1. Anglo-Saxons Life

2. Goals for Lesson 1 In this lesson, we will learn about the historical and social forces that shaped the Anglo- Saxon era. We will learn about the everyday life of the Anglo-Saxons.

3. Lord/King  Read pages 8-16 of Holt, Rinehart, and Winston’s Literature of Britain before you continue.  I will point out some key highlights that you will need to remember for later.

4. The Angles and Saxons  Coming across the North Sea, the Angles and Saxons came from Germany to invade Britain.  The language of the Angles became the dominant, and predecessor, language of modern English.  The resident Celtics resisted the invasion. One Celtic leader was King Arthur.

5. The Age of Warriors  Anglo-Saxon society developed from the kinship of groups. Their leader was known as a lord or king.  Loyalty to the lord was the most important trait of a warrior.  Lords and their warriors were bound to each other until death.  If the lord were killed, the warriors were bound to revenge his death.

6. Rewards of Loyalty  The warriors, called thanes and ceorls, were rewarded for their bravery and loyalty with treasures (guerdon) of jewelry, weapons, and land. This loyalty also provided a close-knit community living in small villages. The lord/king had his own responsibilities. Click on the link to see. responsibilities

7. It’s a Woman’s Life  With all the fighting, you would think that women would have no place. Women actually held personal property and land, even after marriage.  Women joined religious communities.  Women also had chores of gardening, food preparation, and clothing manufacturing. What did they eat? food preparation food preparation

8. The Village  The strong sense of loyalty encouraged village life. To read more about the village, click on the illustrations and read what is written. village

9. Religious Life  Many of the Anglo-Saxon gods were brought from Germany and closely connected to Scandinavian mythology.  The most important was Woden, god of poetry and death.  Another important god was Thunor, god of thunder and lightning.  One important figure was the dragon who protected treasure.

10. Enter Christianity  Christianity entered the Anglo-Saxon world with missionaries.  Early missionaries arrived by 432 AD.  King Ethelbert was converted to Christianity in 597 AD.  One interesting note about the religious beliefs of the Anglo- Saxons is that their religion was whatever the king said it was.

11. The Bard  The communal hall (called a meadhall) was the place for meals, security, meetings, and entertainment.  The bard, or scop, had the job of musician/storyteller  The scop was held in high esteem. His job was as important as the warriors.  How did they do it? What musical instruments did they use?  Click on this link to find out. link

12. What else did they do for fun?  The Anglo-Saxons had many pastimes.  Some of their games and sports are similar to our own today. gamessportsgamessports  Click on the links above. Read what the site says about these two topics. Make a note about the ones that are similar to modern games and sports.  Click on this link to go to the worksheet. worksheet