[2] This movement began several years earlier (S48), but Theodore of Tarsus was its first great organizer.

This was the first cause of the union of the kingdoms.  The second was the invasion of the Danes.  These fierce marauders forced the people south of the Thames to join in common defense, under the leadership of Alfred, King of the West Saxons.  By the Treaty of Wedmore, 878, the Danes were compelled to give up Southwestern England, but they retained the whole of the Northeast.  About the middle of the tenth century, one of Alfred’s grandsons conquered the Dnaes, and took the title of “King of England."[1] Later, the Danes, reenforced by fresh invasions of their countrymen, made themselves masters of the land; yet Canute, the most powerful of these Danish kings, ruled according to English methods.  At length the great body of the people united in choosing Edward the Confessor king (1042-1066).  He was English by birth, but Norman by education.  Under him the unity of the English kingdom was, in name at least, fully restored.

[1] Some authorities consider Edgar (959) as the first “King of all England.”  In 829 Egbert, King of the West Saxons, forced all the other Saxon Kings of Britian to acknowledge him as their “Overlord” (S49).

5.  Beginning of the Feudal System; its Results.

Meantime a great change had taken place in England with respect to holding land (SS86, 150).  We shall see clearly to what that change was tending if we look at the condition of France.  There a system of government and of land tenure existed known as the Feudal System.  Under it the King was regarded as the owner of the entire realm.  He granted, with his royal protection, the use of portions of the land to his chief men or nobles, with the privilege of building castles and of establishing courts of justice on these estates.  Such grants were made on two conditions:  (1) that the tenants should take part in the King’s Council; (2) that they should do military service in the King’s behalf, and furnish besides a certain number of fully armed horsemen in proportion to the amount of land they had received.  So long as they fulfilled these conditionms—­made under oath—­they could retain their estates, and hand them down to their children; but if they failed to keep their oath, they forfeited the land to the King.

These great military barons or lords let out parts of their immense manors,[2] or estates, on similar conditions,—­namely (1) that their vassals or tenants should pay rent to them by doing military or other service; and (2) that they should agree that all questions concerning their rights and duties should be tried in the lord’s private court.[3] On the other hand, the lord of the manor pledged himself to protect his vassals.