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12/1/16 Bell Ringer
What do you think the word “Anglo-Saxon” means?
When did the Roman Empire fall?
The Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Periods 449-1485
Julius Caesar conquered England and claimed it for Rome in 55 B.C.
When he sailed from France to England, He found the British Isles inhabited by– Britons—A Celtic people– Picts—A Pre-Celtic people– And Gaels—Another Celtic people in Ireland
The Britons had a thriving culture that included
Agriculture Trade with other Celtic neighbors overseas An oral tradition of literature and learning A priestly class called Druids
The Celts were an ancient people. They are mentioned in:
The Bible—The Galatians. books written by Roman historians. the slave rebellions led by Spartacus. Greek history. Julius Caesar’s Commentarii de bello
Galico
The Romans came to Britain and introduced its inhabitants to Cities The protection of the
Roman military Fine Roman roads Written scholarship And Christianity
Around A.D.449 Around A.D.449 Roman armies had to Roman armies had to
abandon Britain to abandon Britain to defend the city of defend the city of
Rome.Rome.
They left Britain to the invasion of Germanic peoples like Angles,
Saxons, Jutes and Frisians
The Anglo-Saxon Period 449-1066
The Britons--perhaps led by a Christian commander named
Arthur--fought a series of legendary battles against the
Anglo-Saxon invaders, but . . .
were driven to seek refuge in the northern and western areas of
the island: Scotland Wales Cornwall and in Britanny
– On the west coast of Continental Europe
The Germanic tribes The Germanic tribes organized themselves organized themselves into a confederation of into a confederation of
kingdoms like . . .kingdoms like . . .
Kent, Sussex, Essex, Wessex, East Anglia,
Mercia, and Northumbria.
The Area of Germanic settlement became known as
Angle-land, or England
The Anglo-Saxons The Anglo-Saxons were seafaring pagan were seafaring pagan
wanderers whose lives wanderers whose lives were . . .were . . .
bleak,violent and
short.
At this time the Germanic societies had not yet adopted Christianity.
They revered the warrior culture People gathered in mead halls to
– celebrate– Feast– Drink mead– And to listen to tales of heroic achievements
as told by poet singers called scops.
Life on an Anglo-Saxon farm was tough. All the family had to help out - men, women and children.
Men cut down trees to clear land for ploughing and to sow crops. – Farmers used oxen to pull ploughs up and down long strip fields. – Children with dogs herded cattle and sheep. They also kept a
lookout for wolves - which still lived in Britain at this time. The Anglo-Saxons were great craftsmen too.
– Metalworkers made iron tools, knives and swords. – Woodworkers made wooden bowls, furniture, carts and wheels. – Potters made pottery from clay. – Jewelers made beautiful brooches, beads and ornaments from gold,
gemstones and glass. The Anglo-Saxons had armies too. But their soldiers didn't
fight all the time. After a battle they went home as soon as they could and looked after their animals and crops.
Anglo-Saxon Laws The Anglo-Saxons didn't have prisons. People found
guilty of crimes were either executed or punished with fines.
If they ran away, they became 'outlaws' (outside the law), and anyone could hunt them down - unless they hid in a church. The fine for breaking into someone's home was five shillings (25p), paid to the home-owner. For minor crimes like stealing, a nose or a hand might be cut off.
The Saxons had a system called 'weregild', which meant that if you injured someone, you had to pay for the damage!
If a person killed someone, they paid money to the dead person's relatives. The idea was to stop long fights or 'blood feuds' between families by making them pay money instead.
Anglo-Saxons settled in the land and became. . .
An agricultural people Less violent, More secure, More civilized, and Christian
Thus, one of the most important civilizing forces in British history was Christianity.
Christianity spread Christianity spread when St. Patrick when St. Patrick
converted the Gaelsconverted the GaelsWho went to Scotland
and then south, throughout all Britain
as missionaries, transforming the
culture.
Monasteries were important centers of learning, where
•scribes laboriously copied manuscripts by hand.•the spread of Christianity was accompanied by the spread of literacy.
Christianity spread so Christianity spread so rapidly that by 690 all rapidly that by 690 all of Britain was at least of Britain was at least nominally Christian.nominally Christian.
But there were two new threats in the
horizon.
The Danes in the east and the Moslems (Muslims) in the south
In the 790’s, the Danes invaded northern and eastern England
The Danes, who were also known as Vikings Norsemen (“north men” in France) or Normans (Danes who adopted French
ways) Settled in northern and eastern England and
in Normandy on the coast of France, and became Christians.
Though the Danes were Though the Danes were successful in northern successful in northern and eastern England,and eastern England,
they were defeated in 878 by Alfred the Great, who forced them
to agree to a truce in 886, and accept
Christianity
The Great Anglo-Saxon Leaders http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z9tdq6f
Anglo-Saxon Reading & Questions
Read the article on the Anglo-Saxons and answer the questions on the back.