Þingalið
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The Þingalið (pronounced [θiŋalið], "assembly retinue") was a standing army in the service of the English kings during the period 1018-1066.[1] It consisted mostly of Scandinavians[2] and it had a strength of 3,000 housecarls and a fleet of 40 ships.[1] Being financed by the English landowners, it constituted a considerable economic expense for the country.[3]
In the 11th century, there were three European courts that recruited Scandinavians:[4] Novgorod-Kiev (Kievan Rus') c. 980-1060,[4] Constantinople (the Varangian Guard) 988-1204,[4][5] and London 1018-1066.[4] Scandinavia was however also a recruiting area for attacks against England and this is why a defence needed to be organized by the Danish king Canute the Great.[1][6][7] The Assembly retinue attracted Swedish mercenaries, and probably some Norwegian as well.[1]
It was a great honour to be a member of this retinue, which consisted of highly skilled and well-educated warriors.[8]
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[edit] History
[edit] Formation and structure
The Danish chronicler Sven Aggesen wrote in the end of the 12th century on how the Assembly retinue was created.[2] Canute the Great had attracted a great many warriors of many kinds and many of them had not had the opportunity to distinguish themselves in battle.[2] Consequently, Canute decided to select those that were the most prominent in origin or wealth[2] in order to form a royal elite unit.[9] Therefore, he had a herald proclaim that only those who had especially valuable weapons would have the distinction of counting themselves among the king's housecarls.[9] In those days, it brought glory to a commander if he had a retinue that had splendid weaponry.[9] Because of this demand, those who were less affluent retired while the successful warriors, who had gathered considerable amounts of spoils of war, had their gold and silver manufactured to become decorations on their weaponry.[9] Everyone tried to compete with their brothers-in-arms in having the most sumptuous armour, and this was how king Canute managed to select the best of his warriors.[9] He had the men counted and they amounted to 3,000 men who were thenceforth the Þingalið.[9] The retinue had its own laws which stipulated that every member was each other's equal, even equal to the king.[9] The Scandinavian warriors had no objections to being ruled by a chieftain, but they did not accept that he had any legal privileges.[9]
[edit] Last battle
With the help of this elite force, which was distinguished by their broad battle axes, The English kings defended their country against all invaders until 1066.[9]
After having defeated the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, the Assembly Retinue had to march southwards in order to meet the invasion force of William the Conqueror in the Battle of Hastings.[9] The retinue was exhausted by the hard-fought battle against the Norwegians and the 386-kilometer march to Hastings, and they fought to the last man against William the Conqueror's Normans, who were also of Scandinavian origin.[9]
[edit] Runestones
Several of its members are commemorated on runestones, such as the Viking Runestones and the England Runestones. One example is the Komstad Runestone which was raised in memory the marshall Vrái, who had served in England with his brother Gunni, something that Vrái reported himself on the Sävsjö Runestone.[6] Other examples are the Kålsta Runestone, where two sons report that their father was a member of the Assembly Retinue,[8][1] and the Gåsinge Runestone which was raised in memory of a warrior who served Canute the Great.[1]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e f Pritsak 1981:410
- ^ a b c d Enoksen 1998:117
- ^ Morgan 1997:93
- ^ a b c d Pritsak 1981:386
- ^ Although after 1066, the Varangian Guard mostly consisted of Englishmen, see Pritsak 1981:386
- ^ a b Pritsak 1981:411
- ^ Pritsak 1981:410 refers here to the runestone U 617.
- ^ a b Jansson 1980:34
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Enoksen 1998:118
[edit] Sources and external links
- Enoksen, Lars Magnar. (1998). Runor : historia, tydning, tolkning. Historiska Media, Falun. ISBN 91-88930-32-7
- Jansson, Sven B. (1980). Runstenar. STF, Stockholm. ISBN 91-7156-015-7
- Morgan, Kenneth O. (1984, 1997). The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain. ISBN 0-19-285174-8
- Pritsak, Omeljan. (1981). The origin of Rus'. Cambridge, Mass.: Distributed by Harvard University Press for the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. ISBN 0-674-64465-4
