Anglo Saxon History lecture The Invaders:The groups and approximate time period of their invasions of Britain include: 1. 2000 BC Groups from the Iberian peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal) 2. 600 BC Celts (from different parts of Europe) 3. 55 BC Romans (from Italy) 4. 410 AD Anglo-Saxons (from modern Germany) 5. 793 AD Vikings (from modern Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) 6. 1066 AD Normans (from modern France) One textbook refers to the Anglo-Saxons as the first Englishmen. I will do the same in this packet, explaining this reference in a few moments. Before arriving at the Anglo-Saxon period in England, we need to keep in mind an important fact about Britain s history. Although the Anglo-Saxons contributed greatly to the foundations of Britain, the island suffered a series of INVASIONS for the first 1100 years of its recorded history (55 BC - 1066).(The Anglo-Saxons themselves were invaders.)each group of INVADERS left reminders of their presence in this country, though the Anglo-Saxons left the strongest. Britain Before Recorded History Written history of Britain began in the year 55 BC, when the Roman general Julius Caesar wrote of his campaigns in Britain. The history of people in Britain goes back far before written history. We have evidence that people lived in caves in Britain as far back as 250,000 years ago. Around 2,000 BC, invaders from the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal) invaded the island. Evidence shows that they had a culture sophisticated enough to erect Stonehenge. Around the year 600 BC, the next invaders, a people called the Celts (from all over Europe), settled the land. - One group, who called themselves Brythons (now spelled "Britons"), settled on the largest island. Britain. The other, known as Gaels, settled on the second largest is- land, known to us as Ireland. The Celts were farmers and hunters. They organized themselves into tightly knit clans, each with a fearsome loyalty to its chieftain. When these clans fell into disagreement with one another they often looked to a class of priests known as Druids to settle their disputes. -The Celts lived in a tribal society. The Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings though different cultures, came from a similar geography (Europe) and lived in tribal units as well. These tribal cultures had similar structures, including: The Tribal Culture of the Celts and other Northern Europeans Tribes -Each tribe had their own king -They built walled farms and wood-hut villages -They used bronze and iron tools, and grew crops -They also warred with each other -Since war was always a possibility, life was unstable and often violent -warriors were loyal to a king and would fight to the death for him, surrender was cowardly -these were oral cultures (there was no writing or recorded history) -these cultures were non-christian; they were pagans, worshipping many gods Scholars say that these invasions happened because of Britain s fertile land; the land in Northern Europe being less fertile and subject to flooding from the North Sea. *Note: though we mention the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings, they do not invade until much later than the Celts.
The Invasion of the Romans The next conquerors of Britain were the far more sophisticated Romans. In 55 B.C. and again the next year, the Roman general Julius Caesar made hasty invasions. The true conquest of Britain, however, occurred nearly one hundred years later. Disciplined Roman legions spread out over the island, establishing camps that soon grew into towns. Roman rule of Britain lasted for more than 300 years. It ended only when northern European tribes invaded Italy and increased pressure on Rome itself. The last Roman legions departed from Britain to defend Rome in A.D. 407. By that time, the Britons faced a new set of invaders. It was Julius Caesar and his Roman troops first landed in Britain in 55 BC. Written history of Britain begins here when Caesar writes of his expeditions to this land. Rome was a great power at the time, and it ruled many lands. Some scholars say that Caesar s troops came to punish the Celtics in Britain for helping European Celts in their fighting against Rome. One hundred years after Caesar, in 43 AD, under the rule of the emperor Claudius, Rome successfully invaded Britain.For about the next 400 years (43-410), Rome ruled much of Britain.Those tribal cultures who rebelled against Roman rule (generally the Celts) fled to the highlands of Wales and Scotland.Early in the 2nd century (100 s) the emperor Hadrian built a wall 73 miles long to keep the Celts in the highlands.it is now known as Hadrian s Wall. Life in Roman Ruled Britain (43-410) The Britons, who did not flee and succumbed to Roman rule, had an easier life than those who were forced to the highlands. For example under Roman rule, people enjoyed the following: A Peace, Stability, a less Nomadic life. With safe towns protected by a strong Roman army, there was no need to pack up everything they owned if they were to be forced from their land--they wouldn t be forced from their land. B. In town and out of town INFRASTRUCTURE could be improved. 