CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html class="client-nojs vector-feature-language-in-header-enabled vector-feature-language-in-main-page-header-disabled vector-feature-page-tools-pinned-disabled vector-feature-toc-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-main-menu-pinned-disabled vector-feature-limited-width-clientpref-1 vector-feature-limited-width-content-enabled vector-feature-custom-font-size-clientpref-1 vector-feature-appearance-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-night-mode-enabled skin-theme-clientpref-day vector-sticky-header-enabled vector-toc-available" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <title>Thegn - Wikipedia</title> <script>(function(){var className="client-js vector-feature-language-in-header-enabled vector-feature-language-in-main-page-header-disabled vector-feature-page-tools-pinned-disabled vector-feature-toc-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-main-menu-pinned-disabled vector-feature-limited-width-clientpref-1 vector-feature-limited-width-content-enabled vector-feature-custom-font-size-clientpref-1 vector-feature-appearance-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-night-mode-enabled skin-theme-clientpref-day vector-sticky-header-enabled vector-toc-available";var cookie=document.cookie.match(/(?:^|; )enwikimwclientpreferences=([^;]+)/);if(cookie){cookie[1].split('%2C').forEach(function(pref){className=className.replace(new RegExp('(^| )'+pref.replace(/-clientpref-\w+$|[^\w-]+/g,'')+'-clientpref-\\w+( |$)'),'$1'+pref+'$2');});}document.documentElement.className=className;}());RLCONF={"wgBreakFrames":false,"wgSeparatorTransformTable":["",""],"wgDigitTransformTable":["",""],"wgDefaultDateFormat":"dmy","wgMonthNames":["","January","February","March","April","May","June","July","August","September","October","November","December"],"wgRequestId":"8486191c-f5d0-4b69-9b54-e29fa61a21d3","wgCanonicalNamespace":"","wgCanonicalSpecialPageName":false,"wgNamespaceNumber":0,"wgPageName":"Thegn","wgTitle":"Thegn","wgCurRevisionId":1272923709,"wgRevisionId":1272923709,"wgArticleId":334438,"wgIsArticle":true,"wgIsRedirect":false,"wgAction":"view","wgUserName":null,"wgUserGroups":["*"],"wgCategories":["Articles with short description","Short description is different from Wikidata","Use dmy dates from April 2022","Articles containing German-language text","Articles containing Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text","Articles containing Latin-language text","Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference","Anglo-Saxon society","Anglo-Saxon thegns","Anglo-Norse England","Viking Age in Sweden"],"wgPageViewLanguage":"en","wgPageContentLanguage":"en","wgPageContentModel":"wikitext","wgRelevantPageName":"Thegn","wgRelevantArticleId":334438,"wgIsProbablyEditable":true,"wgRelevantPageIsProbablyEditable":true,"wgRestrictionEdit":[],"wgRestrictionMove":[],"wgNoticeProject":"wikipedia","wgCiteReferencePreviewsActive":false,"wgFlaggedRevsParams":{"tags":{"status":{"levels":1}}},"wgMediaViewerOnClick":true,"wgMediaViewerEnabledByDefault":true,"wgPopupsFlags":0,"wgVisualEditor":{"pageLanguageCode":"en","pageLanguageDir":"ltr","pageVariantFallbacks":"en"},"wgMFDisplayWikibaseDescriptions":{"search":true,"watchlist":true,"tagline":false,"nearby":true},"wgWMESchemaEditAttemptStepOversample":false,"wgWMEPageLength":20000,"wgEditSubmitButtonLabelPublish":true,"wgULSPosition":"interlanguage","wgULSisCompactLinksEnabled":false,"wgVector2022LanguageInHeader":true,"wgULSisLanguageSelectorEmpty":false,"wgWikibaseItemId":"Q1234429","wgCheckUserClientHintsHeadersJsApi":["brands","architecture","bitness","fullVersionList","mobile","model","platform","platformVersion"],"GEHomepageSuggestedEditsEnableTopics":true,"wgGETopicsMatchModeEnabled":false,"wgGELevelingUpEnabledForUser":false}; RLSTATE={"ext.globalCssJs.user.styles":"ready","site.styles":"ready","user.styles":"ready","ext.globalCssJs.user":"ready","user":"ready","user.options":"loading","ext.cite.styles":"ready","skins.vector.search.codex.styles":"ready","skins.vector.styles":"ready","skins.vector.icons":"ready","ext.wikimediamessages.styles":"ready","ext.visualEditor.desktopArticleTarget.noscript":"ready","ext.uls.interlanguage":"ready","wikibase.client.init":"ready"};RLPAGEMODULES=["ext.cite.ux-enhancements","mediawiki.page.media","ext.scribunto.logs","site","mediawiki.page.ready","mediawiki.toc","skins.vector.js","ext.centralNotice.geoIP","ext.centralNotice.startUp","ext.gadget.ReferenceTooltips","ext.gadget.switcher","ext.urlShortener.toolbar","ext.centralauth.centralautologin","mmv.bootstrap","ext.popups","ext.visualEditor.desktopArticleTarget.init","ext.visualEditor.targetLoader","ext.echo.centralauth","ext.eventLogging","ext.wikimediaEvents","ext.navigationTiming","ext.uls.interface","ext.cx.eventlogging.campaigns","ext.cx.uls.quick.actions","wikibase.client.vector-2022","ext.checkUser.clientHints","ext.quicksurveys.init","ext.growthExperiments.SuggestedEditSession"];</script> <script>(RLQ=window.RLQ||[]).push(function(){mw.loader.impl(function(){return["user.options@12s5i",function($,jQuery,require,module){mw.user.tokens.set({"patrolToken":"+\\","watchToken":"+\\","csrfToken":"+\\"}); }];});});</script> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=ext.cite.styles%7Cext.uls.interlanguage%7Cext.visualEditor.desktopArticleTarget.noscript%7Cext.wikimediamessages.styles%7Cskins.vector.icons%2Cstyles%7Cskins.vector.search.codex.styles%7Cwikibase.client.init&only=styles&skin=vector-2022"> <script async="" src="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=startup&only=scripts&raw=1&skin=vector-2022"></script> <meta name="ResourceLoaderDynamicStyles" content=""> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=site.styles&only=styles&skin=vector-2022"> <meta name="generator" content="MediaWiki 1.44.0-wmf.22"> <meta name="referrer" content="origin"> <meta name="referrer" content="origin-when-cross-origin"> <meta name="robots" content="max-image-preview:standard"> <meta name="format-detection" content="telephone=no"> <meta property="og:image" content="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Godwin_the_thane_seal_first_half_11th_century.jpg"> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1200"> <meta property="og:image:height" content="2108"> <meta property="og:image" content="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Godwin_the_thane_seal_first_half_11th_century.jpg"> <meta property="og:image:width" content="800"> <meta property="og:image:height" content="1405"> <meta property="og:image" content="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Godwin_the_thane_seal_first_half_11th_century.jpg/640px-Godwin_the_thane_seal_first_half_11th_century.jpg"> <meta property="og:image:width" content="640"> <meta property="og:image:height" content="1124"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=1120"> <meta property="og:title" content="Thegn - Wikipedia"> <meta property="og:type" content="website"> <link rel="preconnect" href="//upload.wikimedia.org"> <link rel="alternate" media="only screen and (max-width: 640px)" href="//en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thegn"> <link rel="alternate" type="application/x-wiki" title="Edit this page" href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=edit"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/static/apple-touch/wikipedia.png"> <link rel="icon" href="/static/favicon/wikipedia.ico"> <link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="/w/rest.php/v1/search" title="Wikipedia (en)"> <link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" href="//en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?action=rsd"> <link rel="canonical" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thegn"> <link rel="license" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en"> <link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="Wikipedia Atom feed" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:RecentChanges&feed=atom"> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//meta.wikimedia.org" /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="auth.wikimedia.org"> </head> <body class="skin--responsive skin-vector skin-vector-search-vue mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject mw-editable page-Thegn rootpage-Thegn skin-vector-2022 action-view"><a class="mw-jump-link" href="#bodyContent">Jump to content</a> <div class="vector-header-container"> <header class="vector-header mw-header"> <div class="vector-header-start"> <nav class="vector-main-menu-landmark" aria-label="Site"> <div id="vector-main-menu-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown vector-main-menu-dropdown vector-button-flush-left vector-button-flush-right" title="Main menu" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-main-menu-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-main-menu-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Main menu" > <label id="vector-main-menu-dropdown-label" for="vector-main-menu-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-menu mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-menu"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Main menu</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-main-menu-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> <div id="vector-main-menu" class="vector-main-menu vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-main-menu-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-unpinned" data-feature-name="main-menu-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-main-menu" data-pinned-container-id="vector-main-menu-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-main-menu-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Main menu</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-main-menu.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-main-menu.unpin">hide</button> </div> <div id="p-navigation" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-navigation" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Navigation </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="n-mainpage-description" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Main_Page" title="Visit the main page [z]" accesskey="z"><span>Main page</span></a></li><li id="n-contents" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents" title="Guides to browsing Wikipedia"><span>Contents</span></a></li><li id="n-currentevents" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Portal:Current_events" title="Articles related to current events"><span>Current events</span></a></li><li id="n-randompage" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:Random" title="Visit a randomly selected article [x]" accesskey="x"><span>Random article</span></a></li><li id="n-aboutsite" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:About" title="Learn about Wikipedia and how it works"><span>About Wikipedia</span></a></li><li id="n-contactpage" class="mw-list-item"><a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_us" title="How to contact Wikipedia"><span>Contact us</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-interaction" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-interaction" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Contribute </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="n-help" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Help:Contents" title="Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia"><span>Help</span></a></li><li id="n-introduction" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Help:Introduction" title="Learn how to edit Wikipedia"><span>Learn to edit</span></a></li><li id="n-portal" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Community_portal" title="The hub for editors"><span>Community portal</span></a></li><li id="n-recentchanges" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:RecentChanges" title="A list of recent changes to Wikipedia [r]" accesskey="r"><span>Recent changes</span></a></li><li id="n-upload" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:File_upload_wizard" title="Add images or other media for use on Wikipedia"><span>Upload file</span></a></li><li id="n-specialpages" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:SpecialPages"><span>Special pages</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <a href="/wiki/Main_Page" class="mw-logo"> <img class="mw-logo-icon" src="/static/images/icons/wikipedia.png" alt="" aria-hidden="true" height="50" width="50"> <span class="mw-logo-container skin-invert"> <img