| This dissertation traces the evolution of military obligation in England from the seventh to the mid-eleventh century. It is the first systematic study of Anglo-Saxon military obligation within a temporal and regional framework.;The spread of "bookland" tenure and the pressure of the Viking invasions combined to alter this system. Unlike the earlier endowments, "bookland" was hereditary. Because commendation was not inherited, a king could not be certain that those who succeeded to a "book" would submit to his lordship. The kings of the eighth and ninth centuries were thus granting away the land that had been formerly used to attract and maintain warriors. The solution to this problem was the imposition of military burdens upon the land.;In the eleventh century the royal host consisted of (1) the king's personal retainers, notably his housecarles, and (2) landowners. Each landowner owed a specific amount of military service based upon a cadastral assessment of his land. This, in turn, was based upon an estimate of the estate's value, as can be shown by a regression analysis.;Lordship continued to cement this military system. From the tenth century on, kings demanded oaths of fealty from the landowners of their realm, which was modeled upon the oath of commendation. In addition, the royal host was organized so that each man fought under his own lord. Lordship and land tenure thus provided the twin pillars upon which the military organization of England rested in 1066.;Throughout the period lordship played a crucial role in the military organization of the Anglo-Saxon state. The royal armies of pre-Viking England, which traditionally have been portrayed as "nations in arms," were actually warbands tied together by bonds of personal commendation. Military obligation in Bede's day arose from the demands of lordship. Land played an oblique role; for the acceptance of an estate obliged a man to acquit his lord's gift with the counter-gift of continued faithful service. Such tenure was precarious, and the retention of an estate was contingent upon the maintenance of the lord - man relationship. |
