King: The king and his family was at the top of society. If he died, then his sons would have an equal right of inheriting their father’s land. It would also sometimes lead to huge wars. Jarls: This group is made up of rich local chiefs. They own many houses and sometimes employed slaves to work for them, If powerful enough, a Jarl could challenge the king for his position. Karls: This group is made of farmers, craftspeople and merchants. This group trades and goes to. war with other countries. Thralls: Thralls were slaves. They were either captured in battles or bought by merchants and sold in the market. They could be killed if they ran away. Male thralls worked very hard on whatever their master wanted them to do. Female thralls cooked meals, wove cloth and occasionally helped on the farm. |f a thrall had saved enough money, they would be able to buy their way to. freedom.