class="mw-logo-wordmark" alt="Wikipedia" src="/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-wordmark-en.svg" style="width: 7.5em; height: 1.125em;"> <img class="mw-logo-tagline" alt="The Free Encyclopedia" src="/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-tagline-en.svg" width="117" height="13" style="width: 7.3125em; height: 0.8125em;"> </span> </a> </div> <div class="vector-header-end"> <div id="p-search" role="search" class="vector-search-box-vue vector-search-box-collapses vector-search-box-show-thumbnail vector-search-box-auto-expand-width vector-search-box"> <a href="/wiki/Special:Search" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only search-toggle" title="Search Wikipedia [f]" accesskey="f"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-search mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-search"></span> <span>Search</span> </a> <div class="vector-typeahead-search-container"> <div class="cdx-typeahead-search cdx-typeahead-search--show-thumbnail cdx-typeahead-search--auto-expand-width"> <form action="/w/index.php" id="searchform" class="cdx-search-input cdx-search-input--has-end-button"> <div id="simpleSearch" class="cdx-search-input__input-wrapper" data-search-loc="header-moved"> <div class="cdx-text-input cdx-text-input--has-start-icon"> <input class="cdx-text-input__input" type="search" name="search" placeholder="Search Wikipedia" aria-label="Search Wikipedia" autocapitalize="sentences" title="Search Wikipedia [f]" accesskey="f" id="searchInput" > <span class="cdx-text-input__icon cdx-text-input__start-icon"></span> </div> <input type="hidden" name="title" value="Special:Search"> </div> <button class="cdx-button cdx-search-input__end-button">Search</button> </form> </div> </div> </div> <nav class="vector-user-links vector-user-links-wide" aria-label="Personal tools"> <div class="vector-user-links-main"> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-preferences" class="vector-menu mw-portlet emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-userpage" class="vector-menu mw-portlet emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> <nav class="vector-appearance-landmark" aria-label="Appearance"> <div id="vector-appearance-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown " title="Change the appearance of the page's font size, width, and color" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-appearance-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-appearance-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Appearance" > <label id="vector-appearance-dropdown-label" for="vector-appearance-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-appearance mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-appearance"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Appearance</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-appearance-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-notifications" class="vector-menu mw-portlet emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-overflow" class="vector-menu mw-portlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="pt-sitesupport-2" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item user-links-collapsible-item"><a data-mw="interface" href="https://donate.wikimedia.org/?wmf_source=donate&wmf_medium=sidebar&wmf_campaign=en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en" class=""><span>Donate</span></a> </li> <li id="pt-createaccount-2" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item user-links-collapsible-item"><a data-mw="interface" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Thegn" title="You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory" class=""><span>Create account</span></a> </li> <li id="pt-login-2" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item user-links-collapsible-item"><a data-mw="interface" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Thegn" title="You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [o]" accesskey="o" class=""><span>Log in</span></a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div id="vector-user-links-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown vector-user-menu vector-button-flush-right vector-user-menu-logged-out" title="Log in and more options" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-user-links-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-user-links-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Personal tools" > <label id="vector-user-links-dropdown-label" for="vector-user-links-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-ellipsis mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-ellipsis"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Personal tools</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="p-personal" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-personal user-links-collapsible-item" title="User menu" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="pt-sitesupport" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="https://donate.wikimedia.org/?wmf_source=donate&wmf_medium=sidebar&wmf_campaign=en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en"><span>Donate</span></a></li><li id="pt-createaccount" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Thegn" title="You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-userAdd mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-userAdd"></span> <span>Create account</span></a></li><li id="pt-login" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Thegn" title="You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [o]" accesskey="o"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-logIn mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-logIn"></span> <span>Log in</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-user-menu-anon-editor" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-user-menu-anon-editor" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Pages for logged out editors <a href="/wiki/Help:Introduction" aria-label="Learn more about editing"><span>learn more</span></a> </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="pt-anoncontribs" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:MyContributions" title="A list of edits made from this IP address [y]" accesskey="y"><span>Contributions</span></a></li><li id="pt-anontalk" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:MyTalk" title="Discussion about edits from this IP address [n]" accesskey="n"><span>Talk</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </header> </div> <div class="mw-page-container"> <div class="mw-page-container-inner"> <div class="vector-sitenotice-container"> <div id="siteNotice"></div> </div> <div class="vector-column-start"> <div class="vector-main-menu-container"> <div id="mw-navigation"> <nav id="mw-panel" class="vector-main-menu-landmark" aria-label="Site"> <div id="vector-main-menu-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-pinned-container"> <nav id="mw-panel-toc" aria-label="Contents" data-event-name="ui.sidebar-toc" class="mw-table-of-contents-container vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-toc-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> <div id="vector-toc" class="vector-toc vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-toc-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-pinned" data-feature-name="toc-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-toc" > <h2 class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Contents</h2> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-toc.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-toc.unpin">hide</button> </div> <ul class="vector-toc-contents" id="mw-panel-toc-list"> <li id="toc-mw-content-text" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a href="#" class="vector-toc-link"> <div class="vector-toc-text">(Top)</div> </a> </li> <li id="toc-Etymology" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Etymology"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1</span> <span>Etymology</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Etymology-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Origins" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Origins"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Origins</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Origins-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Ranks_and_functions" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Ranks_and_functions"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Ranks and functions</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Ranks_and_functions-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Social_mobility" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Social_mobility"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Social mobility</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Social_mobility-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Households" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Households"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Households</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Households-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Post-conquest_England" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Post-conquest_England"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Post-conquest England</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Post-conquest_England-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Runestones" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Runestones"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>Runestones</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Runestones-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-References-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle References subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Citations" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Citations"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.1</span> <span>Citations</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Citations-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Sources" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Sources"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.2</span> <span>Sources</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Sources-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Further_reading" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Further_reading"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">10</span> <span>Further reading</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Further_reading-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" title="Table of Contents" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Thegn</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 21 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-21" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">21 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB%D9%8A%D9%86" title="الثين – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="الثين" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thegn" title="Thegn – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Thegn" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thane_(Gefolgsmann)" title="Thane (Gefolgsmann) – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Thane (Gefolgsmann)" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AA%DA%AF%D9%86%E2%80%8C%D9%87%D8%A7" title="تگن‌ها – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="تگن‌ها" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thegn" title="Thegn – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Thegn" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%ED%85%8C%EC%9D%B8" title="테인 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="테인" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hr mw-list-item"><a href="https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thegn" title="Thegn – Croatian" lang="hr" hreflang="hr" data-title="Thegn" data-language-autonym="Hrvatski" data-language-local-name="Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Hrvatski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-is mw-list-item"><a href="https://is.