrats who advised the king on various matters, including foreign threats, religious issues and land disputes. Members of the Witan included earls and archbishops.

The one important power that the Witan held when the king died was that it had to approve who would become the next king.

The three powers that Anglo-Saxon earls had regarding tax were:

• Collecting tax in their earldom

• Keeping a third of all tax revenue

• Using tax to defend the earldom

True.

Strong, warrior kings like Cnut demanded obedience from their earls. Earls faced harsh punishments if they defied the king including loss of earldom, exile or death.

The hundred was a unit of land in Anglo-Saxon England. In some areas, a hundred was 100 hides. A hundred divided into tithings (usually ten households) and hides.

Shires had an important role in law and order. Shires had their own courts to hear criminal cases and decide on the punishment.

A shire reeve, also known as a sheriff, was a local government official. They had various duties including rent collection, tax collection and overseeing court judgments.

A geld tax was a land tax, originally raised to pay off the Vikings. It went to the king and was taxed on everyone.

There were two types of fyrd in Anglo-Saxon England. These were the select fyrd and the general fyrd.

The select fyrd were well-equipped and were trained by the thegn. The general fyrd had limited weaponry such as pitchforks and clubs. The soldiers received no training.

False.

The king made all the laws in England. It was one of his important powers. The king's laws helped to keep peace in England.

Yes.

The people expected the king to bring justice and peace to Anglo-Saxon society. A person who stole from a traveller would receive a harsh punishment.

A blood feud was a revenge system where if one family killed a member of another family, the victim's family had the right to murder someone in the murderer's family. This is a cycle that continued for decades.

Yes.

Blood feuds could continue for generations and wipe out entire families. Violence could spread across towns and villages.

The Wergild was introduced by Edward the Confessor to resolve blood feuds. It required the murderer's family to pay compensation to the victim's family. This made blood feuds unaffordable and reduced violence.

A hue and cry was the community's effort to hunt down a criminal. Each member of the tithing had to support the effort to find the criminal.

If a member of the tithing refused to join the hue and cry, they had to pay a fine as punishment.

Collective responsibility means that law and order is everyone's duty. The hue and cry is an example of collective responsibility in Anglo-Saxon England.

False.

The men of the tithing had to enforce the good behaviour of the ten households. For example, a person who refused to join the fyrd would bring punishment upon the whole village.

False.

Anglo-Saxons traded with other countries. German silver made up the majority of the silver coins in Anglo-Saxon England  Millstones came from Denmark to England.

London was the main trading hub of England. Traders from Flanders, Germany, France and Normandy came to London.

Burhs were fortified towns in Anglo-Saxon England. They served as centres of defence and trade.

The two biggest towns in Anglo-Saxon England by 1066 were London and York. Over 10,000 people lived in each town.

The residents of the burh were responsible for the upkeep of the burh.

Anglo-Saxon villages had more isolated houses and farms spread across a wider area compared to the clustered houses surrounded by fields in modern villages.

False.

Peasants lived in thatched, wooden houses with multiple relatives. Thegns lived in manor houses with only his immediate family.

Believe.

Anglo-Saxons in c1060 worshipped a mixture of Anglo-Saxon and Celtic saints. Different saints represented different local areas, for example, Saint Cuthbert in Northumbria.

A pilgrimage is a long journey to a religious place. Anglo-Saxons thought that pilgrimages would reduce their suffering in the afterlife.

False.

The head of a monastery was called an abbot. A head of a nunnery was called an abbess.

Yes.

Anglo-Saxon bishops controlled large areas of England. The land made them very wealthy. They also were members of the Witan.

The issues of priests created a power struggle between bishops and thegns. Bishops selected priests, Thegns believed that they should have the ability to hire priests. This is because churches were built on thegns' land.

Monasteries were becoming less religious and were targets for attacks during Viking invasions. Monks had to work with peasant farmers for survival.

Confessor in Anglo-Saxon times meant someone who lived a saintly life. Edward receiving this nickname shows how pious he was.

England's prosperity was linked to religion because people saw it as a sign that Edward had God's blessing to rule the country.

Edward the Confessor ordered the building of Westminster Abbey between 1042 and 1052. The Abbey was not completed until 1090.