Feudalism & Government Flashcards
All 20 cards in this deck
Who were the tenants-in-chief in Norman England, and what was their main role?
The great landholders (barons and bishops) who held land directly from the king. Their main role was military: to provide the king with knights, and barons led their knights in person.
Under knight service, how much military service did a knight owe each year?
Forty days a year, in return for the land he held from his lord.
How did William I change the use of earls after the Conquest?
He appointed far fewer earls and gave them less land and power, so government was centralised in the king's own hands.
What was the role of the sheriff in Norman England?
A royal official in each shire who collected taxes and royal revenues, enforced royal justice and managed the king's land in the shire.
What was the royal demesne?
The land held directly by the king, whose rents were paid straight to the monarchy.
What was the Domesday survey (1085–86)?
A survey recording who held every piece of land in England and what it was worth, so that people could be taxed correctly.
True or false? Under the feudal system, all the land in England belonged to the king.
True. William granted land to his tenants-in-chief in return for homage and service, but kept ultimate ownership.
What was the Witan?
The council of earls, archbishops and other leading men that advised the Anglo-Saxon king.
Who were the thegns in Anglo-Saxon England?
The local lords and warrior nobility, roughly 4,000–6,000 men, each holding at least five hides of land and expected to fight for their lord.
Roughly how much of England's land was still held by Anglo-Saxon aristocrats in 1087?
Only about 5%, mostly in small estates. Of the roughly 190 tenants-in-chief who held over half the land, just two were Anglo-Saxons.
What prompted William I to order the Domesday survey at Christmas 1085?
The threat of a new Danish invasion: he needed to know what his tenants-in-chief held, and how many knights and how much tax England could provide.
What was a murdrum fine?
A fine imposed on the local English community if a Norman was murdered and the killer was not found. The Normans introduced it to stop Anglo-Saxons killing Norman knights and lords.
What was primogeniture, and who introduced it to England?
The rule that the eldest son inherited his father's land and titles. The Normans introduced it, replacing the Anglo-Saxon custom of dividing land among the family.
Which trial by ordeal did the Normans introduce to England?
Ordeal by combat: the accused had to prove his innocence by fighting.
True or false? In trial by ordeal by water, a person who floated was judged innocent.
False. Floating meant guilty; sinking meant innocent (the accused was tied to a rope and pulled out).
What was a 'relief' in Norman England?
A payment an heir had to make to the lord before he could take over the land he had inherited. If it was not paid, the lord could take the land.
What were hundred courts?
Local courts for each hundred, a division of a shire, which met about once a month to settle lesser cases such as petty theft, small debts and local disputes. A local official presided, answering to the sheriff.
What was the Curia Regis?
The Norman king's court and council of his great barons and churchmen, which gave him advice and judgement, notably at the crown-wearings held at major Church feasts. It took over the advisory role of the Anglo-Saxon Witan.
What was a royal writ, and why did William I use more of them?
A brief sealed letter giving the king's orders to his officials in a shire. William took over this English practice, which Normandy lacked, because it let him send instructions anywhere in the kingdom without being there in person.
What is meant by patronage in Norman England?
Rewarding supporters with land, offices or favour to win and keep their loyalty, for example William granting estates to the men who had fought for him in 1066.