Ealdorman

Ealdorman (/ˈɔːldərmən/, Old English pronunciation: [ˈæ͜ɑɫ.dorˌmɑn])^[1] was a term in Anglo-Saxon England which originally applied to a man of high status, including some of royal birth, whose authority was independent of the king. It evolved in meaning and, in the eighth century, was sometimes applied to the former kings of territories which had submitted to great powers, such as Mercia. In Wessex in the second half of the ninth century, it meant the leaders of individual shires appointed by the king. By the tenth century, ealdormen had become the local representatives of the West Saxon king of England. Ealdormen would lead in battle, preside over courts, and levy taxation. Ealdormanries were the most prestigious royal appointments, the possession of noble families, and semi-independent rulers. Their territories became large, often covering former kingdoms, such as Mercia or East Anglia. Southern ealdormen often attended court, reflecting increasing centralisation of the kingdom, but the loyalty of northern ealdormen was more uncertain. In the eleventh century, the term eorl, today's earl, replaced that of ealdorman, but this reflected a change in terminology under Danish influence rather than a change in function.^[2]

A mention of ealdormen in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Powers[edit]

The ealdorman was an official appointed by the king to administer a shire,^[3] and he could be removed at the will of the king. The ealdorman commanded the shire's fyrd (army), co-presided with the bishop over the shire 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.^[4]^[5]

Ealdormanries[edit]

Originally, the ealdorman governed a single shire. Starting with Edward the Elder, it became customary for one ealdorman to administer three or four shires together as an ealdormanry.^[5] By 965, there were only two or three ealdormen in Wessex, four or five in Mercia, and one in Northumbria.^[6] 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]

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)

References[edit]

^ "ealdorman". Collins English Dictionary.
^ Stafford, "Ealdorman"
^ Green 2017, p. 103.
^ ^a ^b Powell & Wallis 1968, p. 6.
^ ^a ^b Lyon 1980, pp. 62–63.
^ Loyn 1984, p. 77.

Sources[edit]

Green, Judith A. (2017). Forging the Kingdom: Power in English Society, 973–1189. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521193597.
Loyn, H. R. (1984). The Governance of Anglo-Saxon England, 500–1087. Governance of England. Vol. 1. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804712170.
Lyon, Bryce (1980). A Constitutional and Legal History of Medieval England (2nd ed.). W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-95132-4. 1st edition available to read online here.
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. ISBN 0297761056.
Stafford, Pauline (2014). "Ealdorman". In Lapidge, Michael; Blair, John; Keynes, Simon; Scragg, Donald (eds.). The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England (Second ed.). Chichester, UK: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 978-0-470-65632-7.