How did the Saxons control England?

Answer 1

He used force, churches, castles (motte & bailey [wooden castles], later stone ones), the feudal system (the Norman government system) and the domesday book, which contains the names of the people of England at that time and what they owned. The Normans used it to find out who had what so they knew who to tax the most.

Answer 2

Answer:The Saxons controlled England through a lengthy of war of attrition which began in about 480AD following the organised revolt of Anglo-Saxon settlers in eastern and southern England which was instigated by Hengist, and ended, arguably, with the settlements achieved by King Æthelstan of England in c.925AD.

Although historians argue about the process, chroniclers of the time (for example Gildas and Bede) assert that the initial stages of the conquest of England by the Anglo-Saxons was brutal. The native Britons were, according to contemporary accounts, driven from their lands where they were either slaughtered, took to hiding in the hills and in forests, were forced into slavery or fled overseas to places like Britanny. Places in England with the suffix Wal or Bret tend to indicate places within England where the population was still Welsh speaking (for example Walton, Walworth etc).

The late 6th Century and 7th Century was really the turning point because it is when the Anglo-Saxons captured Gloucester (Battle of Dyrham 577AD) and Chester (Battle of Chester, 616AD). These events were crucially important because they cut off the Britons who lived in what we now call Wales with those that lived in Cornwall and Cumbria. The last serious attempt to drive out the Anglo-Saxons was led by Cadwallon ap Cadfan (king of Gwynedd) who managed to recapture York in 633AD but died in battle shortly afterwards.

His son, Cadwaladr Fendigaid (died 682) was, according to tradition, the last british king to style himself "King of the Britons". From this point onwards, the conquest of England was assured.

The portions of Britain conquered by the Anglo-Saxons during this time, now known as England, were ruled by several kings (for a long period there was seven kingdoms known collectively as the Heptarchy). These kingdoms each had their own administrative models. The model used in the southern Kingdom of Wessex eventually was imposed across all of England and consisted of Shiresand Hundreds. The Shire was governed by an Eorlderman(who had powers like a king) and an assembly of local nobles called the Shire Court. A Shire Reeve (later called Sheriff) acted as a sort of Chief Executive for the Shire. Beneath this there were smaller Hundreds governed by a Hundred Reeve and a Hundred Court. This system was abolished in the 19th Century and replaced with the County Councils and District Council model we know today.