The Anglo-Saxon Period (449-1066)

The Anglo-Saxon Period (449-1066)

By providing an overview of the major historical events of the Anglo-Saxon Period, the students are permitted to interpret the possible influences of

historical contexts on literary works.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND449-1066

Western Civilization and Western Thought

Grew out of three ancient civilizations:

1. Greeks – individual truth2. Romans – the state3. Hebrews – God above all

Each culture prevailed at different times.

Medieval period = Hebrew concept(God above all)

Renaissance = Greek concept(Individual

truth) 18th/19th/20th Centuries = Roman

concept(State above

all)

England Before the Anglo-Saxons

Stonehenge


Built between 3000 and 1500 BC

Was it a temple?

Celtic speakers arrived in England in about 900 BC


The Celts – 900 BC There were 3 groups - The first group called

themselves the Britons, and they inhabited what is now Britain.




- The second group were the Picts, and they settled in present day Scotland.




- The second group were the Picts, and they settled in present day Scotland.

- The third group were the Gaels, and they settled in present day Ireland.


The Celts – 900 BC Celtic groups spoke their own

languages, and these languages and cultures live on in modern times. Celtic languages are still the official languages of such countries as Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Brittany even to this day.


The Celts – 900 BC Celtic groups spoke their own languages,

and these languages and cultures live on in modern times. Celtic languages are still the official languages of such countries as Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Brittany even to this day.

These were thriving cultures by most standards of the day. They lived in closely tied clans. They were skilled in agriculture and metalwork and traded with their neighbors throughout the British Isles.


The Celts – 900 BC Their leaders were often Druids, who

were priests; however, the druids served also as judges and counselors


The Celts – 900 BC Their leaders were often Druids, who were

priests; however, the druids served also as judges and counselors

The Celtic clans had a long oral tradition of literature and learning which was preserved by The Druids. They preserved the people’s myths and legends by reciting long, heroic poems.


The Celts – 900 BC Their leaders were often Druids, who were

priests; however, the druids served also as judges and counselors

The Celtic clans had a long oral tradition of literature and learning which was preserved by The Druids. They preserved the people’s myths and legends by reciting long, heroic poems.

Celtic tales – Old King Cole and King Lear


The Romans: (55 BC – 407 AD) The next group to

invade England was the Romans.




They ruled for some 300 years.





They established roads and towns that served the island for centuries.





They established roads and towns that served the island for centuries.

They brought Christianity to the British Isles (England)


The Romans: (55 BC – 407 AD)Their rule ended because Italy and Rome were under attack from northern invaders. Basically, the troops were called home.


The Romans: (55 BC – 407 AD) Their rule ended because Italy and

Rome was under attack from northern invaders. Basically, the troops were called home.

The last troops left in 407 AD, and the stage was set for the Anglos and the Saxons to invade.

The Anglo-Saxons: (449 – 1066)

The invasion by the Anglo-Saxons of modern day England began in 449 AD, but actually takes place over several decades


The invasion by the Anglo-Saxons of modern day England began in 449 AD, but actually takes place over several decades

There were three major groups: the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes.


The Britons- perhaps led by a commander named Arthur- fought a series of legendary battles in a effort to stop the invasion.


The Britons- perhaps led by a commander named Arthur- fought a series of legendary battles in a effort to stop the invasion.

These efforts failed however and the Germanic Anglo-Saxon tribes organized themselves into a confederation of seven kingdoms call the Heptarchy.


In the early history of the Heptarchy, the Angles were dominate.



Their settlement or kingdom became known as Angle-land or England, and its people came to be called English.



Their settlement or kingdom became known as Angle-land or England, and its people came to be called English.

Because there were several different groups that began the invasion of Briton in 449, modern scholars employ the term Anglo-Saxon to refer to the people and culture of this period in English history.


Like all cultures, the Anglo-Saxons changed over time


Like all cultures, the Anglo-Saxons changed over time

Early on, they were seafaring wanderers whose lives were bleak, violent, and short


As they settled in their new land, however, the Anglo-Saxons became an agricultural people



Less violent, more secure, more civilized



Less violent, more secure, more civilized

One of the most important civilizing forces was the Christianity they began accepting late in the sixth century (500-599 AD)

The Anglo-Saxons (449-1066)

The Danish Invasions In the 790s a new group of invaders -

the Danes, also know as the Vikings, began to devastate the flourishing culture


The Danish Invasions In the 790s a new group of invaders - the

Danes, also know as the Vikings, began to devastate the flourishing culture

English king Alfred the Great was able to resist the first invasion. He was a strong proponent of learning and education. He oversaw the writing of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle which recorded early English life.


