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The Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Periods 449-1485
By: Mr. Nathan J. Harmon
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Centuries of INVASION The Anglo-Saxon Period = The DARK AGES Violence!
Conflict! Barbarians! Serious: Hero epics Struggle Only the strong survive
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Early Britian 55b.c Ceasar claimed the British Isle
He left! Took off and left Britons, Picts, Gaels in peace 100 years later the Romans returned Britian became a Roman province Build: roads, cities, scholarship
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Early Britain (continued…)
“Romanized” Christianity Urban lifestyle Public baths Military Dependence Britians came to depend on Roman Government 5th Century Turns Roman left to deal with their own invaders
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Anglo-Saxons New settlers Germanic tribes Celtic Leader: Arthur
King Arthur? Fought the invading hordes Driven out to the west (Cornwall & Wales) and north (Scotland) New settlers Angle-Land England Anglo-Saxon culture became the base for English culture Old English: the gutteral sound of the people
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Vikings! 790’s: New Invaders from Denmark & Norway Crazy Men! Looting
Killing Burning villages Summer homes?
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Vikings !! (continued…) Preferred the winter in England than their homes, they set up camp The Danes! Met defeat by Alfred the Great (Anglo-Saxon) Alfie unified England Brought education, learning, and culture The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: a record of England
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The Norman Conquest Williams Response: Edward the Confessor
Descendant of Alfie, had no kids Promised the Crown French cousin William (so he claimed) Nobles and the Church Endorsed Earl Harold Williams Response: Norman Invasion! Harold died Battle of Hastings 1066 Christmas day 1066 William was crowned William the Conqueror
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Result The Norman Invasion ended the Anglo-Saxon dominance of Britain
New Nobles Out with the old The former Noble class of Anglo-Saxons sank into the peasant class
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Cultural Influences The Spread of Christianity Christianity Takes Hold
Invaders: Pagan, belief in “Wyrd” (fate) Strong hero worship: Strength against “evil” Christianity Takes Hold 300 A.D several missionaries were establiched Spread to Ireland/Scotland
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Christianity taking hold
597A.D Roman missionary Augustine enters Kent. Est. Canterbury Monastaries became centers of education, literacy, art, and social activity Spread rapidly By 690 A.D all of Britain was nominally Christian Though many held pagan traditions
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Venerable Bede Wrote: A history of the English Church and People
Vikings plundered monasteries, tried to destroy the culture Christianity endured
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Epic Tradition Oral art form As religion spread Early lit. style
Heroic deeds Mead Halls Poems performed by Scops History Sermon Pep talk Cultural pride Demonstrates behavior Oral art form As religion spread Education spread Writing spread Oral tradition died out Beowulf survives…
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The Medieval Period The Monarchy: William the Conqueror
New kind of King: Powerful, organized, intelligent Law and Order “any honest man could travel over the kingdom without injury with his bosom full of gold” Doomsday Book: a tax that recorded and taxed all property: lakes, livestock, etc. William’s death Power struggles Near anarchy Until…
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Williams great grandson
Henry Plantagenet= Henry II Reformed the judicial system Est. juries Formed common law His son: Richard I = Richard the Lion-hearted Ten-year reign fighting abroad Brother plotted against him “King John”: fought with nobles about rising taxes Forced to sign the magna carta which limited royal power
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War & Plague War was near constant The Hundred Years’ War
1337: England vs. France Black Death killed 1/3 of the pop. 1453: England lost almost all French holdings. Two Families fought for power York (white rose) Lancaster (red rose) War of the Roses
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The Tudors Wars of the Roses ended in 1485
Henry Tudor (Lancaster) killed Richard III (York) at Bosworth field Henry took the throne = Henry VII End of the Middle Ages
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Three Social Forces The Feudal System
Feudalism: political and Economic system (implemented by William the conqueror) King owns all ¼ for himself ¼ for the church The rest to the nobles Nobles gave land to knights Serfs= bound to land they didn’t own (Anglo-Saxons) Everyone paid upwards toward the king
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Three Social Forces (continued…)
The church Led by the Pope (in Rome) Huge powerhouse Levy taxes Laws Courts Keeping kings in line
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Three Social Forces Chivalry and Courtly Love
Medieval literature: created an idea of social conduct Chivalry: code of honor intended to guide knightly behavior Courtly Love: Relationship ideas between lords and ladies “the Art of Courtly Love” Marriage is no real excuse for not loving He who is jealous cannot love When made public, love rarely endures A new love puts an old one to flight Every lover regularly turns pale in the prescience of his beloved
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The Age of Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer: Father of English Literature
showed English as a literary language Wrote in the language of the time: middle English
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The Canterbury Tales Chaucer’s best known work Collection of tales
The Pilgrims characters tell stories They reflected English development such as: the serfs realizing their value (workforce), War with France re-est. English as a ruling class language
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Medieval Romance Adventure! King Arthur and Excalibur
Legendary Hero: King Arthur Artorius Britain of roman influence King Arthur to Wales as Beowulf to Anglo-Saxon Geoffrey of Monmouth: produced welsh tales that caught the interest of the French , German, English alike
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King Arthur: Artorius Inspired German, English, French to create their own versions of King Arthur and the Round Table Made chivalry something to aspire to in English courts Feats, Battles, Ideals Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Death of Arthur Retold the legendary King’s end in, printed weeks before the final battle of the War of Roses: the last battle fought with knights in armor
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