1. Slaves Peasant Farmer Ceorls
Slaves were at the very bottom of Anglo Saxon society. 10% of the Anglo Saxon population were slaves. Slaves could be brought and sold. If they committed crimes,
they were not
punished as harshly
as other people
because it may
damage their ability
to work. Slaves were
seen more as property
rather than people.
They didn’t own any
land, they didn’t get
paid any money.
Peasant Farmer
Over 70% of people at the time were peasant farmers, who were given land by somebody above them in society and in return had to work on their lord’s land for 3 days a week. They also had to pay rent. The other four days they would work on
their own land and
usually only just
grew enough to
survive and pay
the rent…if they
were lucky.
Every male peasant
could be forced to
fight in wartime if
their lord asked.
They had to ask their
Lord’s permission to
marry and if they ever
wanted to move
somewhere else. Higher than slaves, slightly worse off than ceorls.
Ceorls
There was a group of peasants who were called ceorls who were free to go and work for another lord if they wanted to. They made up about 10% of the population. These ceorls still had to carry out some services for their local lord in return for the right to farm the land.
Although ceorls were
not tied to their land
nobody really used
land without carrying
out some kind of
service to someone
else. Slightly better off than peasants.

2. Earls
Earls were at the top of the Anglo Saxon aristocracy – second only to the king - and had their own land called earldoms. Their main role was to gather troops in time of war and govern earldoms (huge areas of land). The earls competed with each other to earn the King’s respect so that they could receive the
greatest rewards
from the King.
Sometimes they
could become so
powerful that
they could
challenge the king.
Often they bickered
with one another
though..
The King
The king was the most important man in the country. It came with a lot of pressure. His job was to look after foreign policy and defence, to sort out disputes between the earls and to maintain law and order. The king did
not have absolute
power. He had to
answer to a kind
of parliament
called the Witan.
These men advised
the king on matters
of policy.
Thegns
After Earls, the most powerful Anglo-Saxons were the thegns. They were a lord who held his land directly from the king or from an earl in return for military service in time of war.
Thegns helped the king rule the land by collecting taxes and making sure the law was upheld.. There were
between 4,000 and
5,000 in A
thegn was in charge
of a village. Everyone
in the village had to
do what he said. If he
didn't like someone
he could force them
to leave his village!
They had to travel
often between villages
to do the King’s work.