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Thaneland System in England
In the 1020s, Cnut's England still used the Anglo-Saxon land tenure system: thegnland was held by thegns in return for military service and court dut…
Timeline
- 1020–1029The shires of England · EnglandThe thegn's status was based on holding thaneland; he owed armed service on the king's campaigns and maintenance of fortresses and public order. Land was usually granted by the king or a great lord and could not be freely inherited or transferred, unlike the permanent charter rights of bookland.
- 1020–1029Local manors of England · EnglandBookland was usually confirmed by charter, could be inherited and transferred, and carried higher jurisdictional rights; the Church and monasteries also held large amounts of bookland. The three-layer structure of thaneland, bookland, and folkland formed the rural economy and tribute system of Cnut's era.
Sources
- Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest — H. R. Loyn (1991)
- The English Village Community and the Enclosure Movements — Frederic Seebohm (1896) https://archive.org/details/englishvillageco00seeb