1. Paved roads connected towns (preventing horses and wagons from getting stuck in mud for example and, thus improving travel.) 2. More Stable Buildings (more often used the sturdier stone, brick, or concrete vs. wood huts for example. Stone is better against weather and attack. Stone doesn t catch fire like wood might.) 3. More people lived because of this peace, thus increasing the ability to build the infrastructure and have professional soldiers due to Able-Bodied Workers. *Other benefits of Roman rule included sanitation systems providing for cleaner more healthy cities, public baths (cleaner, healthier people) even public meeting houses, law courts, and amphitheaters. Exodus of Rome/The Coming of Anglo-Saxon Invaders After the year 300, however, the vast Roman Empire began to weaken. By the 5th century it had collapsed. The Romans were forced to withdraw their troops from Britain to fight battles
at home in Italy. This opened the previously peaceful areas of Roman rule in Britain to INVASION. The period after Roman withdrawal is one of the most obscure in British history. Celts invaded from the highlands where they had been forced into living. Anglo-Saxon warriors from Germany were hired to protect other Britons from Celts and to help preserve the Roman way of life. In time though, the Anglo-Saxons decided this land was good for them as well, so they invaded too (remember this land was fertile while theirs in Germany was not as fertile).the ordered Roman way of life soon disappeared and tribal kingdoms (oral cultures/no written history remember) once again reigned. As had happened during the Roman occupation, defeated groups fled to the highlands of Scotland and Wales. Anglo-Saxon s settled in different areas throughout England. Some Britons did not flee and thus were assimilated into Anglo-Saxon culture. One begins to see how the different cultures both separate and mix upon invasion. By 441 these various Anglo-Saxon tribes formed the new power in Britain. Interestingly, when the Anglo-Saxons were invaded by the Vikings around 790, they didn t go away. They would contribute to the culture of Britain for another 600 years; this is why we call them the first Englishmen. They provided customs that exist to this day:the language (English, called Old English today), began its literature (becoming a written as opposed to oral culture), and established traditions in law and government (monarchy: one king), and religion (Christianity) Anglo-Saxon England 441-793 In 441, the Anglo-Saxons were a tribal culture like the Celts. Their culture is chronicled in the epic poem, Beowulf. Though these Anglo-Saxon tribes were spread throughout much of England, more ambitious kings began to assert authority over other rulers and their people. The first of these more powerful kings was King Athelbert who ruled from 560-616.He appeared to have dreamed of a nationwide confederation of tribes which would bring unity and a measure of peace to the land (McConnell, 4).Between 632 and 796, this system appears to have worked well in the large area of Mercia in central England. Violence and instability was reduced, and order, more comparable to the Roman days existed, allowing the culture to flourish. Partially because of this work towards peace in England, the Catholic Church in Rome became interested in converting the Anglo-Saxons.(Although there had been small Christian communities in Britain since the days of the Romans, Christianity s influence was minor, especially since these communities were nearly wiped out in the invasion after Rome withdrew.)however, when a greater amount of stability began to exist in England, Rome sent St. Augustine to try and convert England in 597.During the next 40 years, Christian missionaries, despite setbacks, were able to convert most of the Anglo-Saxon kings and their people to Christianity (McConnell, 4). The Coming of Christianity During the fourth century, the Romans had accepted Christianity and introduced it to Britain. A century later when the Celts fled the Anglo-Saxons, they took their Christian faith with them. Although Rome fell to barbarian tribes in A.D. 476, the Celtic Christian church continued to thrive. In the late sixth century, a soldier and abbot named Columba, along with some monks, gained converts to Christianity and established monasteries in the north.
