To show his gratitude to his trusted companions, Wygh decided to grant a title higher than knighthood: baron, derived from the Latin word baro.
In Frankish territory, baron was a title given to warrior chieftains who received lands in exchange for military fealty. Over time, the title evolved into the lowest rank of hereditary nobility: baron.
"Yoln, who had served the longest and fought the most battles, was granted Dunbar and five nearby villages, and 4,000 acres of arable land."
"Shrike, who captured Edinburgh and suppressed the brigands, was granted Boness and four nearby villages, and 3,800 acres of arable land."
"To Thorgar, who led the cavalry in the crushing defeat of the Gaelic coalition, was granted Whitburn and three nearby villages, and 3,400 acres of arable land."
"To Snake, who was granted Lanark with its surrounding mountains and forests, and 2,000 acres of arable land."
Vig granted barony to seven men at once: Yolan, Mitcham, Barfuss, Thorgar, Shrike, Snake, and Bracken.
The first three were long-time followers, Thorga was a knight recently converted to the order, and the last three were chieftains of three Welsh tribes, giving them a slight advantage in canonization.
Seeing no objections, Vig closed the scroll, drank a glass of water to wet his throat, then took out a large parchment scroll and began canonizing the knights.
Since this was his first large-scale canonization, he thought about it for a long time and eventually compiled a long list of one hundred names.
First came the thirty-eight surviving Viking shield-bearers from the first three groups of his followers, followed by thirty-two warriors who had distinguished themselves in previous battles, twenty-five mercenary cavalrymen who had taken an oath of loyalty, and finally five craftsmen, including Lukar, the master smith.
Vig's voice was becoming hoarse as time went on, but he did not delegate the task, stubbornly reading to the end.
"That's all. The North is vast, and if anyone continues to show merit, I will continue to grant lands for canonization."
After reading the list, Wygh took out another scroll and listed the duties of a vassal.
Each knightly order owned 500 acres of arable land, plus adjacent pastures, woods, and ponds, making a total of approximately 300–400 acres. The total area of the estate was between 800 and 1,000 acres.
In times of war, the knighthood was required to provide one armoured cavalryman, one hired mounted servant, two foot soldiers, and a groom to look after the horses. They served forty days a year, and the lord was obliged to pay a salary for any additional service.
If a knight was unable to serve, such as a civilian with low military prowess such as Mitcham or Lucar, or if the knight was elderly or ill and his heir was still young, he could pay a scutage tax to be exempt from military service.
The seven barons, on the other hand, had varying obligations depending on the amount of arable land in their territories.
For example, Lord Jorren of Dunbar owned 4,000 acres of arable land, the equivalent of eight knighthoods. Therefore, in time of war, he was obliged to provide eight cavalrymen in armour, as well as a corresponding number of hired mounted servants, foot soldiers and grooms.
This was obviously a heavy burden, but such were the rules. If a large landowner, holding vast tracts of land, refused to honour his obligations and allowed the kingdom to decline, a foreign invasion would be disastrous for all classes.
To show his gratitude to his trusted companions, Wygh decided to grant a title higher than knighthood: baron, derived from the Latin word baro.
In Frankish territory, baron was a title given to warrior chieftains who received lands in exchange for military fealty. Over time, the title evolved into the lowest rank of hereditary nobility: baron.
"Yoln, who had served the longest and fought the most battles, was granted Dunbar and five nearby villages, and 4,000 acres of arable land."
"Shrike, who captured Edinburgh and suppressed the brigands, was granted Boness and four nearby villages, and 3,800 acres of arable land."
"To Thorgar, who led the cavalry in the crushing defeat of the Gaelic coalition, was granted Whitburn and three nearby villages, and 3,400 acres of arable land."
"To Snake, who was granted Lanark with its surrounding mountains and forests, and 2,000 acres of arable land."
Vig granted barony to seven men at once: Yolan, Mitcham, Barfuss, Thorgar, Shrike, Snake, and Bracken.
The first three were long-time followers, Thorga was a knight recently converted to the order, and the last three were chieftains of three Welsh tribes, giving them a slight advantage in canonization.
Seeing no objections, Vig closed the scroll, drank a glass of water to wet his throat, then took out a large parchment scroll and began canonizing the knights.
Since this was his first large-scale canonization, he thought about it for a long time and eventually compiled a long list of one hundred names.
First came the thirty-eight surviving Viking shield-bearers from the first three groups of his followers, followed by thirty-two warriors who had distinguished themselves in previous battles, twenty-five mercenary cavalrymen who had taken an oath of loyalty, and finally five craftsmen, including Lukar, the master smith.
Vig's voice was becoming hoarse as time went on, but he did not delegate the task, stubbornly reading to the end.
"That's all. The North is vast, and if anyone continues to show merit, I will continue to grant lands for canonization."
After reading the list, Wygh took out another scroll and listed the duties of a vassal.
Each knightly order owned 500 acres of arable land, plus adjacent pastures, woods, and ponds, making a total of approximately 300–400 acres. The total area of the estate was between 800 and 1,000 acres.
In times of war, the knighthood was required to provide one armoured cavalryman, one hired mounted servant, two foot soldiers, and a groom to look after the horses. They served forty days a year, and the lord was obliged to pay a salary for any additional service.
If a knight was unable to serve, such as a civilian with low military prowess such as Mitcham or Lucar, or if the knight was elderly or ill and his heir was still young, he could pay a scutage tax to be exempt from military service.
The seven barons, on the other hand, had varying obligations depending on the amount of arable land in their territories.
For example, Lord Jorren of Dunbar owned 4,000 acres of arable land, the equivalent of eight knighthoods. Therefore, in time of war, he was obliged to provide eight cavalrymen in armour, as well as a corresponding number of hired mounted servants, foot soldiers and grooms.
This was obviously a heavy burden, but such were the rules. If a large landowner, holding vast tracts of land, refused to honour his obligations and allowed the kingdom to decline, a foreign invasion would be disastrous for all classes.