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Eegn" title="Þegn – Icelandic" lang="is" hreflang="is" data-title="Þegn" data-language-autonym="Íslenska" data-language-local-name="Icelandic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Íslenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thegn" title="Thegn – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Thegn" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-la mw-list-item"><a href="https://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thainus" title="Thainus – Latin" lang="la" hreflang="la" data-title="Thainus" data-language-autonym="Latina" data-language-local-name="Latin" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Latina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mk mw-list-item"><a href="https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A2%D0%B5%D0%BD_(%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%83%D0%BB%D0%B0)" title="Тен (титула) – Macedonian" lang="mk" hreflang="mk" data-title="Тен (титула)" data-language-autonym="Македонски" data-language-local-name="Macedonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Македонски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thegn" title="Thegn – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Thegn" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BE%93%E5%A3%AB" title="従士 – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="従士" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tano" title="Tano – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Tano" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A2%D1%8D%D0%BD_(%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%83%D0%BB)" title="Тэн (титул) – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Тэн (титул)" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sr mw-list-item"><a href="https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A2%D0%B5%D0%BD" title="Тен – Serbian" lang="sr" hreflang="sr" data-title="Тен" data-language-autonym="Српски / srpski" data-language-local-name="Serbian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Српски / srpski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sh mw-list-item"><a href="https://sh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thegn" title="Thegn – Serbo-Croatian" lang="sh" hreflang="sh" data-title="Thegn" data-language-autonym="Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски" data-language-local-name="Serbo-Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thegn" title="Thegn – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Thegn" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tegn" title="Tegn – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Tegn" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thegn" title="Thegn – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Thegn" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A2%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8" title="Тени – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Тени" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit wb-langlinks-link"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q1234429#sitelinks-wikipedia" title="Edit interlanguage links" class="wbc-editpage">Edit links</a></span></div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="vector-page-toolbar"> <div class="vector-page-toolbar-container"> <div id="left-navigation"> <nav aria-label="Namespaces"> <div id="p-associated-pages" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-associated-pages" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-nstab-main" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Thegn" title="View the content page [c]" accesskey="c"><span>Article</span></a></li><li id="ca-talk" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Talk:Thegn" rel="discussion" title="Discuss improvements to the content page [t]" accesskey="t"><span>Talk</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="vector-variants-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown emptyPortlet" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-variants-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-variants-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Change language variant" > <label id="vector-variants-dropdown-label" for="vector-variants-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">English</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="p-variants" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-variants emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> <div id="right-navigation" class="vector-collapsible"> <nav aria-label="Views"> <div id="p-views" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-views" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-view" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Thegn"><span>Read</span></a></li><li id="ca-edit" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=edit" title="Edit this page [e]" accesskey="e"><span>Edit</span></a></li><li id="ca-history" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=history" title="Past revisions of this page [h]" accesskey="h"><span>View history</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> <nav class="vector-page-tools-landmark" aria-label="Page tools"> <div id="vector-page-tools-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-tools-dropdown" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-tools-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-tools-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Tools" > <label id="vector-page-tools-dropdown-label" for="vector-page-tools-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Tools</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-tools-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> <div id="vector-page-tools" class="vector-page-tools vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-page-tools-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-unpinned" data-feature-name="page-tools-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-page-tools" data-pinned-container-id="vector-page-tools-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-page-tools-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Tools</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-page-tools.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-page-tools.unpin">hide</button> </div> <div id="p-cactions" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-cactions emptyPortlet vector-has-collapsible-items" title="More options" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Actions </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-more-view" class="selected vector-more-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Thegn"><span>Read</span></a></li><li id="ca-more-edit" class="vector-more-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=edit" title="Edit this page [e]" accesskey="e"><span>Edit</span></a></li><li id="ca-more-history" class="vector-more-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=history"><span>View history</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-tb" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-tb" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> General </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="t-whatlinkshere" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:WhatLinksHere/Thegn" title="List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [j]" accesskey="j"><span>What links here</span></a></li><li id="t-recentchangeslinked" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:RecentChangesLinked/Thegn" rel="nofollow" title="Recent changes in pages linked from this page [k]" accesskey="k"><span>Related changes</span></a></li><li id="t-upload" class="mw-list-item"><a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard" title="Upload files [u]" accesskey="u"><span>Upload file</span></a></li><li id="t-permalink" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&oldid=1272923709" title="Permanent link to this revision of this page"><span>Permanent link</span></a></li><li id="t-info" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=info" title="More information about this page"><span>Page information</span></a></li><li id="t-cite" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CiteThisPage&page=Thegn&id=1272923709&wpFormIdentifier=titleform" title="Information on how to cite this page"><span>Cite this page</span></a></li><li id="t-urlshortener" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UrlShortener&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FThegn"><span>Get shortened URL</span></a></li><li id="t-urlshortener-qrcode" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:QrCode&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FThegn"><span>Download QR code</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-coll-print_export" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-coll-print_export" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Print/export </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="coll-download-as-rl" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:DownloadAsPdf&page=Thegn&action=show-download-screen" title="Download this page as a PDF file"><span>Download as PDF</span></a></li><li id="t-print" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&printable=yes" title="Printable version of this page [p]" accesskey="p"><span>Printable version</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-wikibase-otherprojects" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-wikibase-otherprojects" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> In other projects </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="t-wikibase" class="wb-otherproject-link wb-otherproject-wikibase-dataitem mw-list-item"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q1234429" title="Structured data on this page hosted by Wikidata [g]" accesskey="g"><span>Wikidata item</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-column-end"> <div class="vector-sticky-pinned-container"> <nav class="vector-page-tools-landmark" aria-label="Page tools"> <div id="vector-page-tools-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> </div> </nav> <nav class="vector-appearance-landmark" aria-label="Appearance"> <div id="vector-appearance-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> <div id="vector-appearance" class="vector-appearance vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-appearance-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-pinned" data-feature-name="appearance-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-appearance" data-pinned-container-id="vector-appearance-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-appearance-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Appearance</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-appearance.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-appearance.unpin">hide</button> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div id="bodyContent" class="vector-body" aria-labelledby="firstHeading" data-mw-ve-target-container> <div class="vector-body-before-content"> <div class="mw-indicators"> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Medieval British and Scandinavian noble title</div> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Godwin_the_thane_seal_first_half_11th_century.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Godwin_the_thane_seal_first_half_11th_century.jpg/220px-Godwin_the_thane_seal_first_half_11th_century.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="386" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Godwin_the_thane_seal_first_half_11th_century.jpg/330px-Godwin_the_thane_seal_first_half_11th_century.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Godwin_the_thane_seal_first_half_11th_century.jpg/440px-Godwin_the_thane_seal_first_half_11th_century.jpg 2x" data-file-width="682" data-file-height="1198" /></a><figcaption>Ivory seal of Godwin, an unknown thegn – first half of eleventh century, <a href="/wiki/British_Museum" title="British Museum">British Museum</a></figcaption></figure> <p>In later <a href="/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_England" class="mw-redirect" title="Anglo-Saxon England">Anglo-Saxon England</a>, a <b>thegn</b> or <b>thane</b><sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBritannica1998_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBritannica1998-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> (Latin <b>minister</b><sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTELicence202099_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTELicence202099-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>) was an aristocrat who ranked at the third level in lay society, below the king and <a href="/wiki/Ealdormen" class="mw-redirect" title="Ealdormen">ealdormen</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEKeynes2014459–461_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEKeynes2014459–461-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> He had to be a substantial landowner. <a href="/wiki/Thanage" title="Thanage">Thanage</a> refers to the tenure by which lands were held by a thane as well as the rank; an approximately equivalent modern title may be that of <a href="/wiki/Baron" title="Baron">baron</a>. </p><p>The term <i>thane</i> was also used in <a href="/wiki/Early_Middle_Ages" title="Early Middle Ages">early medieval</a> <a href="/wiki/Scandinavia" title="Scandinavia">Scandinavia</a> for a class of retainers, and <i><a href="/wiki/Thane_(Scotland)" title="Thane (Scotland)">thane</a></i> was a title given to local royal officials in medieval eastern <a href="/wiki/Scotland" title="Scotland">Scotland</a>, equivalent in rank to the child of an <a href="/wiki/Earl" title="Earl">earl</a>. