Thingmen facts for kids
The Thingmen were a special group of soldiers who worked for the Kings of England between the years 1013 and 1051. They were paid using a special tax that started as something called Danegeld. Most of these soldiers came from Scandinavia, which includes countries like Denmark, Norway, and Sweden today.
At first, the Thingmen had about 3,000 elite warriors called `housecarls` and a fleet of 40 ships. Over time, their numbers became smaller. The last of the Thingmen were disbanded, or sent home, by King Edward the Confessor in 1051. During the 11th century, many Scandinavian warriors also served in other places like Kievan Rus' (around Russia and Ukraine) and the Byzantine Empire (in what is now Turkey), where they were known as the Varangian Guard.
Contents
History of the Thingmen
How the Thingmen Started
In 1012, King Æthelred the Unready of England was dealing with many attacks from a Danish army led by a Viking chief named Thorkell the Tall. To stop these attacks, King Æthelred paid a very large sum of money, known as Danegeld. Most of the Viking raiders left England after getting paid.
However, Thorkell the Tall decided to stay and work for King Æthelred. He brought 45 ships and their crews with him. This group was based in Greenwich and was paid using the same tax system that collected the Danegeld. These men stayed loyal to King Æthelred even when another Danish king, Swein Forkbeard, invaded England in 1013. Swein's invasion eventually forced King Æthelred to leave the country.
When King Æthelred returned to power in 1014, after Swein's death, he continued to employ Thorkell and his men. They kept receiving large payments. But in 1015, Thorkell, with 9 of his ships, joined a new invasion of England. This invasion was led by Swein's son, Cnut the Great.
After Cnut conquered England in 1016, he decided to keep a standing army. Most of his invasion army went home, but Cnut kept 40 ships and their crews to serve him. This was similar to King Æthelred's earlier idea of having a paid force of Scandinavian soldiers.
A story from a Danish writer named Sven Aggesen tells us how Cnut chose these special soldiers. Cnut had many warriors, but not all of them had shown their bravery in battle. So, he decided to pick men who were important or wealthy to be his royal bodyguards. He announced that only those with very valuable weapons could join his `housecarls`. Warriors who were not rich enough left. But the successful warriors, who had won a lot of `treasure` in battles, used their wealth to decorate their weapons with gold and silver. Cnut then chose 3,000 of these men, and they became the Thingmen.
The Thingmen had their own special rules, which helped keep the group strong and fair. These rules even made the Thingmen equal to the king in some ways.
What Happened to the Thingmen?
Under King Cnut, the system of paying the Thingmen became a regular thing. The tax, which was based on the value of land, was collected every year. This payment was now called `heregeld`, meaning "army-tax." Each Thingman was paid 8 marks of silver, and the helmsman (who commanded each ship) received 12 marks.
As the Danish kings became more secure in England, they needed fewer soldiers. By the time Cnut's son, Harold Harefoot, became king in 1035, only 16 ships were still in service.
Harold's half-brother, Harthacnut, became king in 1040. He arrived with a large fleet from Denmark and greatly increased the tax to pay for 60 or 62 ships in his first year. However, he reduced this force to 32 ships in 1041. This big tax increase made many people angry and caused unrest.
When Edward the Confessor became king in 1042, he continued to reduce the standing army. By 1050, he was only employing 14 ships. In that year, 9 of these ships were dismissed. Finally, in 1051, the remaining Thingmen were disbanded, and the heregeld tax was stopped completely.
Runestones and the Thingmen
Some members of the Thingmen are remembered on special stones called `runestones`. These stones have carvings and messages, often telling about brave warriors. Examples include the `Viking Runestones` and the `England Runestones`.
One example is the `Komstad Runestone`. This stone was made to remember a marshall named Vrái. Vrái had served in England with his brother Gunni. Vrái himself mentioned this on the `Sävsjö Runestone`.
Other runestones also mention Thingmen. The `Kålsta Runestone` tells us that two sons reported their father was part of the "Assembly Retinue" (another name for the Thingmen). The `Gåsinge Runestone` was made for a warrior who served King Cnut.
See also
- Huskarl
- Druzhina
- Hird
- Comitatus
- Varangian Guard
- German Guard
- Leidang
