Norman Conquest Encyclopedia

In Anglo-Saxon society the class of people immediately subordinate to the thegns were the freemen landholders, the sokemen. They appear to have been a greater proportion of the population in the territory formerly ruled by the Danes, the Danelaw, but it does not appear to be likely that they were of Danish descent. The sokemen paid rent for their land whereas the cottar rendered service for his. The sokeman's social and military obligations were to his king whereas the geneat, superior to the cottar outside the Danelaw, was under obligation to his thegn.

See also: Anglo-Saxon; cottar; Danelaw; Danes; thegn

Related Reading:

• Anglo Saxon Thegn
  (Warrior 5)
• Saxon Viking Norman
  (Men-at-Arms 85)