In 597, the Roman cleric Saint Augustine (not the early Christian Church father) arrived in southeast England and converted King Ethelbert of Kent to Christianity. Augustine set up a monastery at Canterbury in Kent and began preaching his faith to other rulers as well. By providing counsel to quarrelling rulers, the Church promoted peace and helped to unify the English people. The spread of CHRISTIANITY to the Anglo-Saxon s, benefited the Anglo-Saxon culture in many ways: 1. it brought writing to this formerly oral culture, an essential skill for an advanced culture 2. it brought new values (peace, compassion, cooperation--instead of arrogance and violence) 3. books were copied, records were written by monks, thus preserving their culture in writing If we remember back to the Romans when peace and stability first reigned in Britain, then we look at the Anglo-Saxons with peace and stability in their time, we learn an important truth about life: in times of peace, life is good; in unstable times, people die, culture preoccupies with survival, defense, and battle. Cultures are overcome. Towns, books, buildings are burned. Culture grows and flourishes in peace, gets attacked and torn down in battle. Because of various invasions during the early Medieval Period, it has also come to be known as The Dark Ages. As we depart the peaceful times in Anglo-Saxon England, remember one thing: though they were invaded by the Vikings, they did not go away or disappear; they continued to contribute to English history. This why they are called the first Englishmen. The Danish Viking Invasions (793-1066) While Anglo-Saxon England became a more peaceful, organized, and advanced culture over 300 years, the new invaders, the Vikings, were more like the tribal cultures of hundreds of years before. During the ninth century, the Norse of Norway and the Danes of Denmark were beset with a rising population and took to the seas. These Vikings carried their piracy to the British Isles. The Norse set their sights on Northumbria, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, whereas the Danes targeted eastern and southern England. What s worse, these Viking invaders were all professional soldiers. They were not followed by peasants and farmers, as were the Anglo-Saxons. They were fierce warriors led by a warriorking. The Viking raids went on in Britain and Europe for almost 300 years (from 793-1066).They came from even farther North than the Germanic Tribes (the Anglo-Saxons and Celts), crossing the North Sea to arrive in Europe and Britain. It is thought that they came to Europe and Britain to acquire land as their population grew too much for the land to support their people. In any event, by the end of the 9th century (800 s), the Vikings had overpowered much of Anglo-Saxon Britain. The Anglo-Saxon s did not disappear, remember, but they were now ruled by the pagan Vikings.
Alfred the Great In 871, a king ascended to the Wessex throne who would become the only ruler in Eng- land's history ever to be honored with the epithet "the Great." His name was Alfred, and he earned the title partly by resisting further Danish encroachment. Under a truce concluded in 886, England was formally divided: the Saxons acknowledged Danish rule in the east and north, but the Danes agreed to respect Saxon rule in the south. Alfred the Great became a national hero. Alfred the Great was the only English king who was able to avoid having his land ruled by the Vikings. Though his kingdom was much smaller than Viking-ruled Britain, he is greatly responsible for keeping the more advanced Anglo-Saxon way of life thriving. Under his reign: Rebirth of learning and education: writing continued, with valuable history and literature being recorded (the Vikings were illiterate) the first English Navy was created The Vikings were feared all over Europe and Britain. They gained a reputation as explorers, great seamen, and fierce fighters, barbarians who loved to fight. They powerfully exerted their influence over Britain and Europe for 300 years. By the 11th century (1000 s), however, the Vikings did begin to lose some battles. Also, Christianity had arrived in their homelands of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Somehow, the combination of losing battles and the influence of a peaceful, loving, and compassionate religion like Christianity, decreased the power of the Vikings in Britain. In 1042, the line of succession turned to a descendant of Alfred the Great. 1 king, Edward, had gained the title "the Confessor" because he was a deeply religious Christian. Edward s death, along with the last of the last great Viking leaders, Harold Hadrada, in 1066, saw the Vikings powerful influence of Britain and Europe would be finished forever, but it also opened England to attack. Of course, then the next wave of invaders came, the Normans or "north men," who were descendants of Vikings had invaded from the coast of France in the ninth century. The rule of the Normans begins the late Medieval Period 1066-1453.This will be our next unit in this class. When we read the Canterbury Tales, written around 1386, we will jump about 700 years from the supposed writing (copying) of Beowulf to a more advanced culture in England. The Norman Conquest William, Duke of Normandy, had family ties to Edward the Confessor, the English king. When Edward died in 1066, the Saxon council of elders chose Harold II as king. William of Normandy, meanwhile, claimed that Edward, promised him the 'throne and he crossed English Channel to assert his claim by force the Battle of Hastings near a seaside village in southern England, Harold was killed, ; William emerged victorious. Over the next five years William suppressed the Anglo-Saxon nobility and confiscated their lands. He saw to it that Normans controlled government and that business was conducted in Norman French or Latin. The Normans gradually remade England along feudal lines.
