To protect Anglo-Saxon territories in
Britain from foreign troops
The Anglo-Saxon army was known as the Fyrd. The Fyrd was made
up of all fit free men between the ages of 15 and 60 and was divided
into two distinct classes of troops:
the levy or select Fyrd, who were called to arms in times of trouble
the professional household troops, sometimes known as the greater
Fyrd, which included the personal bodyguards and companions (the
gesiths) of the high ranking Earls and Kings.
A
large proportion of the select Fyrd would have been ceorls
(peasants); of limited use
in battle, being armed mainly with farm implements and with
little or no protective clothing. Some would have been of noble
birth and would have been equipped almost as well as the
professional warriors.
The Huscarls were
the elite of the Anglo-Saxon warriors. They were originally the
professional soldiers who made up the personal bodyguards of
the Norse Kings but the idea was adopted by the English Kings and Earls.
The name Huscarl or Huscarle literally means household man hence the
occasional reference as Housecarl. They were heavily armed and well
protected. In battle they used a steel axe on a long shaft that could reach out over
the shield wall to inflict severe injuries to the opposing warriors and
horses. As well as being warriors some Huscarls performed administrative and
legal functions similar to a modern magistrate. They were important and
trusted servants of their masters.
The Fyrd was
essentially a defensive measure, being called up to deal with an
invading enemy force. If a lord wanted to take the offensive he
would have normally used his household troops numbering no more than
a few hundred or so warriors. Occasionally the personal warbands
of several lords could be combined to make an army of a few
thousand, but this would have been rare.
As the Anglo-Saxon
kingdoms became established and the population settled down it became
more effective to call up a select group of nobles rather than the
whole eligible male population. In practice one man was recruited for
every five hides of land (1 hide was roughly equal to 30 or 40 acres),
the remaining population of that area would have provided the
recruit's equipment and expenses. That way the economy could continue
uninterrupted and could provide the army with high quality arms and
supplies during a troubled period. A class of nobles called the Thegns
provided the main element of this select Fyrd. Some of Thegns
were professional full time warriors serving in the warbands of the
various Anglo-Saxon lords. Most Thegns, however, would have been
free men holding land on behalf of their lord and required to provide
military service for brief periods.
This early type
of helmet, similar to the one found at Sutton Hoo, would have
been worn by a person of distinction.
The reigns of Sweyn
Forkbeard
and Cnut around the start of the 11th century saw the introduction of a new class
of warrior called the Huscarles, effectively the bodyguard of the
Danish high kings. The custom was continued on by the succeeding
Anglo-Saxon kings when the Huscarles, to all intents and purposes,
replaced the gesiths of the greater Fyrd.
The Huscarles
were disbanded by William the Conqueror. The Fyrd continued to be
used and eventually became the local Militia responsible for the
defence of the shire in which they were called up.
A Huscarle - press on the buttons to
move the image.
