Legal Definitions - fyrdfare

Fyrdfare

In historical Anglo-Saxon law, fyrdfare referred to two primary concepts:

• The compulsory duty of a freeman to serve in the fyrd, which was the Anglo-Saxon military or militia, typically called upon for defense or expeditions.
• The fine or penalty imposed upon a freeman who failed to fulfill this military service obligation when summoned.

Essentially, it encompassed both the expectation of military readiness and the legal consequences for shirking that responsibility.

Here are some examples illustrating fyrdfare:

• Example 1 (Obligation to Serve): During a period of heightened tension with a neighboring kingdom, a landowning freeman named Æthelred receives a summons from his local ealdorman, requiring him to gather his arms and join the fyrd at a designated muster point within the week. This situation directly illustrates fyrdfare as the legal duty imposed upon Æthelred to perform military service for his community and king.
• Example 2 (Penalty for Non-Compliance): When King Alfred calls upon all able-bodied freemen to repel a Danish invasion, a miller named Beorn chooses to remain at home, prioritizing his harvest over the royal summons. Subsequently, royal officials impose a substantial fine on Beorn for his failure to answer the call to arms, demonstrating fyrdfare as the penalty for neglecting his military duty.