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Ealdorman

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Alderman (disambiguation).
Anglo-Saxon status
A king and his witan
Cyning (sovereign)
Ætheling (prince)
Ealdorman (earl)
Hold / High-reeve
Thegn / (baron)
Thingmen / housecarl (retainer)
Reeve / Verderer (bailiff)
Churl (free tenant)
Villein (serf)
Cottar (cottager)
Þēow (slave)
vte
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
Aldermen
Although earls may be regarded as the successors of ealdormen, the word ealdorman
itself did not disappear and survives in modern times as alderman in many
jurisdictions founded upon English law. This term, however, developed distinctly
different meanings which have little to do with ealdormen, who ruled shires or
larger areas, while aldermen are members of a municipal assembly or council.

Similar titles also exist in some Germanic countries, such as the Swedish Ålderman,
the Danish Oldermand and West Frisian Olderman, the Dutch Ouderman,[citation
needed] the (non-Germanic) Finnish Oltermanni (a borrowing from the neighboring
Germanic Swedes) and the German Ältester, which all mean "elder man" or "wise man".

See also
Starosta, the Slavic equivalent of ealdorman
Earls, ealdormen and high-reeves of Bamburgh
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
"ealdorman". Collins English Dictionary.
Stafford, "Ealdorman"
Sources
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.
Further reading
Banton, N., "Ealdormen and Earls in England from the Reign of King Alfred to the
Reign of King Æthelred II", D.Phil. thesis, University of Oxford, 1981
Loyn, Henry R. "The term ealdorman in the translations prepared at the time of King
Alfred." English Historical Review 68 (1953): 513–25.
Stenton, Sir Frank M. Anglo-Saxon England; 3rd ed. London: Oxford University Press,
1971.
Williams, Ann. Kingship and Government in Pre-Conquest England, c. 500–1066.
Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1999 ISBN 0-333-56797-8
Categories: Anglo-Saxon ealdormenAnglo-Saxon society
This page was last edited on 25 July 2023, at 12:45 (UTC).
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