Background Notes

Early “English” History (>100BCE-400) Prior to 100 BCE this island was inhabited by the Briton (native tribes), Celtic, and Pict tribes. 55 BCE – Roman invasion (JC) – fully conquered by 43 BCE – area called the Britannia Province. Britons, Celts, and Picts pushed west and north 407 – Roman empire starts to weaken – Britons, Celts, Picts fill the void; however, other invaders sense an opportunity

Anglo-Saxon Invasion 456 – The Jutes (northern Denmark) invade Kent (southeast Britain) 476 – Fall of the Roman Empire 477 – Saxons and Angles (Germanic tribes) invade Britain By 600 there are 7 kingdoms Britain is divided into: Jutes: Kent Saxons: Wessex, Sussex, Essex Angles: East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria

Anglo-Saxon Britain The Angles start calling Britain “Angle-land” – this eventually becomes “England”

Anglo-Saxon Period ( ) The invasion is immense – roughly 200,000 people flood into a country of about 2 million. The Anglo-Saxons bring their own language and rename much of the country. In terms of religion, pre-600 the Anglo- Saxons were classified as Germanic Paganism (Woden, Odin, Tiw, Thor). 600 – Pope Gregory sends St. Augustine to England to convert them to Roman Catholicism. The town of Canterbury in Kent becomes the religious center – St. Augustine is the first Archbishop of Canterbury.

Anglo-Saxon Period The language of the Anglo-Saxons is Old English Here are the first few lines of Beowulf in Old English: cES7MMd8

Anglo-Saxon Traits Loyalty to king/Loyalty to clan (Comitatus) Hospitality Code Warrior culture / BRAVERY/Courage Differing worth of individuals in society (young men the best) Wanted the scops to sing your song Fame is good / Boasting is good Over-the-top compliments show respect No afterlife Fate

Anglo - Saxons Vs. Vikings – Anglo-Saxons subjected to Viking attacks – many were hit- and-run raids, but some resulted in a more permanent settlements. This served to bring some unity to the Angles and Saxons – Alfred known as a unifying King (886) Alfred the Great Unites England English is the main language (not Latin)

Anglo - Saxons Vs. Vikings Anglo-Saxon and Viking Kings until… 1066 – Battle of Hastings – end of the Anglo-Saxon period Invasion by William, Duke of Normandy Holla! King Arthur’s coming back {more on this later…) Horrible Histories Review: =m-YIqBtvr_4 =m-YIqBtvr_4

Beowulf : An overview Earliest major work of English poetry Based on events in 6 th century Scandinavia (southern Sweden and Denmark) Shared orally by scops in Anglo-Saxon Old English Written down between the 8 th and 11 th centuries by English monks.

Beowulf : Religious Influence Germanic tribes (Anglo-Saxon) – pagan (500’s) Odin/Woden Tale told orally by scops Scop offered the closest thing to an afterlife Probably written and preserved by a monk (700’s-1000’s) Christian influence Thanks?

Beowulf = Epic Poem EPIC: long poem Invocation (address the muse) “Listen” Repetitions and Catalogues Stock phrases/Epithets Supernatural Intervention Affects the whole nation Epic Boasting Legendary hero

Beowulf : Poetics Alliteration: Repetition of stressed sounds – particularly consonants from the beginning of words or syllables. Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum, þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon, hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon. Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum, monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah, egsode eorlas. Syððan ærest wearð feasceaft funden, he þæs frofre gebad, weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah, oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra

Beowulf : Poetics Compounding: The combining of two words to make a new word. (baseball, folktale, spacesuit) Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum, þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon, Gardena (gar = spear, dena = Danes) = Spear-Danes Other examples from Beowulf include mead-benches, boy- child, and hall-troops

Beowulf : Poetics Kenning: Special form of compounding that is metaphoric in meaning. The name Beowulf itself is a compound of beo (bee) and wulf (hunter), creating the kenning Bee- wolf, a metaphorical description of a bear. ofer hronrad hyran scolde, gomban gyldan. þæt wæs god cyning! hronrad is a compound of hron (whale) and rad (road). The “whale’s road” is a metaphor for the sea, therefore it is a kenning.

Beowulf in modern culture

Short Timeline of Early English History: Normans 1066: William, Duke of Normandy (descendants of Vikings invading France in 9 th Century) claims Edward’s throne due to reputed promise and family ties– wins throne at Battle of Hastings Over next 5 years: William suppresses Anglo- Saxon nobility, spreading feudalism 1154: Norman rule ends when Henry, Count of Anjou, establishes House of Plantagenet

Short Timeline of Early English History: Plantagenets, Lancasters, Yorks, Oh My 1170: Four of Henry II’s knights kill Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, because of a disagreement between Henry and Thomas. Henry atones by making pilgrimage to Henry’s tomb at Canterbury 1215: King John signs Magna Carta to ease strife with barons over raised taxes- first English constitutional gov’t 1399: House of Lancaster replaces House of Plantagenet (Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI) : War of the Roses- Lancaster v. York War ends when Yorkist Henry VII defeats Richard the III and marries Richard’s niece, uniting the two families 14 th Century- Feudalism on the decline

Sources axheight=200&mode=fit&maxwidth= Schama, Simon. A History of Britain. Hyperion, New York: 2000.