The Danish Invasions In the 790s a new group of invaders - the Danes,

also know as the Vikings, began to devastate the flourishing culture

English king Alfred the Great was able to resist the first invasion. He was a strong proponent of learning and education. He oversaw the writing of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle which recorded early English life.

He could not hold off subsequent invasions, however, and was forced to agree to a truce


The Norman Conquest By 1042, the Danes were out of

power, and Edward the Confessor was on the throne.

Edward died in 1066, and that year found the Normans overpower the Anglo-Saxons. This was their last defeat.

The Anglo-Saxons (449-1066): Hierarchy

1. King = he was expected to be generous to his loyal subjects

2. Earls/Thanes/Free Warriors = claimed kinship to founder of tries. They were expected to be LOYAL. The Witan = they were the King’s

council – the King made the final decisions


3. Freemen/Genlats = independent landowners

4. Churls = boundmen who trace ancestry to former captives of tribe; did the hard labor; worked for Earls; could move up to “freemen” with possessions & special royal favor


5. Slaves/Thralls

**Women were a subclass. They were viewed as only important for domestic duties.

The Anglo-Saxons (449-1066) What did they eat?

The Anglo-Saxons (449-1066) What did they eat? Along with their meal they would

often have mead. Mead is a drink made by fermenting honey.



What was their religion?



What was their religion? They came to Britain with their own

pagan beliefs.



What was their religion? They came to Britain with their own

pagan beliefs. They had a firm belief in fate (wyrd).

The Anglo-Saxons (449-1066) What did they eat? Along with their meal they would often have mead. Mead is a drink made by fermenting honey. What was their religion? They came to Britain with their own pagan beliefs. They had a firm belief in fate (wyrd).

The Church brought education and a written literature; monks often worked as scribes, recording and duplicating written work by hand.

Anglo-Saxons = What did they admire in their warriors

1. Good sportsmanship2. Endurance3. Loyalty to king4. Athletic prowess5. Bravery6. Respect for each other7. Action and fighting

The Anglo-Saxons = Religion

They came to Britain with their own pagan beliefs.

They had a firm belief in fate (wyrd). They worshiped ancient Germanic

gods like Tui, god of war and the sky; Woden, chief of the gods; and Fria, Woden’s wife and goddess of the home.

Sound familiar?

Tiu, Woden, and Fria today Tuesday Wednesday Friday

Where do we get the rest of our week’s names?

Something to consider… According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of

Needs, safety and shelter must be firmly established before more thoughtful ideas can take root. (A person cannot “skip” levels.) Therefore, religion was not important to the Anglo-Saxons until their primary needs were met.


Christianity had been introduced by the Romans, and the Celts were converted.

Irish monks helped establish a strong Christian hold on the island.

Scots were converted easily, and many monasteries were built in Scotland.


Roman cleric Saint Augustine arrives in 597.

Saint Augustine was able to convert King Ethelbert of Kent; this led to the kingdom being converted.


The Church promoted peace, and that helped unite the English people.

The Church also brought education and a written literature.

Monks often worked as scribes, recording and duplicating written work by hand.


Venerable Bede (673-735) = “The Father of English History”

He wrote A History of the English Church and People – the clearest account of early Anglo-Saxon times.

It is better never to begin a good work than, having

begun it, to stop.Bede, A History of the English

Church and People

Anglo-Saxon Literature Spread by scops who recited long epic

poems. These poems were either heroic or literary.

The verses were easy to memorize for many reasons

1 – They were lyrical. 2 – They had mid-line pauses, or

caesuras. 3 – They had alliterations, repeated

sounds.

Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon Poetry

Caesuras – pause in a line Alliteration joins the 2 parts of the

line Kennings – metaphorical phrases –

This is where they had their “stock epithet,” a work of phrase characterizing a person or thing.

Reading Poetry – in general Don’t stop at the end of a line, stop

at the punctuation mark. The end of the line has to do with the “beat” of the line; it has nothing to do with the “meaning” of the line. Reading to the punctuation mark is called enjambment.

Anglo-Saxon Literature Only about 30,000 lines of Anglo-

Saxon verse still exist. These lines are either heroic (recount achievement of a warrior) or elegiac (sorrowful laments) poetry.

Alfred the Great is credited for changing the course of British literature because he started having things written in English. (That would be Old English to us.)

Documents

The Anglo-Saxon Period (449-1066)