Earl

Earl ( Engl. Earl ) - the title of the highest aristocracy of Anglo-Saxon Britain in the XI century , which arose under the influence of the Danish conquest of England . Earls quickly turned into a narrow layer of patrimonial hereditary nobility of Scandinavian or Anglo-Saxon origin and constituted the highest layer of English society. As a result of the Norman conquest, the Anglo-Saxon nobility was eliminated, however, the earl title was preserved and began to be used in England instead of the continental title “ count ” ( English count , French comte ).

In Russian and Soviet historical literature, the title “earl” is used in relation to the Anglo-Saxon nobility, and to denote the similar title of the English nobility after the Norman conquest , the title “ count ” is used, including officially.

It is also a male English name.

Content

Appearance

Earl's title was of Scandinavian origin. The commanders of the Viking armies, who invaded England in the 9th century and conquered its eastern part, wore the titles of jarls ( dates. Jarl ). After the restoration of the power of the English kings over the territories occupied by the Vikings, Danish customs and Danish law were preserved there, as well as the title of the jarl (in the Anglo-Saxon transfer - earl), which was worn by the descendants of the Scandinavian commanders who exercised power in the counties of Danelaga . Under Knud the Great ( 1016-1035 ), the title of earl was bestowed by English kings to the most influential aristocrats from the Teng stratum or to persons holding senior posts at court. The title quickly became hereditary.

The ease of rooting the Earl title in Anglo-Saxon society was due to the strong influence of the Danish element in late Saxon Britain. In addition, in earlier periods in the English state there was a post of Eldormen - the regional representative of the king in counties and provinces. Apparently, the differences in the sphere of competence and functions of the Eldormen of the X century and the Earls of the XI century were minimal, but if the territories transferred to the Eldormen were ancient Anglo-Saxon tribal provinces, then the possessions of the Anglo-Danish Earls were artificial formations created on the initiative of the king for a particular aristocrat. Earls turned into the highest hereditary aristocracy of the English kingdom, having lost the military-service character of the traditional Anglo-Saxon nobility (tens).

Social Status

Sources about the creation process and the structure of the first air-forces of the beginning of the 11th century are extremely sparing. During this period, the regional structure of the English kingdom was unstable, as a result of which relatively remote areas could unite under the rule of one earl ( Oxfordshire , for example, belonged to the erlsty of East Anglia ). A general principle, at least during the reign of Edward the Confessor , was the transfer of several counties to the Earl at once, each of which, however, preserved the institutions of the royal administration ( sheriff and county court).

The titular aristocracy of the first half of the 11th century was of either Danish or Anglo-Saxon origin, but it had no connection with the knowledge of previous periods. It is known that under Knud the Great there were at least sixteen Earls, of which six were Anglo-Saxon names, and the rest were Scandinavians. Among them are such influential figures of Donormand England as Godwin , Earl of Wessex , Leofrick , Earl of Mercia , Torkil , Earl of East Anglia, and Siward , Earl of Northumbria . A particularly wide degree of autonomy was enjoyed by the Scandinavian earls of distant Northumbria, which quickly turned into virtually independent rulers of the entire northern part of England.

Authority

In the regions, Earls possessed power and influence, putting them above all local magnates. They headed the county militia in the event of war and presided over the county court; the king addressed them in their decrees concerning regional issues. Earls seized in their favor a third of the court fees and fines of subject territories, as well as a third of city taxes ^[1] . In addition to their possessions, Earls were often provided with plots of the royal domain or Falkland land. Earl also usually had a significant number of their own service people - ten , performing their tasks and performing representative functions. Earl’s power in the regions was limited only by the preservation of the institution of royal sheriffs and the king’s right to attract all the tens of the kingdom to his squad, regardless of their senior subordination ^[2] . Earl played a leading political role in the daily life of the English counties, while administrative power was concentrated in the hands of the sheriff.

A part of the Anglo-Saxon Earls survived the Norman conquest, but in 1075 they joined the rebellion of Roger, Earl of Hereford , after the suppression of which the extensive Earls were liquidated, and the Earls themselves were executed or expelled from the country. The semi-independent Anglo-Saxon earls were replaced by the counts of Norman England, who occupy clear positions in a single feudal hierarchy of the state and are heavily dependent on the king.

Notes

↑ The tradition of retaining a third of city income by airlons probably dates back to the reign of Alfred the Great , when the Eldormen were given the responsibility of building fortresses throughout the country.
↑ Thanks to this right, King Edward in 1051 managed to win over the Tenes of the powerful Godwin, Earl of Wessex , which led to the fall of the latter.

Literature

Earls // Elokventsiya - Yaya. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1957. - P. 164. - ( Great Soviet Encyclopedia : [in 51 vols.] / Ch. Ed. B. A. Vvedensky ; 1949-1958, vol. 49).
Morton A. L. History of England. - L., 1950
Savelo K.F. Early feudal England. - L., 1977
Savelo KF The emergence of feudal land tenure and the feudal class in England in the 7th – 10th centuries - Middle Ages. - issue. XII. - M., 1958
Stenton FM The Anglo-Saxon England. - Oxford, 1973

[1] The tradition of retaining a third of city income by airlons probably dates back to the reign of Alfred the Great , when the Eldormen were given the responsibility of building fortresses throughout the country.

[2] Thanks to this right, King Edward in 1051 managed to win over the Tenes of the powerful Godwin, Earl of Wessex , which led to the fall of the latter.