þegna

Þegna is the Old English term commonly translated as thegn or thane, referring to a free retainer of a king or nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England. The word appears in poetry, legal codes, and prose of the early medieval period. The thegn was a recognized social rank occupying a middle to upper tier of free men, owing military service and loyalty to a lord, and in return receiving land, privileges, or a place at the lord’s hall or the royal court.

Historically, a thegn could serve as a royal diplomat, administrator, or military commander, often with a retinue of followers. Thegns typically held estates that supported their households and clients, and they were expected to attend the king or ealdorman at councils and to provide troops for campaigns. Promotion within the system depended on service, wealth, and landholding, though large estates often circulated within recognized families.

By the late Anglo‑Saxon period, the rank was closely tied to wealth and influence, but changes in governance and the growth of a more centralized nobility gradually reduced the independent importance of thegns. After the Norman Conquest, the old system declined, and the term thegn faded from official use as newer titles and structures emerged.

In Norse and Icelandic usage, analogous terms (þegn) described a retainer or noble with similar duties and status, and the English cognate survive in historical and literary contexts as a translation for thegn.