450-1066

The Anglo-Saxons were a Germanic warrior society that emphasized honor and
bravery.
They had three concepts that ruled their community : kinship, comitatus and
fraternity.

Kinship- the relations between the individual and the other members of the tribe

Society

Concepts

kinship
one's ancestry on
masculine line

comitatus

the relationship
between the
individual and the
ohter members of the
tribe

germanic power
arrangement->the
king ruled in
consultation with his
THANES(knights).
fidelity to the king
and in exchange
privileges

fraternity

the close social bonds

among the men of the
tribe

Violence and revenge was a part of everyday life

To establish discipline, the Anglo-Saxons used WERGILD, which was a legally binding
arrangement wherein money was paid to the family of the victim of a murder or

injury by the offender. The more important the victim, the more money the offender
had to pay