The Anglo-Saxons and the Island of Britain: Conquest a go-go 449 – 1066 AD HONORS*Ms. FB * aligned with CC

Who were the Celts ?until . Britain home to several Celtic tribes Called “Britons” Settled in British Isles BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Greek travelers to Britain in 4th century encountered tall, blond warriors who called themselves Celts. British Isles= England, Scotland, Wales

AD 43- Enter the Romans Romans force Celts to move north or become slaves Romans build walls, villas, baths, roads Introduce Christianity Romans conquer Celts

AD 409 Romans evacuate troops Britain left vulnerable to attack Central government breaks down Rome is being destroyed, so the Roman troops are pulled out of the area. Celts/Britons are now alone and vulnerable to attack from Scottish and Irish tribes…so they ask for help

So, what happens when someone is vulnerable? Do they get some help? The Angles, Saxons and Jutes (on the next slide) see this as opportunity knocking---this is a chance to take over the Celtic land formerly occupied by the Romans…so they do….

The Anglo-Saxon Invasion Jutes Angles Saxons Celts/Romans QUESTIONS Which three tribes are known as the Anglo-Saxons? [Angles, Saxons, and Jutes] Where did they come from? [northern Germany, Denmark, and northern Holland] How did they get to Britain? [They rowed across the North Sea in wooden boats.] BACKGROUND The Angles, Saxons and Jutes were actually mercenaries hired to help protect a dude named Vortigern ( ruled the south) ‘s land. But, like a lot of mercenaries, the ASJ turn on him and decide to keep some towns for themselves, gradually pushing Britons to the Western part of the land. A.D. 449 The Anglo-Saxons push the Celts into the far west of the country

England= “land of the Angles”

Anglo-Saxon life Small tribal kingdoms No written language Farming/hunting polytheistic

Warfare is a way of life. Values: Strength Generosity Loyalty The picture shows Thunor, aid to warriors in battle. This is one of the pagan gods worshipped in this polytheistic society. Another was Tir, god of glory and honor.

Comitatus – the principle that banded Anglo-Saxon society together “playground bully” BACKGROUND: Anglo-Saxon king was an absolute ruler and mighty warrior. Groups formed around the strongest warrior Whoever won the most glory in battle was followed as leader men were free to follow who they wanted, so in a way, this society was democratic The Anglo-Saxons had a two-class society: the thanes, or earls, who ruled and were related to the leader of the tribe; and the churls, or bondservants, whose ancestors had been captured by the tribe. Churls provided hard labor and were bound to the earls’ service unless they could earn possessions and special royal favor to become freemen (independent landholders). .

More comitatus commentary Thanes Wergild Loyalty, valor and bravery= trust and treasure   Warriors, called thanes, or followers of the king defended their leader at all costs COMITATUS binds a thane to his leader– mutual tie of faithfulness and loyalty. A warrior’s faithfulness, valor and bravery is rewarded with leader’s trust and treasure In the event of a king’s death, thanes were obligated to take revenge either in blood or in wergild a warrior must defend his lord to the death—a true thane would choose death over disloyalty: dishonor is a fate worse than death   Wergild – Literally translates to “man payment.” It was an institution meant to cut down on revenge killings – I kill your brother, you kill me, my brother kills you, your dad kills my brother, etc. Wergild was a sum of money you gave a family as consolation for killing a member of that family.

Wyrd to your mother! Que sera, sera? YOLO? Only the good die young? Wyrd – What happens will happen regardless of what we do – every battle is fought knowing that outcome is pre-determined. This is the Anglo-Saxon belief in fate, that everything that happens is predetermined. Beowulf speaks very matter-of-fact about his death, as he always recognizes that in any situation, if it’s going to happen, then there’s nothing he can do about it. Anglo-Saxons did NOT believe in an afterlife

For Anglo-Saxons, Immortality was… achieved through deeds bravest strongest kindest most intelligent

The Anglo-Saxon bards: Immortality through song Scops BACKGROUND Bard- poet Men called scops strummed harps as they sang songs of heroic deeds; were often old warriors The more courageous you were, the longer your song would be sung – the more famous it (and you) would be So immortality achieved through your deeds during your life. The literature of the Anglo-Saxons was handed down orally by scops who sang in the lords’ mead halls, where warriors gathered to celebrate the events of the day. The word wyrd was used by the Anglo-Saxons to represent one’s fate in life. The early Anglo-Saxons did not believe strongly in an afterlife; they believed that immortality, or lof—fame that survives death—could be earned through heroic action. Beowulf was one of these “songs” sung, and wasn’t written down until around 700 AD

What was important: bravery loyalty generosity friendship Remember this when we get to Middle Ages

Around A.D. 400: Christianity comes to town Christian monks settle in Britain Christianity and Anglo-Saxon culture co-exist By A.D. 699 British pagan religions replaced by Christianity Monasteries in England served as centers of learning just as they would in the Middle Ages. The monks preserved not only the Greek classics but also some of the great works of popular literature such as Beowulf, which was first written down around A.D. 700. Due to the Christian elements in the epic, scholars believe the poet who wrote down the version of Beowulf we have today was a monk. As the Anglo Saxons were happily battling among tribes away, The Pope sends missionaries to England to try to re-establish Christianity. By the end of the 7th century, most of the area had converted to Christianity. Latin became a common language.

English takes shape It’s around this time that English as a language is written down for the first time Known as Old English, a combination of: Celtic Latin Angle Saxon Old English vs middle English vs. Modern English

Times passes; more butts get kicked: 8th–9th centuries 871 Danish Vikings invade Britain Alfred, ruler of Wessex, manages to unite the rest of the English kingdoms against the invaders The Brits actually win! England is united as a single, Old English speaking country for the first time! BACKGROUND: The Danes were one of the fierce Viking peoples who crossed the North Sea in dragon-prowed ships. The Danes plundered and destroyed all in their path, eventually settling in northeast and central England. King Alfred (849–899) truly deserves the appellation “the great.” Not only did he help save Wessex and other kingdoms in England from the Danes, but he also helped create a cohesive English society from a collection of small, fractious kingdoms. In addition, he restored cities destroyed during invasions and revived interest in learning and in the English language. King Alfred is the only British monarch who is called “the great.”

1066- Battle of Hastings End of Anglo-Saxon period in literature  So you have several attacks by Vikings(also called Norse, Danes) . The English ask a nobleman named Edward for help; he is of both Anglo-Saxon and Norman descent. He says okay , they win and he becomes king. But in 1066, he dies. There’s a lot of hub-bub over who gets to be king (William as seen above) or Harold, both of whom we will talk about in the next unit of time. 1066- Battle of Hastings End of Anglo-Saxon period in literature 