Thanage facts for kids

The Thanage was an old way of organizing important people, like nobles, in places like Scandinavia (countries such as Sweden, Norway, and Denmark) and the British Isles (like England, Scotland, and Ireland). It existed a long time before the system called the Peerage, which is a more modern way of ranking nobles.

What Was the Thanage System?

The Thanage was a system of nobility. This means it was a way of giving special titles and ranks to people who were considered important or powerful in society. These titles often came with land and duties. The Thanage system was common in northern Europe before the modern Peerage system became widely used.

Titles in the Thanage

In the Thanage system, there were different levels of importance, much like how there are different ranks in a modern army or a royal family.

• The most common title was the Thane. A Thane was like a local leader or a powerful landowner. In the later Peerage system, a Thane would be similar to a Baron.
• Above the Thane was the Median-Thane. This title was for someone more important than a regular Thane. In the Peerage system, a Median-Thane was like a Count.
• The highest title was the King's Thane. This person was very important and close to the king. A King's Thane was similar to a Prince.

Female Titles in the Thanage

Just like male titles, there were also female titles that matched the ranks:

• The female equivalent of a Thane was a Thaness. She was similar to a Baroness in the Peerage system.
• Above the Thaness was the Median-Thaness. She was similar to a Countess.
• The highest female title was the King's Thaness. She was very important and close to the king, similar to a Princess.

Thanage in Scotland

In medieval Scotland, a king named David I introduced the idea of "thanes." King David I liked many English customs, and he wanted to replace the older Scottish title of "tòiseach" with the new "thane."

So, in Scotland, the term "thanage" came to mean the land and the responsibilities that a Thane held. It showed that the Thane was in charge of a certain area and had specific duties to perform for the king.