Britain After The Romans AD

“When Angles and Saxons came hither from the east, Sought Britain over the broad-spreading sea, Haughty war-smiths overcame the Britons, Valiant earls got for themselves a home.” From The Anglo Saxon Chronicle

Five Distinct Cultures The period between the departure of the Romans (407 AD) and the coming of the Vikings (ca. 800AD) was marked by the interaction of five distinct cultures. Anglo-Saxon ( from the Baltic shores of Germany), British, Pictish, Irish and Jute (from the peninsula of Jutland in modern day Denmark) At the beginning of this period (407 AD) The dominant culture of this period was British (i.e. Roman) and the least important was the Germanic/Anglo-Saxon By 800AD this had been completely reversed and the Anglo-Saxons controlled much of the east and south-east, and Irish culture was dominant in the north, west and the eastern part of Scotland (among the Picts). British Culture had all but been wiped out, the only place it survived is the area of north west France which came to be called Brittany (‘little Britain’)

The Venerable Bede What we know of these centuries we know from the writings of the Venerable Bede (ca ) Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (A History of the English Church and People) A church history – concerned itself with the Christianisation of England and the establishment of the church of Rome. Bede was a ‘Modern’ historian. Employed the term Anglorum, so Bede saw ‘the English’ as a nation rather than a tribe – a new concept. Writing from the perspective of the dominant culture – Anglo-Saxon, Christian and Latin. Need to take this into account. However, the best source we have for this time.

Anglo-Saxon Culture Fishermen, farmers and marauders. Sought and won land so as to escape the nature of theirs. Highly organised tribal system Each tribe ruled by a king. Four classes: Earls, freemen, serfs and slaves. Reintroduced paganism to Britain. Worshipped ancient German Gods such as Woden and Thunor. Eventually these gods succumbed to Christianity but still with us e.g. days of the week. Anglo-Saxons had a strong cultural relationship with the Irish – common values in poetry, fighting and farming Antagonistic toward British culture. Christian vs. pagan and coloniser vs. colonised. Offa's Dyke a sign of this

British Culture Anglo-Saxons advanced – British culture in decline British suffered military losses and retreated to Cornwall and Wales – the peripheries. Some Britons went to Ireland where they formed a distinctive group named the Scots (after the Latin, Scotia, the name given by the Romans to Ireland). This group migrated back to Britain, eventually settling in what is now Scotland. A culture in retreat often seeks compensation in the story of a warrior who will throw off the yoke of the oppressor. For many Britons this was King Arthur (although the myth was not popularised until the 12 th century by Geoffrey of Monmouth)

Irish Culture Golden period Irish culture expanded into Scotland, Wales and continental Europe. Irish Christianity assimilated elements of paganism such as polygamy and ‘cursing one’s enemies’ Tribal system declined to be replaced by two kingdoms – in the north and the south. By the sixth century Ireland was by and large Christianised thanks to St. Patrick and other missionaries. This missionary zeal was so great that by the end of this period nearly all of the British Isles had adopted the religion. Irish missionaries were at the forefront of this.

Pictish Culture Unknown quantity Whereas the Anglo-Saxons had Bede, the British had the oral and the written word, as did the Irish - all we know about the Picts comes from archaeological digs. What we do know is that they had wealth (silver), they has access to Irish and Anglo-Saxon culture, they were Christianised, they accepted the Roman (eventually) rather than the Celtic dating of Easter and they used Roman architecture to build their churches. …and that is all we know of them.

Christianity: The Post-Roman Power AD Not only were the Irish sending Christianizing missionaries, but the Roman church also, as it had recovered from the disasters of the Roman Empire. In 597 AD, Augustine arrived in south-east England and set about converting the pagan Anglo-Saxons. By 650, Augustine had succeeded in converting most of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to Christianity and so the stage was set for the later conflict between the Roman and Celtic strands of Christianity. Why did they agree to be converted? Christianity, perhaps owing in part to its association with the power of Rome, seemed more attractive than paganism. Literacy was also associated with Rome and therefore was more desirable. Christianity had many influences on the Anglo-Saxons. It softened the ferocity of the warrior people. It ‘improved’ their behavior. Taking revenge on those who you believed had wronged you became less important, whereas calling upon a higher law (that of God) became more important. Society became more peaceful. Thus was all well and good in times of peace but when the Vikings arrived, the peaceful society created by Christianity didn’t stand a chance…..