Society of Scotland in the High Middle Ages facts for kids

Scottish society in the High Middle Ages was how people lived and worked in Scotland between about 900 and 1286. This time is known as the High Middle Ages in Scottish history. It was a period when Scotland was becoming a stronger kingdom.

Who Was Who: Social Classes in Scotland

In the High Middle Ages, Scottish society had different levels, like a pyramid. People had different amounts of power and importance. We know a lot about these social levels from old legal writings.

One old law book, called the Laws of Brets and Scots, talks about five main types of people:

• The King: The most powerful person, ruling over everyone.
• Mormaers or Earls: These were powerful lords, almost like mini-kings, who ruled large areas.
• Toísechs or Thanes: These were local chiefs or lords, who managed smaller areas for the King or a Mormaer.
• Ócthigerns: These were free people, but not as powerful as lords. They might have owned land or cattle.
• Serfs: These people were tied to the land and had to work for a lord. They were not free to leave.

Before the 1100s, there were also slaves, who were not free at all.

Historians sometimes describe medieval European society using three groups:

• Bellatores ("those who fight"): These were the nobles and knights who fought in wars.
• Oratores ("those who pray"): These were the clergy, like priests and monks.
• Laboratores ("those who work"): These were the peasants and farmers who did most of the work.

This way of looking at society became more useful in Scotland after the time of King David I (who ruled from 1124 to 1153).

The King and His Court

The King was the most important person in Scotland. He had a special group of people around him called the royal court. These people helped the King rule the country. Before King David I, we don't know much about how the court was set up. But after his time, it became more like the courts in other parts of Europe, especially France.

Some of the jobs in the court were very old Scottish (Gaelic) roles, like the hostarius (who looked after the King's bodyguards) and the rannaire (who divided the food).

Here are some of the main jobs in the King's court:

• Seneschal (also called the Steward): This person was in charge of the King's household and how it was run. This job was passed down through families since King David I's time.
• Chancellor: This person was in charge of the King's chapel, which was his place of worship. The chapel was also where the King's scribes worked, keeping important records. The Chancellor was usually a clergyman and often became a bishop later.
• Chamberlain: This person was responsible for all the King's money and finances.
• Constable: Like the Seneschal, this job was also passed down through families. The Constable was in charge of the King's army and military resources.
• Butler: This person managed the King's wine cellars and served drinks.
• Marshal (or marischal): This person was in charge of the King's cavalry (soldiers on horseback). They had a more specific military role than the Constable.

By the 1200s, most of these court jobs were passed down from father to son, except for the Chancellor. There were many other people in the royal household too, like the hostarius (also called usher or durward), royal hunters, foresters, and cooks.

Mormaers and Earls: Powerful Local Lords

Most of the land in Scotland north of the Forth River was ruled by powerful lords called Mormaers. In Latin, they were called comes, which is why we often call them Earls today. These lords were like mini-kings in their own areas. They had their own groups of warriors and followers. They also made local laws and kept order.

Mormaers had to give the King a special payment called cain, which was usually paid several times a year with cattle or other goods. They also had to provide conveth, which meant giving the King and his people food and a place to stay when they visited. If they couldn't do that, they paid with goods instead.

When the King needed an army, Mormaers had to provide the servitum Scoticanum (meaning "Scottish service"). They led the exercitus Scoticanus, which was the main part of the King's army made up of Gaelic warriors.

Toísechs and Thanes: Local Chiefs

A toísech was a local chief. They were similar to mormaers but worked for a King, a mormaer, or even an abbot or bishop. They provided the same services to their lord as a mormaer did for the King. The Latin word for toísech was usually thanus, which is why these leaders are often called thanes in English.

The idea of a thanus became more formal around the 900s, possibly influenced by Anglo-Saxon England. This system was mostly used in eastern Scotland, north of the Forth. We know of 71 thanages (areas ruled by thanes) from the Middle Ages. Most of these were in eastern Scotland.

Kinship Groups: Clans and Families

Behind the titles of toísech and mormaer were important kinship groups or clans. These were large families or groups of families who were related. Sometimes, these groups had formal leaders, but often they were more informal. The head of a kinship group was called capitalis in Latin or cenn in Gaelic.

For example, in the area of Fife, a main kinship group was called Clann MacDuib (meaning "Children of MacDuff"). The leader of this group often used the title MacDuib. Similarly, the Lords of the Isles would call themselves MacDomhnaill.

Sometimes, the Mormaer of Fife was the head of Clann MacDuib. However, after a new rule called primogeniture (where the oldest son inherits everything), a mormaer might be too young to lead the clan. In those cases, an older, respected family member would take on the leadership role. Other famous kinship groups in medieval Scotland included Cennedig from Carrick and Morggain from Buchan.

Lower Freemen and Serfs: The Common People

Below the nobles and chiefs were the common free people and serfs. The highest rank of free person who wasn't a noble was called an ócthigern. This term means "little lord" or "young lord." We don't know their exact status, but they were probably like the "Cattle lords" (Bóaire) or "Little Lords" (Ócaire) from earlier Gaelic society.

On church lands, the highest rank of serf was called a scoloc. This word literally means "scholar" and was used for the lowest level of student in a monastery school.

In earlier times, the Scots also had slaves. Many of these slaves were foreigners, like English or Scandinavian people, who were captured during wars. There are records of large slave raids by Scots in the 1000s.

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