Uploaded January 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
It's 1060, the King of England is Edward the Confessor. He's the most powerful man in Anglo-Saxon England. But how powerful is he really?
Step Back's channel: youtube.com/channel/UCxTdWpLJurbGlFMWOwXWG_A
#GCSEHistory #GCSERevision #AngloSaxons
***---Useful resources---***
Quizlet Flashcards: quizlet.com/_5yrjdt
Practice exam-style questions:
Describe two features of the power of the king in Anglo-Saxon England. (4 marks)
Explain why there were limits to Edward the Confessor's power. (12 marks)
Explain the powers of the English Monarchy in 1060. (12 marks)
Edward the Confessor was the most powerful man in England in 1050. How far do you agree? Explain your answer. (16 marks)
Revision Notes:
- In 1060, the King was Edward the Confessor
- Was the most powerful person in Anglo-Saxon England
- Governed the country
Powers of the king:
- Lawmaking: created new laws and made sure they were enforced throughout the country
- Money: he controlled the production of the silver pennies used as money
- Landownership: he owned large estates & could grant land to his followers - he could also take land away from those who had acted against him
- Military power: had the ability to raise a national army and fleet
- Taxation: decided when taxes should be paid & a national taxation system delivered this to him
Duties of the people:
- To obey the law as it was passed down through the king’s local representatives
- To use the king’s coins - forging coins was a very serious crime
- Land carried with it obligations to the king - the 2 main ones were payment of tax & military service
- Landholders had to provide & equip fighters for the army or fleet; otherwise, they were fined or lost their land
- The King’s role was to protect his people from attack and to give them laws to maintain safety & security at home
- In return, the people of England owed him service
- When they reached age 12, every boy swore an oath to be faithful to the king
- The oath was administered by the shire reeve at a special ceremony held each year
*Shire Reeve: An official of the king - his sheriff. Sheriffs managed the king’s estates, collected revenue for him and were in charge of local courts
How powerful was Edward the Confessor?
- Saxon kings held their power because they led the armies
- Saxon kings had clawed back England from Viking control
- Edward wasn’t a warrior king
- But his earls & their thegns were a powerful military force
- He relied on his earls (especially Earl Godwin) to protect England from attack
- War leader kings gained legitimacy as they could hand out the land and wealth of their defeated enemies
- When kings weren’t successful in battle, their power could be reduced
- Edward had other reasons for his legitimacy as king:
- He was a respected lawmaker:
- Saxon society, as a whole, valued kings who kept things peaceful as quarrels between families were common & could frequently break into fighting in a community
- He was pious (very religious):
- Saxon kings claimed a special link, they were anointed as a representative of Christ on Earth
- It was believed that a worthy king could bring God’s blessing to his country and that God could also guide his actions
Limits to the king’s power
- Saxon kings needed to rule the whole of England, but half of it (the Danelaw), was Anglo-Danish
- Many of its inhabitants were descendants of Viking invaders - they accepted Edward’s rule, but they wanted to be ruled by local men and to follow their own laws and customs
- However, Earl Godwin was more of a problem than the administrative challenge of the Danelaw
- Wessex was the richest earldom
- Godwin & his family owned so much land that they were as rich as the king
- They were lords to so many thegns that they were militarily much more powerful than the king
- Saxon society viewed disloyalty to your lord as the ultimate crime
- But this didn’t stop Godwin putting pressure on the king to do things his way
- e.g. to appoint some of Godwin’s men to important Church positions or give earldoms to his sons
- 1050, tensions came to a head
- The king had ordered Godwin to punish the people of Dover after a visiting embassy from Boulogne was attacked
- Godwin had refused
- As a result, Edward, with the help of 2 other important earls, Siward of Northumbria and Leofric of Mercia, he forced Godwin into exile
- 1051, Godwin returned with a fleet and an army
- He asked Edward if his earldom could be restored to him
- To prevent war, Edward agreed
FOR FULL NOTES FOLLOW LINK: quizlet.com/_5nb54n
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It's 1060, the King of England is Edward the Confessor. He's the most powerful man in Anglo-Saxon England. But how powerful is he really?
