1. Anglo-Saxons

2. Timeline for Early Middle Ages, 500-1000
Germanic Invasions:
Fall of Western Empire: 476
Christianization of Barbarians
Goths by 300s
Franks by 500s
Most Celts by 600s
Anglo-Saxons by 700s
Saxons by 900s
Scandinavians by 1000s

3. What was the most significant impact of the barbarians’ conversion?
Increased Literacy
Political Unification
Saving their souls
Increasing the power of the Bishop of Rome
Something Else

4. Christian Evangelism among the English 550-700 CE

5. Synod of Whitby - 664

6. Monastic scribes

7. Illuminated Manuscript: Lion from the Book of Durrow c. 700

8. Lindisfarne Gospels c. 700
Cross page from the Lindisfarne Gospels, British Museum

9. Book of Kells c. 800 Artistic Revival

10. Illuminated Manuscript: The Book of Kells c. 800 CE

11. Codex Amiatinus c. 700

12. How did Christianity promote unifying tendencies?
By strengthening kingship
By creating a sense of community through rituals
By preserving common stories that preserved a shared view of the past
By reinforcing a common sets of values
All of the above

13. Rituals & Processions Strengthened Collective Identity

14. Benedictine Monasticism included communal prayer

15. The beating of the bounds was a medieval ritual that survived the Protestant Reformation

16. St. John’s Eve Bonfire

17. How did stories of saints promoted fusion between Christian and Barbarian Cultures

18. Hagiography promoted shared vales Faith = Loyalty to God

19. Hope = Bravery St. Boniface converts the continental Saxons c. 720

20. Charity=Hospitality St. Martin of Tours 316-397 CE

21. Archbishop Turpin in Song of Roland

22. The Anglo-Saxons c

23. Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms c. 700

24. When Augustine’s scribes wrote the Laws of Aethelberht c
When Augustine’s scribes wrote the Laws of Aethelberht c. 600, the Anglo-Saxons had no one who could read them

25. Charters

26. Anglo-Saxon Charter

27. Chirograph

29. Tribal Hidage c. 700 Hwinca syfan þusend hyda. 7,000
Ciltern sætna feower þusend hyda. 4,000
Hendrica þryu þusend hyda ond fif hund hyda. 3,500
Unecungaga twelf hund hyda. 1,200
Arosætna syx hund hyda. 600
Bilmiga syx hund hyda. 600
Widerigga eac swa. 600
Eastwilla syx hund hyda 600
Westwilla syx hund hyda 600
East engle þrittig þusend hida 30,000
Eastsexena syofon þusend hyda 7,000
Cantwarena fiftene þusend hyda 15,000
Suþsexena syufan þusend hyda 7,000
Westsexena hund þusend hyda. 100,000

30. By 700 the English had some of the most accomplished scholars in Europe Codex Amiatinus c. 700

31. In the 700s the Venerable Bede was an Anglo-Saxon historian who wrote about the seventh-century conversion of his people.

33. Coins of Offa

34. Viking Invasion were a constant threat to the English from 793-1066

35. Viking Invasions of the British Isles actually encouraged political unification

36. Alfred the Great was both a scholar and a military commander r. 871-899

37. Guthrum’s Peace c. 886

38. The Burghal Clusters

39. Early Shire Structure approx. 30 shires. C. 950

40. Royal Writ

41. Edgar the Peaceful ruled all of modern England and some of Scotland and Wales r. 959-975

42. England survived invasions and inept kings, such as Aethelred the Unready r. 978-1016

43. Cnut was a Viking who ruled England from 1016 until 1035

44. The Norman Conquest

45. The Norman Conquest 1066

46. Long-term Trends Political unification
Development of Vernacular Literature
Conversion to Christianity
Cultural Fusion
Germanic & Christian
Tribal
Britons
Saxons
Danes
Normans

47. Anglo-Saxons Migrations Originally adamant pagans
begin from Continent in 5th century
initiate battles with Britons
Originally adamant pagans
Converted through domestic proselytization
Augustine of Canterbury arrives 597
Ethelbert of Kent and Queen Bertha
Establishment of Roman Christianity in Britain
eventual conflict with Irish Christianity

48. Christianity and Literacy
Clerical literati
Written legal codes
Ethelbert c. 600
Alfred c. 900
Written charters
Formal wills and writs

49. The Northumbrian Renaissance c.625- c.790
Illuminated Manuscripts
Intellectual revival
Bede
Alcuin
Conversion
Mercia
Continental Saxons, including Frisia
Composition of Beowulf?

50. Carolingian Revival Charlemagne’s collection of scholars
influence of Alcuin
establishment of schools
preservation of texts
improvement of writing
Reformation and standardization of Benedictine Rule
Resurgent neoplatonism
John Scotus
the Pseudo-Dionysius

51. Alfred the Great (849-99) Unification of Southern England
Establishment of Uniform Legal Code
Reinvigoration of Learning
Danish Invasions (793- c.900)
Danish cultural influence
Establishment of the Danelaw c. 900
Unification of Mercians and West Saxons
Danish rule ends 1042

52. English Society c. 1066 Political Unity and Administrative System
English Identity
Anglo-Saxon
Danish/Scandinavian
Thoroughly Christian
Uniform Currency
Established Vernacular Tradition

53. Summary
The conquests of the Franks, Anglo-Saxons, and Normans had an enduring impact on the formation of the political boundaries of Europe
Similarly the achievements of the Celtic Church during its golden age had an enduring impact on the spread of monasticism and the preservation of texts throughout Europe; ultimately, however, Celtic Christianity gradually receded as the papacy formed an enduring relationship with the Franks

54. Which factor was most important?
Viking invasions
Adoption of writing
Adoption of sacral kingship
Adoption of hierarchical structures
Luck of the Irish

55. Which English ruler figured prominently in this process?
King Offa in late 700s
King Alfred in late 800s
King Aethelred in late 900s
King Harold Harefoot in 1000s

56. Discuss Beowulf
What does the Beowulf poem tell us about the conversion of Germanic people?
How can the assigned articles help make sense of the poem?

57. What did Frank have to contribute to our understanding of the Beowulf poet?
He had no sense of history
He had no toleration for peasants
He had no toleration for pagans
All of the above
None of the above

58. What was Frank’s point in her article, assigned for today?
There is nothing natural about a sense of history
The Beowulf poet demonstrated a sense of history
The poet appreciated cultural diversity
The poet admired pagans
All of the above

59. How did Christianity unify Europe?
Identification of a common
belief in the nature of God and attainment of the afterlife
Heroes: martyrs and saints
enemies: non Christians or heretical Christians
ruler/leader: bishops; Christian kings and princes
history/mythology: the Bible provided a view of the distant past
God intervenes on behalf of his people
way of life - ethics, sexual mores, social relations
set of rituals - group activities that often reinforce or explain social relations