Feudalism had taken root on the European continent at a time when no central government was strong enough to keep order. The feudal system involved an exchange of property for personal service. In theory, all the land belonged to the king, who parceled out land among his powerful supporters. He gave these supporters noble titles-usually "Baron"-and special privileges. As a vassal of his overlord, each baron paid certain fees, or taxes, and supplied as a specified number of knights-professional soldiers - should the king require them. In return for their services, knights usually received small parcels of land, called manors. The peasants who worked these manors were the lowest class in the feudal system, the serfs. Reign of the Plantagenets Although Norman influence continued for centuries, Norman rule ended in 1154 when Henry Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, came to the throne as Henry II. Henry founded the royal house of Plantagenet and established a record as one of England's ablest kings. Henry's concern with legal matters led him into direct conflict with the Church. When the archbishop's seat at Canterbury fell vacant, he appointed his friend Thomas Becket to the position, expecting Becket to go along with royal policy. Instead, Becket defied the king and appealed to the Pope. The Pope sided with Becket, provoking Henry to rage. Some of Henry's knights misunderstood the royal wrath. In 1170, four of them murdered Becket in his cathedral. Henry quickly condemned the crime and tried to atone for it by making a holy journey, or pilgrimage, to Becket's tomb. Thereafter, a pilgrimage to Becket's shrine at Canterbury became a common English means of showing religious devotion. The Magna Carta The next king, Richard I, spent most of his reign staging military expeditions overseas. His activities proved costly, and his successor, King John, inherited the debts. John tried to raise money by ordering new taxes on the barons. The barons resisted these measures, bringing England to the edge of civil war. To avert further trouble, King John at last agreed to certain of the barons' conditions by putting his seal to the Magna Carta (Latin for "Great Charter"). In this document, the king promised not to tax land without first meeting with the barons. The Magna Carta produced no radical changes in government. Yet many historians believe that the document's restrictions on royal power marked the beginning of constitutional government in England. The Lancasters (red), Yorks (white), and Tudors (war of the Roses) During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the house of Lancaster replaced the Plantagenets on the throne, only to be replaced in turn by the house of York. The Lancastrian kings were Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI, all of whom later became central figures in the historical dramas of Shakespeare. The Decline of the Feudal System After the great plague, called the Black Death, swept across England in 1348 and 1349, a massive labor shortage increased the value of a peasant's work. Landowners began paying their farmers in cash, giving these workers a greater sense of freedom. Along with freedom went frustration, as peasants began to complain about discriminatory laws and heavy taxation. Finally, in 1381, peasants in southern England staged a revolt, demanding an end to serfdom. Although the revolt was crushed, many of its causes continued, and so did the peasants' discontent.
