Thegn is only used once in the laws before the reign of King Æthelstan (924-939), but more frequently in charters. Apparently unconnected to the 展开

In the 5th century, Germanic peoples collectively known as Anglo-Saxons migrated to sub-Roman Britain and came to dominate the east and southeast of the island. Based on … 展开

Children inherited thegnly status from their father, and a thegnly woman who married a ceorl retained her noble status. A successful thegn might … 展开

In 1066, there were an estimated 5,000 thegns in England. After the Norman conquest of England in 1066, William the Conqueror replaced … 展开

Thegns were divided into three ranks: ealdormen (later earl), king's thegns, and median thegns. Below ealdormen were king's thegns, so called because they only served the king. The … 展开

A noble household included a number of retainers, termed cniht ('young man', 'retainer'; from which the modern word knight derives) or huscarl ('housecarl', 'man of the household'). … 展开

During the later part of the tenth and in the eleventh centuries in Denmark and Sweden, it became common for families or comrades to raise memorial runestones. Approximately fifty of … 展开