Ealdorman(/ˈɔːldərmən/AWL-dər-mənor/(eɪ)ˈældərmən/(ay-)AL-dər-mən,Old English:[ˈæɑɫdorˌmɑn])[1]was an office in thegovernment of Anglo-Saxon England.During the 11th century, it evolved into the title ofearl.
Early use
editTheOld Englishwordealdormanwas applied to high-ranking men. It was equated with severalLatintitles, includingprinceps,dux,comes,andpraefectus.The title could be applied to kings of weaker territories who had submitted to a greater power. For example, acharterof KingOffa of MerciadescribedEaldred of Hwicceas "subregulus...et dux('underking and ealdorman'). "[2]
InWessex,the king appointed ealdormen to lead individualshires.[2]UnderAlfred the Great(r. 871–899), there were nine or ten ealdormen. Each West Saxon shire had one, and Kent had two (one for East Kent and one for West Kent).[3]
10th century
editIn the 10th century, the kings of Wessex successfully unified England into one kingdom, and ealdormen became the local representatives of the monarch.[2]The ealdorman commanded the shire'sfyrd(army), co-presided with thebishopover theshire court,and enforced royal orders. He had a right to the "third penny": one-third of the income from the shire court and one-third of the revenue from tolls and dues levied in the boroughs. The king could remove ealdormen.[4][5]
Starting withEdward the Elder(r. 899–924), it became customary for one ealdorman to administer three or four shires together as an ealdormanry.[6]One ealdormanry covered Wessex east ofSelwoodand another covered Wessex west of Selwood.[2]By 965, Mercia had four or five ealdormen and Northumbria only one.[7]The boundaries of the ealdormanries are unknown, and they may not have covered the entire kingdom. It is possible that the king kept some areas under his personal jurisdiction.[4]
In the 11th century, the termeorl,today'searl,replaced that of ealdorman, but this reflected a change in terminology under Danish influence rather than a change in function.[8]
Notable ealdormen
edit- Æthelmund, Ealdorman of the Hwicce
- Ælfhere, ealdorman of Mercia(d. 983)
- Ælfhelm, ealdorman of southern Northumbria(d.c.1006)
- Ælfric, ealdorman of Hampshire
- Æthelweard the Chronicler
- Byrhtnoth, ealdorman of Essex(d. 991)
- Eadric Streona, ealdorman of the Mercians(d. 1017)
- Odda, Ealdorman of Devon(fl. 878)
- Wulfhere, Ealdorman of Wiltshire(fl.c.855–877)
- Wulfstan, ealdorman of Wiltshire(d. 802)
See also
edit- Alderman
- Earls, ealdormen and high-reeves of Bamburgh
- Starosta,the Slavic equivalent of ealdorman
Citations
edit- ^"ealdorman".Collins English Dictionary.
- ^abcdStafford 2014,p. 156.
- ^Loyn 1984,p. 75.
- ^abPowell & Wallis 1968,p. 6.
- ^Lyon 1980,pp. 62–63.
- ^Lyon 1980,p. 63.
- ^Loyn 1984,p. 77.
- ^Stafford 2014,p. 157.
References
edit- Loyn, H. R.(1984).The Governance of Anglo-Saxon England, 500–1087.Governance of England. Vol. 1. Stanford University Press.ISBN9780804712170.
- Lyon, Bryce(1980).A Constitutional and Legal History of Medieval England(2nd ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.ISBN0-393-95132-4.1st edition available to read onlinehere.
- Powell, J. Enoch;Wallis, Keith (1968).The House of Lords in the Middle Ages: A History of the English House of Lords to 1540.London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.ISBN0297761056.
- Stafford, Pauline(2014)."Ealdorman".In Lapidge, Michael; Blair, John; Keynes, Simon; Scragg, Donald (eds.).Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England(2nd ed.). Wiley Blackwell. pp.156–157.doi:10.1002/9781118316061.hdl:11693/51269.ISBN9780470656327.
Further reading
edit- Banton, N., "Ealdormen and Earls in England from the Reign of King Alfred to the Reign of King Æthelred II", D.Phil. thesis, University of Oxford, 1981
- Loyn, Henry R."The termealdormanin the translations prepared at the time of King Alfred. "English Historical Review68 (1953): 513–25.
- Stenton, Sir Frank M.Anglo-Saxon England;3rd ed. London:Oxford University Press,1971.
- Williams, Ann.Kingship and Government in Pre-Conquest England, c. 500–1066.Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1999ISBN0-333-56797-8