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Angevin Empire
The collection of territories controlled by the Plantagenet dynasty from 1154, stretching from Scotland to the Pyrenees, including England, Normandy, Anjou, and Aquitaine.
Capetian Dynasty
The ruling dynasty of France from 987 to 1328, beginning with Hugh Capet, which gradually consolidated royal authority over the French kingdom.
Common Law
A system of law developed in England from the 12th century onwards, based on judicial decisions and precedents rather than written statutes. It was standardised across the kingdom under Henry II through the use of royal courts and itinerant justices, replacing the patchwork of local customs.
Danegeld
Danegeld was a tax levied in Anglo-Saxon England to pay tribute to Viking raiders or to fund defence against them. First collected under Aethelred the Unready in 991, it became a regular form of national taxation that demonstrated the administrative efficiency of the Anglo-Saxon state.
Danelaw
The Danelaw refers to the area of northern and eastern England under Danish law and control, established by the Treaty of Wedmore (878) between Alfred the Great and the Viking leader Guthrum. It retained distinct Scandinavian legal customs and place names.
Domesday Book
A comprehensive survey of landholding and resources in England, commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. It recorded the ownership, value, and taxable capacity of nearly every estate in the kingdom, serving as a tool for royal administration and taxation.
Exchequer
The royal financial office in medieval England responsible for collecting and managing Crown revenues, established under Henry I.
Feudalism
A system where land was exchanged for loyalty and military service.
Fief
A grant of land given by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and military service, forming the economic basis of the feudal system.
Heptarchy
The Heptarchy refers to the seven major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex, and Wessex) that existed from the 6th to 9th centuries. In practice, the number and boundaries of kingdoms fluctuated, and the term is a later simplification.
Legitimacy
The public’s acceptance of a leader’s authority, often earned through wartime experience or moral leadership.
Magna Carta
A charter of liberties sealed by King John of England in 1215, under pressure from rebellious barons. It established the principle that the king was subject to law, limited royal authority over taxation and justice, and is widely regarded as a foundational document in the development of constitutional governance.
Thegn
A thegn was an aristocratic landholder in Anglo-Saxon England who held at least five hides of land and owed military service to the king. Thegns formed the warrior elite of Anglo-Saxon society and served as local administrators and judges.
Vassal
A person who held land from a feudal lord and owed allegiance and service in return, particularly military obligations.
Witan
The Witan (or Witenagemot, meaning 'meeting of wise men') was the royal council of Anglo-Saxon England, composed of leading nobles, bishops, and abbots. It advised the king on legislation, taxation, foreign policy, and could participate in the election or deposition of monarchs.