Earldom of Wessex

E415669

The Earldom of Wessex was a powerful regional lordship in late Anglo-Saxon England, most famously associated with the influential Godwin family before the Norman Conquest.

All labels observed (4)

Label Occurrences
Earldom of Wessex canonical 4
Earldom of East Anglia 1
Earldom of Mercia 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf earldom ⓘ
territorial lordship ⓘ
abolishedIn 1066 ⓘ
associatedEvent political conflicts during the reign of Edward the Confessor ⓘ
rise of Harold Godwinson to the English throne ⓘ
associatedWithFamily Godwin family ⓘ
capital Winchester ⓘ
country Kingdom of England ⓘ
economicImportance control of wealthy shires in southern England ⓘ
endedBy Norman redistribution of English lands ⓘ
existedDuring 11th century ⓘ
reign of Cnut the Great ⓘ
reign of Edward the Confessor ⓘ
existedUntil Norman Conquest of England ⓘ
governanceStructure earlship with delegated royal authority ⓘ
governedBy earl ⓘ
heldBy Godwin, Earl of Wessex ⓘ
Harold Godwinson ⓘ
Leofric, Earl of Mercia (briefly, in partition contexts) ⓘ
historicalRegion one of the core regions of pre-Conquest England ⓘ
includedShire Berkshire ⓘ
Devon ⓘ
Dorset ⓘ
Hampshire ⓘ
Kent ⓘ
Somerset ⓘ
Sussex ⓘ
Wiltshire ⓘ
languageOfAdministration Old English ⓘ
legalSystem Anglo-Saxon law ⓘ
locatedIn Wessex ⓘ
linked to: Kingdom of Wessex

southern England ⓘ
militaryRole regional military command in southern England ⓘ
notableFor concentration of power in the hands of the Godwin family ⓘ
influence on succession crisis of 1066 ⓘ
notableHolder Godwin, Earl of Wessex ⓘ
Harold Godwinson ⓘ
partOf late Anglo-Saxon England ⓘ
politicalImportance most powerful earldom in late Anglo-Saxon England ⓘ
politicalRole counterweight to other great earldoms such as Mercia and Northumbria ⓘ
regional power base for the Godwin family ⓘ
predecessor Kingdom of Wessex (as a royal core territory) ⓘ
linked to: Kingdom of Wessex
religion Latin Christianity ⓘ
subordinateTo King of England ⓘ
succeededBy Norman feudal lordships in southern England ⓘ
titleCreatedFor Godwin, Earl of Wessex ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Anglo-Saxon England → hasPart → Earldom of Wessex ⓘ
House of Godwin → positionHeld → Earldom of Wessex ⓘ
House of Godwin → positionHeld → Earldom of East Anglia ⓘ
linked to: Earldom of Wessex
Ealdgyth of Mercia → associatedWith → Earldom of Mercia ⓘ
linked to: Earldom of Wessex
Godwin family → politicalPowerBase → Earldom of Wessex ⓘ
Godwin family faction at the English court → controlledOffice → earldom of Wessex ⓘ
linked to: Earldom of Wessex