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Etymology">Etymology</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Etymology"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist .mw-empty-li{display:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dt::after{content:": "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li::after{content:" · ";font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li:last-child::after{content:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:first-child::before{content:" (";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:last-child::after{content:")";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol{counter-reset:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li{counter-increment:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li::before{content:" "counter(listitem)"\a0 "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li ol>li:first-child::before{content:" ("counter(listitem)"\a0 "}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1246091330">.mw-parser-output .sidebar{width:22em;float:right;clear:right;margin:0.5em 0 1em 1em;background:var(--background-color-neutral-subtle,#f8f9fa);border:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);padding:0.2em;text-align:center;line-height:1.4em;font-size:88%;border-collapse:collapse;display:table}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .sidebar{display:table!important;float:right!important;margin:0.5em 0 1em 1em!important}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-subgroup{width:100%;margin:0;border-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-left{float:left;clear:left;margin:0.5em 1em 1em 0}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-none{float:none;clear:both;margin:0.5em 1em 1em 0}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-outer-title{padding:0 0.4em 0.2em;font-size:125%;line-height:1.2em;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-top-image{padding:0.4em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-top-caption,.mw-parser-output .sidebar-pretitle-with-top-image,.mw-parser-output .sidebar-caption{padding:0.2em 0.4em 0;line-height:1.2em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-pretitle{padding:0.4em 0.4em 0;line-height:1.2em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-title,.mw-parser-output .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{padding:0.2em 0.8em;font-size:145%;line-height:1.2em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{padding:0.1em 0.4em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-image{padding:0.2em 0.4em 0.4em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-heading{padding:0.1em 0.4em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-content{padding:0 0.5em 0.4em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-content-with-subgroup{padding:0.1em 0.4em 0.2em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-above,.mw-parser-output .sidebar-below{padding:0.3em 0.8em;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-collapse .sidebar-above,.mw-parser-output .sidebar-collapse .sidebar-below{border-top:1px solid #aaa;border-bottom:1px solid #aaa}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-navbar{text-align:right;font-size:115%;padding:0 0.4em 0.4em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-list-title{padding:0 0.4em;text-align:left;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6em;font-size:105%}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-list-title-c{padding:0 0.4em;text-align:center;margin:0 3.3em}@media(max-width:640px){body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .sidebar{width:100%!important;clear:both;float:none!important;margin-left:0!important;margin-right:0!important}}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .sidebar a>img{max-width:none!important}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-list-title,html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{background:transparent!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-list-title,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{background:transparent!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sidebar{display:none!important}}</style><table class="sidebar nomobile nowraplinks" style="width:17.0em;"><caption class="sidebar-outer-title"><a href="/wiki/History_of_Anglo-Saxon_England" title="History of Anglo-Saxon England">Anglo-Saxon status<br /></a></caption><tbody><tr><td class="sidebar-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Hexateuch_king.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="A king and his witan"><img alt="A king and his witan" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Hexateuch_king.jpg/250px-Hexateuch_king.jpg" decoding="async" width="200" height="139" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Hexateuch_king.jpg/330px-Hexateuch_king.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Hexateuch_king.jpg/500px-Hexateuch_king.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2736" data-file-height="1905" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding-top:0.3em;border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;"> <a href="/wiki/Germanic_kingship" title="Germanic kingship">Cyning</a> <small>(sovereign)</small></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding-top:0.3em;border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;"> <a href="/wiki/%C3%86theling" title="Ætheling">Ætheling</a> <small>(prince)</small></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding-top:0.3em;border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;"> <a href="/wiki/Ealdorman" title="Ealdorman">Ealdorman</a> <small>(Earl)</small></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding-top:0.3em;border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;"> <a href="/wiki/Hold_(title)" title="Hold (title)">Hold</a> / <a href="/wiki/High-reeve" title="High-reeve">High-reeve</a></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding-top:0.3em;border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;"> <a class="mw-selflink selflink">Thegn</a></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding-top:0.3em;border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;"> <a href="/wiki/Thingmen" title="Thingmen">Thingmen</a> / <a href="/wiki/Housecarl" title="Housecarl">housecarl</a> <small>(<a href="/wiki/Retinue" title="Retinue">retainer</a>)</small></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding-top:0.3em;border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;"> <a href="/wiki/Reeve_(England)" title="Reeve (England)">Reeve</a> / <a href="/wiki/Verderer" title="Verderer">Verderer</a> <small>(bailiff)</small></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding-top:0.3em;border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;"> <a href="/wiki/Churl" title="Churl">Churl</a> <small>(free tenant)</small></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding-top:0.3em;border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;"> <a href="/wiki/Villein" title="Villein">Villein</a> <small>(serf)</small></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding-top:0.3em;border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;"> <a href="/wiki/Cotter_(farmer)" title="Cotter (farmer)">Cottar</a> <small>(cottager)</small></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding-top:0.3em;border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;"> <a href="/wiki/Thrall" title="Thrall">Þēow</a> <small>(slave)</small></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-navbar"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374" /><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Anglo-Saxon_status" title="Template:Anglo-Saxon status"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Anglo-Saxon_status" title="Template talk:Anglo-Saxon status"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Anglo-Saxon_status" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Anglo-Saxon status"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><i>Thegn</i> is only used once in the laws before the reign of King <a href="/wiki/%C3%86thelstan" title="Æthelstan">Æthelstan</a> (924–939), but more frequently in charters.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Apparently unconnected to the <a href="/wiki/German_language" title="German language">German</a> and <a href="/wiki/Dutch_language" title="Dutch language">Dutch</a> word <i> <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">dienen</i></span></i> ('to serve'), <a href="/wiki/H._M._Chadwick" class="mw-redirect" title="H. M. Chadwick">H. M. Chadwick</a> suggests "the sense of subordination must have been inherent... from the earliest time".<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEChadwick190584–85_5-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEChadwick190584–85-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It gradually expanded in meaning and use, to denote a member of a territorial nobility, while thegnhood was attainable by fulfilling certain conditions.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743_4-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p><i><a href="/wiki/An_Anglo-Saxon_Dictionary" title="An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary">An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary</a></i> describes a thane as "one engaged in a king's or a queen's service, whether in the household or in the country". It adds: "the word... seems gradually to acquire a technical meaning... denoting a class, containing several degrees".<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743_4-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Origins">Origins</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Origins"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Beowulf_-_ge_sithum.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Beowulf_-_ge_sithum.jpg" decoding="async" width="206" height="86" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="206" data-file-height="86" /></a><figcaption>The word <i>gesith</i>/<i>gesiþ</i> (plural <i>gesithum</i>/<i>gesiðum</i>), the precursor of <i>thegn</i>, used in the <a href="/wiki/Old_English" title="Old English">Old English</a> epic poem <i><a href="/wiki/Beowulf" title="Beowulf">Beowulf</a></i></figcaption></figure> <p>In the 5th century, <a href="/wiki/Germanic_peoples" title="Germanic peoples">Germanic peoples</a> collectively known as <a href="/wiki/Anglo-Saxons" title="Anglo-Saxons">Anglo-Saxons</a> migrated to <a href="/wiki/Sub-Roman_Britain" title="Sub-Roman Britain">sub-Roman Britain</a> and came to dominate the east and southeast of the island. Based on archaeological evidence (such as burials and buildings), these early communities appear to have lacked any social elite. Around half the population were free, independent farmers (Old English: <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang"><a href="/wiki/Churl" title="Churl">ceorlas</a></i></span>) who cultivated a <a href="/wiki/Hide_(unit)" title="Hide (unit)">hide</a> of land (enough to provide for a family). <a href="/wiki/Slavery_in_Britain" title="Slavery in Britain">Slaves</a>, mostly native <a href="/wiki/Celtic_Britons" title="Celtic Britons">Britons</a>, made up the other half.