housecarl
Sign in to saveA housecarl (; ) was a non-servile manservant or household bodyguard in medieval Northern Europe.
Article
17 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- In Scandinavia
- As free manservants
- As combatant retainers
- In Norwegian service: the ''heiðþegar''
- The housecarls of the Danish kings: the {{lang|non|heimþegar}}
- In England
- Organisation as royal bodyguards and courtiers
- Pay, land grants, and social role
- Administrative role
- Military role
- The housecarls of Harold Godwinson: Stamford Bridge and Hastings
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
A housecarl (; ) was a non-servile manservant or household bodyguard in medieval Northern Europe.
The institution originated amongst the Norsemen of Scandinavia, and was brought to Anglo-Saxon England by the Danish conquest in the 11th century. They were well-trained, and paid as full-time soldiers. In England, the royal housecarls had a number of roles, both military and administrative, and they fought under Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings.