tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post114156018971271630..comments2023-11-29T07:39:34.401+00:00Comments on Carla Nayland Historical Fiction: Why were folk-moots held outdoors?Carlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1141733110662649782006-03-07T12:05:00.000+00:002006-03-07T12:05:00.000+00:00As far as I know, the moot wasn't associated with ...As far as I know, the moot wasn't associated with military mobilisation. Although when the fyrd was called out, it would make sense for the units to assemble at the moot sites. Maybe John Peddie's book on Alfred's military organisation will say something about this, when I get that far.<BR/><BR/>Bede describes the king's council meeting in the king's hall (e.g the famous sparrow story), and there's a line in Beowulf that translates as something like 'counsellors in hall'. That's the sort of thing that made me wonder why the moot was different and whether there was more to it than light and space constraints. (Another thing to research. Or perhaps not, until I need a storyline that turns on the functioning of the moot. One can do this for ever :-)Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1141600580240473682006-03-05T23:16:00.000+00:002006-03-05T23:16:00.000+00:00Light may have been another factor. People in form...Light may have been another factor. People in former times spend a lot more time outside than we. <BR/><BR/>Also, those meetings must have involved a different group of people compared to the retainers/household of a king who would meet in the Hall (see Beowulf, or the Norvegian kings).Gabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1141585847056218722006-03-05T19:10:00.000+00:002006-03-05T19:10:00.000+00:00I know nada, or close to, about the A-S period, bu...I know nada, or close to, about the A-S period, but later medieval courts were itenerant, and so was Charlemagne's contemporary court. So I imagine that A-S courts were as well, at least in a larger kingdom. In which case moots would reasonably have been by districts. (Thinking of it, this idea is somewhat preserved by the US term "circuit courts" for appeals courts.)<BR/><BR/>If there were kingdom-wide moots, wouldn't they often also be military mobilizations, like the Frankish Mayfield? If you're basically assembling your army - even if not for an imminent campaign - surely it would assemble in some large open place.Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1141576500057533092006-03-05T16:35:00.000+00:002006-03-05T16:35:00.000+00:00Good point. I haven't found a record of exactly w...Good point. I haven't found a record of exactly who was expected/allowed/required to attend a folk-moot or how big the assembly would be. Tacitus' description of tribal assemblies indicates that every adult male in the tribe attended, but that was from about the 1st century AD and may or may not have been true 6 centuries later. <BR/><BR/>There's a theory that the unique 'grandstand' at Yeavering (which looks like a segment from a Roman theatre built in wood) was intended for public meetings. I've seen a calculation that it could hold something like one representative from each village, though I can't remember what assumptions the author made about the size of the district and the population density. <BR/><BR/>Leads to another question; how do you suppose they managed a meeting that was attended by more people than would fit in a big royal hall? Must have been quite a challenge to arrange it so that everyone could hear, and everyone who was supposed to speak could do so. I was wondering if the moots might have been organised by fairly small districts so you got a manageable number of people at each local moot? Maybe either the king came round on circuit or there was some system of delegates (maybe the thane(s)?) to a bigger kingdom- or subkingdom-sized moot?<BR/><BR/>My instinct is that slow communications would make it preferable to do as much as possible at as local a level as possible so you don't have lots of people spending a week walking to the moot and a week walking back when they're probably needed on their farms. <BR/><BR/>Any thoughts?Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1141572684973520152006-03-05T15:31:00.000+00:002006-03-05T15:31:00.000+00:00Perhaps many reasons dovetailing together, as Bern...Perhaps many reasons dovetailing together, as Bernita said. But I think the most fundamental is the one that she mentioned: space. Looking at the reconstruction of the Yeavering royal hall, I don't think it was big enough to comfortably hold a public meeting of the whole community.Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1141567436588438332006-03-05T14:03:00.000+00:002006-03-05T14:03:00.000+00:00Very plausible.Further, you are correct to infer t...Very plausible.<BR/>Further, you are correct to infer there is never just ONE single reason.<BR/>To me, the underlying and initial motivation is simply space/room for everyone.<BR/>Thought of the Althing at once, too.<BR/>Bit of a thrill to see validation of your logic.Bernitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05264585685253812090noreply@blogger.com