Step Back's channel: youtube.com/channel/UCxTdWpLJurbGlFMWOwXWG_A
#GCSEHistory #GCSERevision #AngloSaxons
***---Useful resources---***
Quizlet Flashcards: quizlet.com/_5yrjdt
Practice exam-style questions:
Describe two features of the power of the king in Anglo-Saxon England. (4 marks)
Explain why there were limits to Edward the Confessor's power. (12 marks)
Explain the powers of the English Monarchy in 1060. (12 marks)
Edward the Confessor was the most powerful man in England in 1050. How far do you agree? Explain your answer. (16 marks)
Revision Notes:
- In 1060, the King was Edward the Confessor
- Was the most powerful person in Anglo-Saxon England
- Governed the country
Powers of the king:
- Lawmaking: created new laws and made sure they were enforced throughout the country
- Money: he controlled the production of the silver pennies used as money
- Landownership: he owned large estates & could grant land to his followers - he could also take land away from those who had acted against him
- Military power: had the ability to raise a national army and fleet
- Taxation: decided when taxes should be paid & a national taxation system delivered this to him
Duties of the people:
- To obey the law as it was passed down through the king’s local representatives
- To use the king’s coins - forging coins was a very serious crime
- Land carried with it obligations to the king - the 2 main ones were payment of tax & military service
- Landholders had to provide & equip fighters for the army or fleet; otherwise, they were fined or lost their land
- The King’s role was to protect his people from attack and to give them laws to maintain safety & security at home
- In return, the people of England owed him service
- When they reached age 12, every boy swore an oath to be faithful to the king
- The oath was administered by the shire reeve at a special ceremony held each year
*Shire Reeve: An official of the king - his sheriff. Sheriffs managed the king’s estates, collected revenue for him and were in charge of local courts
How powerful was Edward the Confessor?
- Saxon kings held their power because they led the armies
- Saxon kings had clawed back England from Viking control
- Edward wasn’t a warrior king
- But his earls & their thegns were a powerful military force
- He relied on his earls (especially Earl Godwin) to protect England from attack
- War leader kings gained legitimacy as they could hand out the land and wealth of their defeated enemies
- When kings weren’t successful in battle, their power could be reduced
- Edward had other reasons for his legitimacy as king:
- He was a respected lawmaker:
- Saxon society, as a whole, valued kings who kept things peaceful as quarrels between families were common & could frequently break into fighting in a community
- He was pious (very religious):
- Saxon kings claimed a special link, they were anointed as a representative of Christ on Earth
- It was believed that a worthy king could bring God’s blessing to his country and that God could also guide his actions
Limits to the king’s power
- Saxon kings needed to rule the whole of England, but half of it (the Danelaw), was Anglo-Danish
- Many of its inhabitants were descendants of Viking invaders - they accepted Edward’s rule, but they wanted to be ruled by local men and to follow their own laws and customs
- However, Earl Godwin was more of a problem than the administrative challenge of the Danelaw
- Wessex was the richest earldom
- Godwin & his family owned so much land that they were as rich as the king
- They were lords to so many thegns that they were militarily much more powerful than the king
- Saxon society viewed disloyalty to your lord as the ultimate crime
- But this didn’t stop Godwin putting pressure on the king to do things his way
- e.g. to appoint some of Godwin’s men to important Church positions or give earldoms to his sons
- 1050, tensions came to a head
- The king had ordered Godwin to punish the people of Dover after a visiting embassy from Boulogne was attacked
- Godwin had refused
- As a result, Edward, with the help of 2 other important earls, Siward of Northumbria and Leofric of Mercia, he forced Godwin into exile
- 1051, Godwin returned with a fleet and an army
- He asked Edward if his earldom could be restored to him
- To prevent war, Edward agreed
FOR FULL NOTES FOLLOW LINK: quizlet.com/_5nb54n
***---Social Media---***
Twitter: twitter.com/alongtimeago_YT || @alongtimeago_YT
https://www.instagram.com/alonglongti... || @alonglongtimeago
facebook.com/alongtimeagoYT
