Germanic king

The Germanic king originally had three main functions.

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• The king served as judge during the popular assemblies.
• He served as a priest during the sacrifices (Blóts) at important cult sites, such as the Temple at Uppsala. Refusal to administer the blóts could lead to the king losing his power (see e.g. Haakon the Good and Anund Gårdske).
• The king served as a warleader during wars.

The office was hereditary, but originally a Germanic king had to have the consent of the people before he could assume the throne.

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All the sons of the king had the right to claim the throne, which often led to co-rulership (Diarchy) where two brothers were elected kings at the same time. This was common among Swedes, Norwegians, Franks and Anglo-Saxons (see e.g. Alfred the Great).

Related Topics:
Diarchy - Swedes - Norwegians - Franks - Anglo-Saxon - Alfred the Great

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This evolved into the territories being considered the hereditary property of the kings, Patrimonies, a system which fuelled feudal wars, because the kings could claim ownership of lands beyond their de facto rule.

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Germanic king: Etymology ►