Through reading this Subreddit and other sources I have a fair view of how the cattle/craft wealth of the farmstead Village Communities was created and passed around among them, and how the "Gold/Prestige economy" of the warrior-elite functioned, but I am unclear how the warrior-aristocracy, local strongman, and the King acquired the foodstuffs and provisions for everyday living, if there was no formal taxation or tribute giving, and if there was no mechanism for "buying" these goods with gold, etc. Were the members of aristocracy generally large land owners with tenant farmers or slave labour that provided these kinds of goods to them? Any clarification is greatly appreciated, thank you.
Were the members of aristocracy generally large land owners with tenant farmers or slave labour that provided these kinds of goods to them?
Yes, basically. The halls of aristocrats were generally part of large estates, which also contained regular storage buildings and farms. Presumably kings/aristocrats also had a network of dependent farmers through the landscape. By the end of the period, kings also had formal storage-places in every hundred, but these probably do not pre-date the Viking period.