THE BRITISH ISLES
GEOGRAPHY Rugged and rocky terrain, cold windy & rainy South parts subdued by Rome but never conquered all of Britain
Anglo-Saxons Local tribe invites the Germanic Saxons to come as mercenaries to help them deal with the incursions of the Picts Angles + Saxons = Anglo-Saxons England = Angle Land (latin) The Anglo-Saxons like it there and invade Britain and begin to settle permanently in modern-day England The local Britons flee the invaders to modern day Wales and Scotland
THESE POOR BRITONS ARE BEING PUSHED FROM THEIR HOME LANDS…WHO WILL STAND FOR THEM AND FIGHT?
KING ARTHUR
MYTH OR LEGEND?
KING ARTHUR No idea where he fits into history or who he was Best guess – somewhere between 400 – 1000 AD Narrowed it down to 1 of potentially 4 people. BEST GUESS: Ambrosius Aurelianus Great military Commander of Britian Second son of Constantine
SAXON BRITIAN Separated into 7 Kingdoms Northumbria East Anglia Mercia Essex Kent Sussex Wessex
ORGANIZATION Each Kingdom had a King (obviously) and a group of military aristocrats as advisors King of the Kings = was the king of the lead kingdom and was called the bretwalda 500s – Kings from Kent led 600s – Kings from Northumbria led (York) 700s – Kings from Mercia
CONVERSION 500s – Roman Catholic Church attempts conversion of the Anglo-Saxon Kings, it begins a trickle down effect 600s – Missionaries from Ireland & Wales joined to spread Christianity to the North
HOW DO WE KNOW ALL THIS? THE VENERABLE BEDE Greatest scholar of his time Monk at a monastery in Jarrow Mastered math, astronomy, and music Wrote a history on the conversion of the English to Christianity
ORGANIZATION Government was organized like so: Lands divided into units called “Hundreds” or Burroughs” Those were grouped into larger areas called “Shires” Which were governed by Sheriffs.
TIMELINE THE VIKINGS INVADE The Anglo-Saxon kings often went to war with each other to be the “bretwalda” or the Lead King In 700AD that changed when…. THE VIKINGS INVADE