1. The Anglo-Saxon Period 449-1066AD

2. Time Period: Anglo-Saxon Key Ideas of Period Heroic qualities Community – Communal Hall & Loyalty Poets (Scops) & Monks Religious aspects Christian vs. Pagan Wyrd=fate Aggressive society

3. Important dates… 300s: Celts rule England c. 449: Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invade Britain 597: King Ethelbert converted to Christianity at Canterbury 793: Vikings come 1066: William the Conqueror becomes English king

4. Heroic Qualities The Britons were highly influenced by the Celtic legends. Celtic legends valued bravery, loyalty, dedication to the king/queen, & fame/success in battle. Heroes have fabulous adventures that are remembered and retold forever (think King Arthur).

5. Heroic Qualities Comitatus – heroic ideal - A code of loyalty adopted by the warriors in a clan; loyalty, honor & respect to their lord and to one another. Blood vengeance – fight to the death; avenge leader or die trying.

6. Community – Communal Hall & Loyalty War with other clans (starting/defending against) took up most of their time. Law and order were important to keeping one’s clan alive. Because of the constant fighting between clans & the hardships of living in the wilderness, clan loyalty was valued above all else. The Leader (king, ruler, father-figure) was responsible for everyone’s safety.

7. Community – Communal Hall & Loyalty Success was measured by how loyal a warrior was to his lord. Clan members tended to live in small homes which were situated around a large communal hall where everyone could gather for shelter/protection, meetings, and entertainment.

8. Poets/Scops (pronounced SHops) & Monks Poets or scops were valued as equals to warriors because of their ability to immortalize warriors and heroes in their songs/poetry. During this time period, poets can be thought of oral historians who sang of the great accomplishments of their clans’ heroes and gods.

9. Poets/Scops (pronounced SHops) & Monks Monks later preserved these stories in history by writing down these oral stories that had been passed down from generation to generation. Monks recorded these stories in Old English (the Germanic language of the Angles & Saxons), thus preserving the original language of the people.

10. Religious Aspects – Pagan vs. Christian Dual Authorship Beowulf PaganismChristianity Absence of Christianity God AnimismChrist-like figure Worship of Natural or SpiritualBiblical Stories Fate/WyrdPresence of Hell

11. Religious Aspects – Pagan vs. Christian Animism – “Spirit”; original, celtic religion Animism led to Anglo-Saxon traditions and a fatalistic (meaning no afterlife) view of the world. Examples of A-S gods: Woden – helped people communicate with other gods (Woden’s Day=Wednesday); Thor – god of thunder & lightening (Thor’s Day=Thursday) “Wyrd” (fate) was believed to guide in all things. At the same time, Christianity was spreading and would later unify the Anglo-Saxons.

12. Aggressive Society Absence of Roman control led to many kings/lords all attempting to control Britain. Angles & Saxons from Germany, & Jutes from Denmark come to Britain in hopes of conquering for themselves. In order to maintain a clan’s land, warriors and lords must constantly defend against and attack other clans to establish dominance.

13. Aggressive Society King Alfred of Wessex led the Angles & Saxons against the Jutes (Danes), unifying those clans. “Angle-land” became England. In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy invaded, and finally unified the country under one king.