1. Who Were The Anglo Saxons?
A Quick History of England Before 800 BC AD

2. Modern Great Britain = Island comprising of England, Scotland, and Wales
Modern United Kingdom = Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and several smaller islands (British Isles)
Six groups make up the English: Iberians, Celtics, Romans, Anglo Saxons, Vikings, and Normans

3. Iberians (Before 800 BC)
Came from the Iberian Peninsula (present-day Portugal and Spain)

4. Celtics (b/w BC)
2 groups of Celtics: Brythons (Britons) and Gaets
Brythons occupied the main island, Britain
Gaets occupied smaller island, Ireland
Druids acted as priests, judges, historians, etc.
Ultimate leaders
Highly respected
Mistletoe

5. Roman Conquest (55 & 54 BC)
Julius Caesar made a hasty claim of conquest
Then he was off to write his memoirs
But while he was gone….spread nasty rumors about the Druids
Why did everyone believe him?

6. Roman Round Two (100 years later )
Claudius came and maintained rule for about 300 years
Brought roads (still used today) and a great defensive wall seventy-three miles long
Brought Christianity
Old Celtic religion began to vanish
Then they left….
Troops left
Country without a leader/divided
What now? What would happen if I suddenly left?
Invasion from the north

7. Angles/Saxons/Jutes: 449 AD and before
Invasion from the north
Angles and Saxons from Germany
Jutes from Denmark
Took charge and pushed the Celtics into Whales

8. Angles/Saxons/Jutes: 449 AD and before
When Anglo Saxons first show up, lots of different kingdoms with different kings
Ex: Mountain King looks down at Lake King and wants the lake. They fight for the lake, and so forth…keeps going….
Eventually, 7 kingdoms (HEPTARCHY)
Kent
Northumbria
Wessex
Merica
Sussex
Essex
East Anglia

9. Anglo Saxons cont’d About the people: Other gods
Believe in “Wyrd” aka God of Fate
Ex: Farmers need it to rain right now and it rains, “Dude, that’s so weird.”
Today’s weird: “coincidence”
Witan: council of elders, chose leader, highly respected
Woman had more rights during Anglo Saxon period than after the Norman Conquest in 1066
Other gods
God of War & the Sky: Tiu (too) …..Tuesday
Woden (God of War)….Woden’s Day…..Wednesday
Woden had a wife named Fria……Friday
Thor (God of Thunder)….Thursday
Sun & Moon = Sunday & Monday
Saturn (Roman god)….Saturday

10. Christianity vs. Paganism (450-650 AD)
Christian Irish monks returned to the north to spread Christianity and Roman Christians came from the South
By 650 AD Christianity was the main religion (conversion of the various Anglo-Saxon kings)
B/c of Christianity men treated their wives, children, and slaves better
Warlords couldn’t claim they were descended from the gods
Woman were given an active role in the church
Church brought education and literature
Despite influence of Christianity, the old Anglo-Saxon religion with its warrior gods persisted
Beowulf: mentions both—reflects the time
-warlords can’t claim they are descended from the gods
-this used to make them bada**
-before woman were supposed to do everything to please their man, but now women are put on a pedistool
& some became powerful abbesses (in charge of large nunneries and monasteries)

11. Vikings (b/w 9th & 12th centuries)
Scandinavians (Vikings) started coming in and conquering everything
Why were they so good at this?
Tiny boats that could sail all the way to the middle of the country to farms---didn’t just land on the coast
Had no interest in sharing land or slaves
Destroyed everything

12. Wessex held strong! Only kingdom to hold off Vikings
Ruled by Alfred the Great (Anglo-Saxon)
Pushed learning and literacy
Unified England
Instituted the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (A lengthy running history of England. Gave England respect)
Rebuilt destroyed cities
Vikings wanted Wessex!
Told Alfred to choose a Viking king or we come back and kill you

13. Normans (1042)
Line of Alfred the Great regained the throne under Edward the Confessor
Norman on Mother’s side
Close cousin to William of Normandy (William the Conqueror)
Death led to the Norman conquest of England in 1066
Battle of Hastings