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMorris202149–50_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMorris202149–50-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>By the late 6th century, the archeological evidence (grander burials and buildings) suggests the development of a social elite. This period coincided with the <a href="/wiki/Late_Antique_Little_Ice_Age" title="Late Antique Little Ice Age">Late Antique Little Ice Age</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Plague_of_Justinian" title="Plague of Justinian">Plague of Justinian</a>. These events would have caused famine and other societal disruptions that may have increased violence and led previously independent farmers to submit to the rule of strong lords. The Old English word for <i>lord</i> is <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang">hlaford</i></span> (<span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">loaf-guardian</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span> or <span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">bread-giver</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>).<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMorris202150–55_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMorris202150–55-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The early <a href="/wiki/Law_of_%C3%86thelberht" title="Law of Æthelberht">law codes of Kent</a> use the Old English word <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang"><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/eorl" class="extiw" title="wikt:eorl">eorl</a></i></span> (<span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">high born</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>, <span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">noble</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>) to describe a nobleman. By the 8th century, the word <b>gesith</b> (<span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">companion</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>; Latin: <span title="Latin-language text"><i lang="la"><a href="/wiki/Comes" title="Comes">comes</a></i></span>) had replaced <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang">eorl</i></span> as the common term for a nobleman.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTELoyn1955530_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTELoyn1955530-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams20085_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams20085-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> There were both land-owning and landless gesiths.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTELoyn1955532_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTELoyn1955532-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A landless gesith would serve as a <a href="/wiki/Retinue" title="Retinue">retainer</a> in the <span title="Latin-language text"><i lang="la"><a href="/wiki/Comitatus_(warband)" title="Comitatus (warband)">comitatus</a></i></span> of a king, queen, or lord. In return, they were provided protection (Old English: <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang"><a href="/wiki/Mund_(law)" title="Mund (law)">mund</a></i></span>) and gifts of gold and silver. Young nobles were raised with the children of kings to someday become their gesith.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEJolliffe196114–15_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEJolliffe196114–15-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A gesith might be granted an estate in reward for loyal service.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTELoyn1955530_8-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTELoyn1955530-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>By the 10th century, Anglo-Saxon society was divided into three main social classes: slaves, <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang">ceorlas</i></span> (<span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">free men</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>), and <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang">þegnas</i></span> (<span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">thegns</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>, <span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">aristocrats</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>).<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams20082_12-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams20082-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <i>Thegn</i> (Old English: <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang">þeġn</i></span>) meant servant or warrior, and it replaced the term <i>gesith</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTELoyn1955530_8-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTELoyn1955530-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Law codes assigned a <a href="/wiki/Weregeld" class="mw-redirect" title="Weregeld">weregeld</a> or man price of 200 <a href="/wiki/Shilling" title="Shilling">shillings</a> for a <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang">ceorl</i></span> and 1,200s for a thegn.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams20081_13-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams20081-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Ranks_and_functions">Ranks and functions</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Ranks and functions"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Thegns were divided into three ranks: <a href="/wiki/Ealdormen" class="mw-redirect" title="Ealdormen">ealdormen</a> (later <a href="/wiki/Earl" title="Earl">earl</a>), king's thegns, and median thegns.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams20083_14-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams20083-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Below ealdormen were king's thegns, so called because they only served the king. The lowest thegnly rank were the median thegns who owed service to other thegns. The higher a thegn's rank, the greater the <a href="/wiki/Heriot" title="Heriot">heriot</a> he paid to the king.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams20083_14-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams20083-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Thegns were the backbone of local government and the military. <a href="/wiki/Sheriff" title="Sheriff">Sheriffs</a> were drawn from this class, and thegns were required to attend the <a href="/wiki/Shire_court" title="Shire court">shire court</a> and give judgment. For these reasons, historian <a href="/wiki/David_Carpenter_(historian)" title="David Carpenter (historian)">David Carpenter</a> described thegns as "the <a href="/wiki/Country_gentry" class="mw-redirect" title="Country gentry">country gentry</a> of Anglo-Saxon England".<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Although their exact role is unclear, the twelve senior thegns of the <a href="/wiki/Hundred_(division)" class="mw-redirect" title="Hundred (division)">hundred</a> played a part in the development of the English system of justice. Under a law of <a href="/wiki/Ethelred_the_Unready" class="mw-redirect" title="Ethelred the Unready">Aethelred</a> they "seem to have acted as the judicial committee of the court for the purposes of accusation".<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHoldsworth19037_16-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEHoldsworth19037-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This suggests some connection with the modern <a href="/wiki/Jury_trial" title="Jury trial">jury trial</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Social_mobility">Social mobility</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Social mobility"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Children inherited thegnly status from their father, and a thegnly woman who married a <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang">ceorl</i></span> retained her noble status.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams20081_13-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams20081-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A successful thegn might hope to be promoted to earl.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743_4-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>A prosperous <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang">ceorl</i></span> could become a landlord in his own right and aspire to thegnly rank. In the legal tract <i><a href="/wiki/Ge%C3%BEync%C3%B0o" title="Geþyncðo">Geþyncðo</a></i>, Archbishop <a href="/wiki/Wulfstan_(died_1023)" title="Wulfstan (died 1023)">Wulfstan</a> of York (1002–1023) detailed the criteria for attaining thegnhood: "And if a <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang">ceorl</i></span> prospered, that he possessed fully five hides of his own, a <i>belhus</i> and a <i>burhgeat</i> [a defensible <a href="/wiki/Manor_house" title="Manor house">manor house</a>], a seat and special office in the king’s hall, then was he henceforth entitled to the rights of a thegn."<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The legal text <i>Norðleoda laga</i> (<span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">law of the Northern People</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>) also included the five-<a href="/wiki/Hide_(unit)" title="Hide (unit)">hide</a> qualification but added that the land had to be kept for three generations.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams20084_18-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams20084-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Thegnhood was also attainable to the merchant who "fared thrice over the wide sea by his own means."<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEStubbs189565_19-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEStubbs189565-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Households">Households</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Households"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Medieval_household" title="Medieval household">Medieval household</a></div> <p>A noble household included a number of retainers, termed <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang">cniht</i></span> (<span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">young man</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>, <span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">retainer</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>; from which the modern word <i><a href="/wiki/Knight" title="Knight">knight</a></i> derives) or <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang">huscarl</i></span> (<span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text"><a href="/wiki/Housecarl" title="Housecarl">housecarl</a></span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>, <span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">man of the household</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>). Thegnly wills can be used to reconstruct noble households. Thurstan Lustwine's will, written <abbr title="circa">c.</abbr><span style="white-space:nowrap;"> 1043</span>, left land to his <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang">cnihtes</i></span> and his two <a href="/wiki/Chaplain" title="Chaplain">chaplains</a> (who in addition to religious duties would also have performed secretarial work). The will of a noblewoman named Leofgifu left land to her three stewards, two <a href="/wiki/Reeve_(England)" title="Reeve (England)">reeves</a>, a chaplain, and her <span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang">cnihtes</i></span>. Another household officer identified in wills is that of <a href="/wiki/Hunter" class="mw-redirect" title="Hunter">huntsman</a> (<span title="Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text"><i lang="ang">hunta</i></span>).<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams200863_&_66_20-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams200863_&_66-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Just as king's thegns served in the <a href="/wiki/Royal_Households_of_the_United_Kingdom#Anglo-Saxon_period_(871–1066)" title="Royal Households of the United Kingdom">royal household</a>, lesser thegns served as the <a href="/wiki/Dish-bearers_and_butlers_in_Anglo-Saxon_England" title="Dish-bearers and butlers in Anglo-Saxon England">seneschals</a>, <a href="/wiki/Chamberlain_(office)" title="Chamberlain (office)">chamberlains</a>, and stewards of king's thegns and ealdormen. These were considered honourable posts rather than servile positions. Vagn, the leader of <a href="/wiki/Leofric,_Earl_of_Mercia" title="Leofric, Earl of Mercia">Earl Leofric's</a> housecarls, owned 54 <a href="/wiki/Hide_(unit)" title="Hide (unit)">hides</a> of land with his main <a href="/wiki/Manorialism" title="Manorialism">manor</a> at <a href="/wiki/Wootton_Wawen" title="Wootton Wawen">Wootton Wawen</a> (<span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">Vagn's Wootton</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>). High ranking men such as Vagn would have formed the inner circle of the lord's household.