The conflicts known as the Wars of the Roses began in 1453, pitting the house of York against the house of Lancaster. Eventually, Henry Tudor, a distant cousin and supporter of the Lancastrian kings, led a rebellion against the un- popular Yorkist king Richard III and killed him. Tudor, crowned Henry VII, later married Richard's niece, uniting the houses of York and Lancaster and ending the Wars of the Roses. Literature of the Period: Saxon Literature Anglo-Saxon literature began not with books, but with spoken verse and incantations. The reciting of poems often occurred on ceremonial occasions, such as the celebration of military victories. This early verse falls mainly into two categories: heroic poetry, recounting the achievements of warriors, and elegiac poetry, lamenting the deaths of loved ones and the loss of the past. The long poem Beowulf is the most famous example of heroic poetry, and a famous elegiac poem is "The Wanderer." Beowulf is an epic-a long heroic poem. It tells the story of a great pagan warrior renowned for his courage, strength, and dignity.because it is the first such work composed in the English language, it is considered the national epic of England. Before the reign of Alfred the Great, all important prose written in the British Isles was composed in Latin. The monks who transcribed these works regarded the vernacular, the language of the common people, as a "vulgar tongue." The greatest of England's Latin scholars was the Venerable Bede, whose A History of the English Church and People gives an account of England from the Roman invasion to his own time (673-735). Another great work of prose from this time is The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, the name given to a group of historical journals written and com- piled in monasteries. Unlike Bede's History, these records were written in Old English. Literature of the English Middle Ages Lyric poems of this period fall into two major categories-secular and religious. The usual topics of secular poetry are love and nature. Another popular poetic form was the ballad, a folk song that told a story. One surviving series of ballads, for example, concerns the exploits of the legendary outlaw Robin Hood. During early Norman times, the Church of- ten sponsored plays as part of religious services. In time, these plays moved from the church to the churchyard and then to the marketplace. The earliest dramas were miracle plays, or mystery plays, that retold stories from the Bible or dealt with some aspect of the lives of saints. During the turbulent fifteenth century, a new kind of drama arose: the morality play. Morality plays depicted the life of an ordinary person and taught a moral lesson. An Emerging National Identity In 1454, a German silversmith, Johann Gutenberg, perfected a process of printing from movable type. Printing then spread rapidly throughout Europe, and, in 1476, William Caxton set up the first movable- type press in England. English literature no longer needed to be hand copied by church scribes. One of Caxton's first projects was the printing of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, a series of verse stories told by pilgrims on their way to the tomb of Thomas Becket. Chaucer wrote in Middle English, a language quite close to English as it is spoken today. After centuries of the ebb and flow of conquerors and their languages, the island of England had finally settled on a national identity of its own.
Final Reminder As we read Beowulf, we are in Denmark and Sweden, around 500 AD, before the move towards one king, Christianity, peace, and literacy.though we are in Denmark and Sweden, these tribal cultures (the Geats and the Scyldings) are much like those in early Anglo-Saxon England. Appendix: Epic - An epic poem is a long narrative centering around a single hero, presenting his or her adventures within a suitably heroic framework. An epic hero is usually a person of great strength, wit or skill whose adventures usually contribute to the development of a particular race or nation. Hero behavioral model whose actions and characteristic embodies the beliefs & values of a culture Elegy a solemn poem lyrical about death. It may mourn an individual or reflect on a serious or tragic theme such as the passing of beauty, courage, or even a way of life. Secular not bound by monastic restrictions (anything to do with religion), a person who is more worldly than spiritual Religious belief & reverence in a deity while concerning yourself with spiritual teachings Ballad - Form of short narrative folk song. Its distinctive style crystallized in Europe in the late Middle Ages as part of the oral tradition, and it has been preserved as a musical and literary form. The oral form has persisted as the folk ballad, and the written, literary ballad evolved from the oral tradition. The folk ballad typically tells a compact tale with deliberate starkness, using devices such as repetition to heighten effects. Caesura - a pause in a line of verse, often coinciding with a break between clauses or sentences. Lyric Poem a poem sung to music, expressing the observations & feelings of a single speaker. Kenning - A figurative, usually a metaphoric compound expression used in place of a name or noun, especially in Old English and Old Norse poetry; for example, storm of swords is a kenning for battle or whale s road for the ocean. Oral tradition - the passing on from one generation (and/or locality) to another of songs, chants, proverbs, and other verbal compositionsof cultural information within and between non-literate cultures; or the accumulated stock of works thus transmitted by word of mouth. Epic poems concerning the destiny of a society or summarizing its myths often begin as oral tradition and are later written down.