The Anglo Saxon Kings
3.1. The Anglo-Saxon Kings
In the Anglo-Saxon society, the king was elected by the Witan – the King’s Council – a formal body including senior warriors and churchmen who issued laws and charters. It was not at all democratic and the king could choose to ignore the Witan’s advice. But he knew that it might be dangerous to do so. For the Witan’s authority was based on its right to choose kings, and to agree to the use of the king’s laws. Without its support, the king’s own authority was in danger. The Witan established a system which remained an important part of the king’s method of government. Even today, the king/ queen has a Privy Council, a group of advisers on the affairs of state.
From the seventh century on, the power of the recently Christianised Anglo-Saxon kings increased as they were supported by the Roman Christian Church. It is worth mentioning here that, in 597, Augustine started the process of Christianisation of the Anglo-Saxons from king Ethelbert of Kent’s court, and that, in its competition with the Celtic Christian Church that had been spreading Christianity among ordinary people, the Roman Christian Church (interested in the upper classes) became a winner because in 663, at the Synod of Whitby, the king of Northumbria decided in its favour.
Saxon kings helped the Church to grow, but the Church also increased the power of kings. Bishops gave kings their support, which made it harder for royal power to be questioned. Kings had “God’s approval.” For example, when king Offa of Mercia arranged for his son to be crowned as his successor, he made sure that this was done at a Christian ceremony led by a bishop. It was good political propaganda, because it suggested that kings were chosen not only by people but also by God.
From among the late Anglo-Saxon kings, by far one of the most heroic figures was Alfred the Great (871-900). Chosen by the Witan upon his elder brother’s death, he was compared to Charlemagne owing to his many-sided talents as:
a
In the Anglo-Saxon society, the king was elected by the Witan – the King’s Council – a formal body including senior warriors and churchmen who issued laws and charters. It was not at all democratic and the king could choose to ignore the Witan’s advice. But he knew that it might be dangerous to do so. For the Witan’s authority was based on its right to choose kings, and to agree to the use of the king’s laws. Without its support, the king’s own authority was in danger. The Witan established a system which remained an important part of the king’s method of government. Even today, the king/ queen has a Privy Council, a group of advisers on the affairs of state.
From the seventh century on, the power of the recently Christianised Anglo-Saxon kings increased as they were supported by the Roman Christian Church. It is worth mentioning here that, in 597, Augustine started the process of Christianisation of the Anglo-Saxons from king Ethelbert of Kent’s court, and that, in its competition with the Celtic Christian Church that had been spreading Christianity among ordinary people, the Roman Christian Church (interested in the upper classes) became a winner because in 663, at the Synod of Whitby, the king of Northumbria decided in its favour.
Saxon kings helped the Church to grow, but the Church also increased the power of kings. Bishops gave kings their support, which made it harder for royal power to be questioned. Kings had “God’s approval.” For example, when king Offa of Mercia arranged for his son to be crowned as his successor, he made sure that this was done at a Christian ceremony led by a bishop. It was good political propaganda, because it suggested that kings were chosen not only by people but also by God.
From among the late Anglo-Saxon kings, by far one of the most heroic figures was Alfred the Great (871-900). Chosen by the Witan upon his elder brother’s death, he was compared to Charlemagne owing to his many-sided talents as:
a