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams200867_21-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams200867-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Post-conquest_England">Post-conquest England</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Post-conquest England"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Map_of_thegn_runestones.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Map_of_thegn_runestones.jpg/220px-Map_of_thegn_runestones.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="256" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Map_of_thegn_runestones.jpg/330px-Map_of_thegn_runestones.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Map_of_thegn_runestones.jpg/440px-Map_of_thegn_runestones.jpg 2x" data-file-width="600" data-file-height="699" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Scandinavia" title="Scandinavia">Scandinavian</a> <a href="/wiki/Runestone" title="Runestone">runestones</a> of <i>thegns</i> are marked in red, those using the junior position "drengr" in blue</figcaption></figure> <p>In 1066, there were an estimated 5,000 thegns in England.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHuscroft201629_22-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEHuscroft201629-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> After the <a href="/wiki/Norman_conquest_of_England" class="mw-redirect" title="Norman conquest of England">Norman conquest of England</a> in 1066, <a href="/wiki/William_the_Conqueror" title="William the Conqueror">William the Conqueror</a> replaced the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy with Normans, who replaced the previous terminology with their own names for such social ranks. Those previously known as thegns became part of the knightly class.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743_4-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Runestones">Runestones</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Runestones"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>During the later part of the tenth and in the eleventh centuries in <a href="/wiki/Denmark" title="Denmark">Denmark</a> and <a href="/wiki/Sweden" title="Sweden">Sweden</a>, it became common for families or comrades to raise memorial <a href="/wiki/Runestones" class="mw-redirect" title="Runestones">runestones</a>. Approximately fifty of these note that the deceased was a thegn. Examples of such runestones include <a href="/wiki/S%C3%B6dermanland_Runic_Inscription_170" class="mw-redirect" title="Södermanland Runic Inscription 170">Sö 170</a> at Nälberga, <a href="/wiki/Norra_H%C3%A4rene_Runestone" title="Norra Härene Runestone">Vg 59</a> at Norra Härene, <a href="/wiki/Velanda_Runestone" title="Velanda Runestone">Vg 150</a> at Velanda, <a href="/wiki/Gunderup_Runestone" title="Gunderup Runestone">DR 143</a> at Gunderup, <a href="/wiki/Glavendrup_stone" title="Glavendrup stone">DR 209</a> at Glavendrup, and <a href="/wiki/Rydsg%C3%A5rd_Runestone" title="Rydsgård Runestone">DR 277</a> at Rydsgård. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Abthain" title="Abthain">Abthain</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fyrd" title="Fyrd">Fyrd</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Thain" title="Thain">Thain</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Trinoda_necessitas" title="Trinoda necessitas">Trinoda necessitas</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Citations">Citations</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Citations"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 20em;"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEBritannica1998-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBritannica1998_1-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFBritannica1998">Britannica 1998</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTELicence202099-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELicence202099_2-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFLicence2020">Licence 2020</a>, p. 99.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEKeynes2014459–461-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEKeynes2014459–461_3-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFKeynes2014">Keynes 2014</a>, pp. 459–461.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743_4-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743_4-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743_4-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743_4-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHolland1911743_4-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFHolland1911">Holland 1911</a>, p. 743.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEChadwick190584–85-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEChadwick190584–85_5-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFChadwick1905">Chadwick 1905</a>, pp. 84–85.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMorris202149–50-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMorris202149–50_6-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFMorris2021">Morris 2021</a>, pp. 49–50.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMorris202150–55-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMorris202150–55_7-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFMorris2021">Morris 2021</a>, pp. 50–55.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTELoyn1955530-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELoyn1955530_8-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELoyn1955530_8-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELoyn1955530_8-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFLoyn1955">Loyn 1955</a>, p. 530.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams20085-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams20085_9-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFWilliams2008">Williams 2008</a>, p. 5.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTELoyn1955532-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELoyn1955532_10-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFLoyn1955">Loyn 1955</a>, p. 532.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEJolliffe196114–15-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEJolliffe196114–15_11-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFJolliffe1961">Jolliffe 1961</a>, p. 14–15.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams20082-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams20082_12-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFWilliams2008">Williams 2008</a>, p. 2.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams20081-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams20081_13-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams20081_13-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFWilliams2008">Williams 2008</a>, p. 1.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams20083-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams20083_14-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams20083_14-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFWilliams2008">Williams 2008</a>, p. 3.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFCarpenter2003">Carpenter 2003</a>, p. 66 quoted in <a href="#CITEREFHuscroft2016">Huscroft 2016</a>, p. 28.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHoldsworth19037-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHoldsworth19037_16-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFHoldsworth1903">Holdsworth 1903</a>, p. 7.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-17">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFLiebermann1905">Liebermann 1905</a>, pp. 456–458; <a href="#CITEREFWhitelock1955">Whitelock 1955</a>, no. 52(A), p. 432; quoted in <a href="#CITEREFWilliams2008">Williams 2008</a>, pp. 2–3.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams20084-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams20084_18-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFWilliams2008">Williams 2008</a>, p. 4.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEStubbs189565-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEStubbs189565_19-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFStubbs1895">Stubbs 1895</a>, p. 65.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams200863_&_66-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams200863_&_66_20-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFWilliams2008">Williams 2008</a>, pp. 63 & 66.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilliams200867-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilliams200867_21-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFWilliams2008">Williams 2008</a>, p. 67.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHuscroft201629-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHuscroft201629_22-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFHuscroft2016">Huscroft 2016</a>, p. 29.</span> </li> </ol></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Sources">Sources</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Sources"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239549316">.mw-parser-output .refbegin{margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul{margin-left:0}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul>li{margin-left:0;padding-left:3.2em;text-indent:-3.2em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents ul,.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents ul li{list-style:none}@media(max-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul>li{padding-left:1.6em;text-indent:-1.6em}}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-columns ul{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .refbegin{font-size:90%}}</style><div class="refbegin" style=""> <ul><li><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFChadwick1905" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Hector_Munro_Chadwick" title="Hector Munro Chadwick">Chadwick, Hector Munro</a> (1905). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=tWcIAQAAMAAJ"><i>Studies on Anglo-Saxon Institutions</i></a>. Cambridge University Press.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Studies+on+Anglo-Saxon+Institutions&rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&rft.date=1905&rft.aulast=Chadwick&rft.aufirst=Hector+Munro&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DtWcIAQAAMAAJ&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFCarpenter2003" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/David_Carpenter_(historian)" title="David Carpenter (historian)">Carpenter, David</a> (2003). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=FLbdk_L9TYQC"><i>The Struggle for Mastery: Britain 1066–1284</i></a>. <a href="/wiki/Penguin_History_of_Britain" title="Penguin History of Britain">Penguin History of Britain</a>. Penguin Books. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0140148248" title="Special:BookSources/0140148248"><bdi>0140148248</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Struggle+for+Mastery%3A+Britain+1066%E2%80%931284&rft.series=Penguin+History+of+Britain&rft.pub=Penguin+Books&rft.date=2003&rft.isbn=0140148248&rft.aulast=Carpenter&rft.aufirst=David&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DFLbdk_L9TYQC&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFHuscroft2016" class="citation book cs1">Huscroft, Richard (2016). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=tKNYCwAAQBAJ"><i>Ruling England, 1042-1217</i></a> (2nd ed.). Routledge. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1138786554" title="Special:BookSources/978-1138786554"><bdi>978-1138786554</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Ruling+England%2C+1042-1217&rft.edition=2nd&rft.pub=Routledge&rft.date=2016&rft.isbn=978-1138786554&rft.aulast=Huscroft&rft.aufirst=Richard&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DtKNYCwAAQBAJ&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFHoldsworth1903" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/William_Searle_Holdsworth" title="William Searle Holdsworth">Holdsworth, William Searle</a> (1903). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=vfsyAAAAIAAJ"><i>A History of English Law</i></a>. Vol. 1. London: Methuen & Co.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=A+History+of+English+Law&rft.place=London&rft.pub=Methuen+%26+Co.&rft.date=1903&rft.aulast=Holdsworth&rft.aufirst=William+Searle&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DvfsyAAAAIAAJ&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFHolland1911" class="citation encyclopaedia cs1">Holland, Arthur William (1911). <span class="cs1-ws-icon" title="s:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Thegn"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Thegn">"Thegn" </a></span>. <i><a href="/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition" title="Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition">Encyclopædia Britannica</a></i>. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). p. 743.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Thegn&rft.btitle=Encyclop%C3%A6dia+Britannica&rft.pages=743&rft.edition=11th&rft.date=1911&rft.aulast=Holland&rft.aufirst=Arthur+William&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFJolliffe1961" class="citation book cs1">Jolliffe, J. E. A. (1961). <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/constitutionalhi0000joll"><i>The Constitutional History of Medieval England from the English Settlement to 1485</i></a></span> (4th ed.). Adams and Charles Black.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Constitutional+History+of+Medieval+England+from+the+English+Settlement+to+1485&rft.edition=4th&rft.pub=Adams+and+Charles+Black&rft.date=1961&rft.aulast=Jolliffe&rft.aufirst=J.+E.+A.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fconstitutionalhi0000joll&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFKeynes2014" class="citation encyclopaedia cs1">Keynes, Simon (2014). "Thegn". In Lapidge, Michael; Blair, John; Keynes, Simon; Scragg, Donald (eds.). <i>The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England</i> (2nd ed.). Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley Blackwell. pp. <span class="nowrap">459–</span>461. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-470-65632-7" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-470-65632-7"><bdi>978-0-470-65632-7</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Thegn&rft.btitle=The+Wiley+Blackwell+Encyclopedia+of+Anglo-Saxon+England&rft.place=Chichester%2C+West+Sussex&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E459-%3C%2Fspan%3E461&rft.edition=2nd&rft.pub=Wiley+Blackwell&rft.date=2014&rft.isbn=978-0-470-65632-7&rft.aulast=Keynes&rft.aufirst=Simon&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFLicence2020" class="citation book cs1">Licence, Tom (2020). <i>Edward the Confessor: Last of the Royal Blood</i>. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-300-21154-2" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-300-21154-2"><bdi>978-0-300-21154-2</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Edward+the+Confessor%3A+Last+of+the+Royal+Blood&rft.place=New+Haven%2C+Connecticut&rft.pub=Yale+University+Press&rft.date=2020&rft.isbn=978-0-300-21154-2&rft.aulast=Licence&rft.aufirst=Tom&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFLiebermann1905" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Felix_Liebermann" title="Felix Liebermann">Liebermann, F.</a> (1905). <i>Die Gesetze der Angelsachsen</i>. Vol. 1. Halle: M. Niemeyer.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Die+Gesetze+der+Angelsachsen&rft.place=Halle&rft.pub=M.+Niemeyer&rft.date=1905&rft.aulast=Liebermann&rft.aufirst=F.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFLoyn1955" class="citation journal cs1"><a href="/wiki/H._R._Loyn" title="H. R. Loyn">Loyn, HR</a> (1955). "Gesiths and Thegns in Anglo-Saxon England from the Seventh to Tenth Century". <i>The English Historical Review</i>. <b>70</b> (277): <span class="nowrap">529–</span>549. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fehr%2FLXX.CCLXXVII.529">10.1093/ehr/LXX.CCLXXVII.529</a>. <a href="/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="JSTOR (identifier)">JSTOR</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/558038">558038</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+English+Historical+Review&rft.atitle=Gesiths+and+Thegns+in+Anglo-Saxon+England+from+the+Seventh+to+Tenth+Century&rft.volume=70&rft.issue=277&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E529-%3C%2Fspan%3E549&rft.date=1955&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1093%2Fehr%2FLXX.CCLXXVII.529&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F558038%23id-name%3DJSTOR&rft.aulast=Loyn&rft.aufirst=HR&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFMorris2021" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Marc_Morris_(historian)" title="Marc Morris (historian)">Morris, Marc</a> (2021). <i>The Anglo-Saxons: A History of the Beginnings of England: 400–1066</i>. Pegasus Books. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-64313-312-6" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-64313-312-6"><bdi>978-1-64313-312-6</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Anglo-Saxons%3A+A+History+of+the+Beginnings+of+England%3A+400%E2%80%931066&rft.pub=Pegasus+Books&rft.date=2021&rft.isbn=978-1-64313-312-6&rft.aulast=Morris&rft.aufirst=Marc&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFStubbs1895" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/William_Stubbs" title="William Stubbs">Stubbs, William</a> (1895). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=zkgzAAAAIAAJ"><i>Select Charters and Other Illustrations of English Constitutional History, from the Earliest Times to the Reign of Edward the First</i></a> (8th ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Select+Charters+and+Other+Illustrations+of+English+Constitutional+History%2C+from+the+Earliest+Times+to+the+Reign+of+Edward+the+First&rft.place=Oxford&rft.edition=8th&rft.pub=Clarendon+Press&rft.date=1895&rft.aulast=Stubbs&rft.aufirst=William&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DzkgzAAAAIAAJ&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFBritannica1998" class="citation encyclopaedia cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/thane-feudal-lord">"Thane"</a>. <i>Encyclopedia Britannica</i>. 20 July 1998.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Thane&rft.btitle=Encyclopedia+Britannica&rft.date=1998-07-20&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.britannica.com%2Ftopic%2Fthane-feudal-lord&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFWhitelock1955" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Dorothy_Whitelock" title="Dorothy Whitelock">Whitelock, Dorothy</a>, ed. (1955). <i><a href="/wiki/English_Historical_Documents" title="English Historical Documents">English Historical Documents</a> c. 500–1042</i>. Vol. 1. London: Eyre and Spottiswood.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=English+Historical+Documents+c.+500%E2%80%931042&rft.place=London&rft.pub=Eyre+and+Spottiswood&rft.date=1955&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFWilliams2008" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Ann_Williams_(historian)" title="Ann Williams (historian)">Williams, Ann</a> (2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=lYCvAwAAQBAJ"><i>The World Before Domesday: The English Aristocracy, 900–1066</i></a>. London: Continuum. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781847252395" title="Special:BookSources/9781847252395"><bdi>9781847252395</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+World+Before+Domesday%3A+The+English+Aristocracy%2C+900%E2%80%931066&rft.place=London&rft.pub=Continuum&rft.date=2008&rft.isbn=9781847252395&rft.aulast=Williams&rft.aufirst=Ann&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DlYCvAwAAQBAJ&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> </div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Further_reading">Further reading</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Thegn&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Further reading"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239549316" /><div class="refbegin" style=""> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFStubbs1874" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/William_Stubbs" title="William Stubbs">Stubbs, William</a> (1874). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=zycIAAAAQAAJ"><i>The Constitutional History of England, in Its Origin and Development</i></a>. Vol. 1. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. <span class="nowrap">149–</span>158.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Constitutional+History+of+England%2C+in+Its+Origin+and+Development&rft.place=Oxford&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E149-%3C%2Fspan%3E158&rft.pub=Clarendon+Press&rft.date=1874&rft.aulast=Stubbs&rft.aufirst=William&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DzycIAAAAQAAJ&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFSukhino-Khomenko2019" class="citation journal cs1">Sukhino-Khomenko, Denis (2019). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.helsinki.fi/assets/drupal/2022-12/rmn_14_methodologies.pdf">"Thegns in the Social Order of Anglo-Saxon England and Viking-Age Scandinavia: Outlines of a Methodological Reassessment"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <i>Interdisciplinary and Comparative Methodologies</i>. <b>14</b>: <span class="nowrap">25–</span>50. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISSN (identifier)">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1799-4497">1799-4497</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240630032851/https://www.helsinki.fi/assets/drupal/2022-12/rmn_14_methodologies.pdf">Archived</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> from the original on 30 June 2024.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Interdisciplinary+and+Comparative+Methodologies&rft.atitle=Thegns+in+the+Social+Order+of+Anglo-Saxon+England+and+Viking-Age+Scandinavia%3A+Outlines+of+a+Methodological+Reassessment&rft.volume=14&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E25-%3C%2Fspan%3E50&rft.date=2019&rft.issn=1799-4497&rft.aulast=Sukhino-Khomenko&rft.aufirst=Denis&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.helsinki.fi%2Fassets%2Fdrupal%2F2022-12%2Frmn_14_methodologies.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThegn" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> </div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://auth.wikimedia.org/loginwiki/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?useformat=desktop&type=1x1&usesul3=1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thegn&oldid=1272923709">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thegn&oldid=1272923709</a>"</div></div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Categories</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Anglo-Saxon_society" title="Category:Anglo-Saxon society">Anglo-Saxon society</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Anglo-Saxon_thegns" title="Category:Anglo-Saxon thegns">Anglo-Saxon thegns</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Anglo-Norse_England" title="Category:Anglo-Norse England">Anglo-Norse England</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Viking_Age_in_Sweden" title="Category:Viking Age in Sweden">Viking Age in Sweden</a></li></ul></div><div id="mw-hidden-catlinks" class="mw-hidden-catlinks mw-hidden-cats-hidden">Hidden categories: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_with_short_description" title="Category:Articles with short description">Articles with short description</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Short_description_is_different_from_Wikidata" title="Category:Short description is different from Wikidata">Short description is different from Wikidata</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Use_dmy_dates_from_April_2022" title="Category:Use dmy dates from April 2022">Use dmy dates from April 2022</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_containing_German-language_text" title="Category:Articles containing German-language text">Articles containing German-language text</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_containing_Old_English_(ca._450-1100)-language_text" title="Category:Articles containing Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text">Articles containing Old English (ca. 450-1100)-language text</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_containing_Latin-language_text" title="Category:Articles containing Latin-language text">Articles containing Latin-language text</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_articles_incorporating_a_citation_from_the_1911_Encyclopaedia_Britannica_with_Wikisource_reference" title="Category:Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference">Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </main> </div> <div class="mw-footer-container"> <footer id="footer" class="mw-footer" > <ul id="footer-info"> <li id="footer-info-lastmod"> This page was last edited on 30 January 2025, at 21:49<span class="anonymous-show"> (UTC)</span>.</li> <li id="footer-info-copyright">Text is available under the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_4.0_International_License" title="Wikipedia:Text of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License</a>; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the <a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Terms_of_Use" class="extiw" title="foundation:Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Terms of Use">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Privacy_policy" class="extiw" title="foundation:Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Privacy policy">Privacy Policy</a>. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://wikimediafoundation.org/">Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.</a>, a non-profit organization.</li> </ul> <ul id="footer-places"> <li id="footer-places-privacy"><a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Privacy_policy">Privacy policy</a></li> <li id="footer-places-about"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:About">About Wikipedia</a></li> <li id="footer-places-disclaimers"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:General_disclaimer">Disclaimers</a></li> <li id="footer-places-contact"><a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_us">Contact Wikipedia</a></li> <li id="footer-places-wm-codeofconduct"><a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Universal_Code_of_Conduct">Code of Conduct</a></li> <li id="footer-places-developers"><a href="https://developer.wikimedia.org">Developers</a></li> <li id="footer-places-statslink"><a href="https://stats.wikimedia.org/#/en.wikipedia.org">Statistics</a></li> <li id="footer-places-cookiestatement"><a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Cookie_statement">Cookie statement</a></li> <li id="footer-places-mobileview"><a href="//en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thegn&mobileaction=toggle_view_mobile" class="noprint stopMobileRedirectToggle">Mobile view</a></li> </ul> <ul id="footer-icons" class="noprint"> <li id="footer-copyrightico"><a href="https://www.wikimedia.org/" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--size-large cdx-button--fake-button--enabled"><picture><source media="(min-width: 500px)" srcset="/static/images/footer/wikimedia-button.svg" width="84" height="29"><img src="/static/images/footer/wikimedia.svg" width="25" height="25" alt="Wikimedia Foundation" lang="en" loading="lazy"></picture></a></li> <li id="footer-poweredbyico"><a href="https://www.mediawiki.org/" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--size-large cdx-button--fake-button--enabled"><picture><source media="(min-width: 500px)" srcset="/w/resources/assets/poweredby_mediawiki.svg" width="88" height="31"><img src="/w/resources/assets/mediawiki_compact.svg" alt="Powered by MediaWiki" lang="en" width="25" height="25" loading="lazy"></picture></a></li> </ul> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-header-container vector-sticky-header-container"> <div id="vector-sticky-header" class="vector-sticky-header"> <div class="vector-sticky-header-start"> <div class="vector-sticky-header-icon-start vector-button-flush-left vector-button-flush-right" aria-hidden="true"> <button class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-sticky-header-search-toggle" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="ui.vector-sticky-search-form.icon"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-search mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-search"></span> <span>Search</span> </button> </div> <div role="search" class="vector-search-box-vue vector-search-box-show-thumbnail vector-search-box"> <div class="vector-typeahead-search-container"> <div class="cdx-typeahead-search cdx-typeahead-search--show-thumbnail"> <form action="/w/index.php" id="vector-sticky-search-form" class="cdx-search-input cdx-search-input--has-end-button"> <div class="cdx-search-input__input-wrapper" data-search-loc="header-moved"> <div class="cdx-text-input cdx-text-input--has-start-icon"> <input class="cdx-text-input__input" type="search" name="search" placeholder="Search Wikipedia"> <span class="cdx-text-input__icon cdx-text-input__start-icon"></span> </div> <input type="hidden" name="title" value="Special:Search"> </div> <button class="cdx-button cdx-search-input__end-button">Search</button> </form> </div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-header-context-bar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-sticky-header-toc" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-sticky-header-toc vector-sticky-header-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-sticky-header-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-sticky-header-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-sticky-header-toc-label" for="vector-sticky-header-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-sticky-header-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <div class="vector-sticky-header-context-bar-primary" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="mw-page-title-main">Thegn</span></div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-header-end" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="vector-sticky-header-icons"> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-talk-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="talk-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-speechBubbles mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-speechBubbles"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-subject-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="subject-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-article mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-article"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-history-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="history-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-history mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-history"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only mw-watchlink" id="ca-watchstar-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="watch-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-star mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-star"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-edit-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="wikitext-edit-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikiText mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-wikiText"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-ve-edit-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="ve-edit-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-edit mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-edit"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-viewsource-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="ve-edit-protected-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-editLock mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-editLock"></span> <span></span> </a> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-header-buttons"> <button class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet mw-interlanguage-selector" id="p-lang-btn-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-language"></span> <span>21 languages</span> </button> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive" id="ca-addsection-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="addsection-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-speechBubbleAdd-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-speechBubbleAdd-progressive"></span> <span>Add topic</span> </a> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-header-icon-end"> <div class="vector-user-links"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mw-portlet mw-portlet-dock-bottom emptyPortlet" id="p-dock-bottom"> <ul> </ul> </div> <script>(RLQ=window.RLQ||[]).push(function(){mw.config.set({"wgHostname":"mw-web.codfw.main-fb96cc848-mjvjm","wgBackendResponseTime":116,"wgPageParseReport":{"limitreport":{"cputime":"0.465","walltime":"0.546","ppvisitednodes":{"value":3893,"limit":1000000},"postexpandincludesize":{"value":54380,"limit":2097152},"templateargumentsize":{"value":2914,"limit":2097152},"expansiondepth":{"value":12,"limit":100},"expensivefunctioncount":{"value":3,"limit":500},"unstrip-depth":{"value":0,"limit":20},"unstrip-size":{"value":62035,"limit":5000000},"entityaccesscount":{"value":0,"limit":400},"timingprofile":["100.00% 484.283 1 -total"," 20.33% 98.466 20 Template:Lang"," 19.90% 96.379 12 Template:Cite_book"," 15.29% 74.062 28 Template:Sfn"," 14.58% 70.603 1 Template:Anglo-Saxon_status"," 13.92% 67.390 1 Template:Sidebar"," 10.60% 51.358 1 Template:Short_description"," 6.19% 29.997 2 Template:Pagetype"," 3.61% 17.503 33 Template:Main_other"," 3.49% 16.882 1 Template:Reflist"]},"scribunto":{"limitreport-timeusage":{"value":"0.321","limit":"10.000"},"limitreport-memusage":{"value":21111071,"limit":52428800},"limitreport-logs":"anchor_id_list = table#1 {\n [\"CITEREFBritannica1998\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFCarpenter2003\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFChadwick1905\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFHoldsworth1903\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFHolland1911\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFHuscroft2016\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFJolliffe1961\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFKeynes2014\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFLicence2020\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFLiebermann1905\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFLoyn1955\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFMorris2021\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFStubbs1874\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFStubbs1895\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFSukhino-Khomenko2019\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFWhitelock1955\"] = 1,\n [\"CITEREFWilliams2008\"] = 1,\n}\ntemplate_list = table#1 {\n [\"Anglo-Saxon status\"] = 1,\n [\"Circa\"] = 1,\n [\"Cite EB1911\"] = 1,\n [\"Cite book\"] = 12,\n [\"Cite encyclopedia\"] = 2,\n [\"Cite journal\"] = 2,\n [\"Dash\"] = 1,\n [\"Further\"] = 1,\n [\"Gloss\"] = 14,\n [\"Harvid\"] = 1,\n [\"Harvnb\"] = 5,\n [\"Lang\"] = 20,\n [\"Refbegin\"] = 2,\n [\"Refend\"] = 2,\n [\"Reflist\"] = 1,\n [\"Sfn\"] = 28,\n [\"Short description\"] = 1,\n [\"Use dmy dates\"] = 1,\n}\narticle_whitelist = table#1 {\n}\nciteref_patterns = table#1 {\n}\n"},"cachereport":{"origin":"mw-web.codfw.main-684955989f-dhbtq","timestamp":"20250331174309","ttl":2592000,"transientcontent":false}}});});</script> <script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Article","name":"Thegn","url":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Thegn","sameAs":"http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q1234429","mainEntity":"http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q1234429","author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Contributors to Wikimedia projects"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.wikimedia.org\/static\/images\/wmf-hor-googpub.png"}},"datePublished":"2003-10-04T12:42:34Z","dateModified":"2025-01-30T21:49:03Z","image":"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/1\/1c\/Godwin_the_thane_seal_first_half_11th_century.jpg","headline":"term describing an aristocratic class in Anglo-Saxon England and medieval Scandinavia or a member of that class"}</script> </body> </html>