2 SECTION 1Celtic Ireland SECTION 2Christianity

3 Saint Columba Pope Gregory I Ethelbert Bede Alfred the Great People to Know shires sheriff king’s peace witenagemot witan Terms to Learn coraclesSaint Patrick British Isles Kent Wessex Daneland Places to Locate

4 Celtic Ireland When the Anglo-Saxons came, most of the Celts who lived in Britain fled to Ireland. Ireland became the major center of Celtic culture where clans of people farmed and raised cattle. Seafaring Irish made boats large enough to hold 30 people, called coracles, by stretching cow hides over a wooden frame. The Irish remained free of Germanic attacks because their island was located farther out in the Atlantic Ocean than Britain.

5 Celtic Ireland (cont.) Saint Patrick, who was born in Britain in the 400s A.D., founded the Irish Church. Ireland lost contact with Rome during the Germanic invasions of the Roman Empire. The monasteries became centers of Irish life. Church organization was weak, however, because of poor transportation and communication.

6 Saint Columba, one of the best-known monks, set up a monastery on Iona, an island off the west coast of Scotland.  Monks from Iona went to northern England to preach to the Anglo-Saxons; other went to northern Europe, where they built monasteries and churches.  They helped spread Christianity and learning throughout Charlemagne's empire. Celtic Ireland (cont.)

7 Christianity and Anglo-Saxon England Ireland was Christian, but the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Britain followed the Germanic religions. In 597 A.D., Pope Gregory I sent a mission of 41 monks from Rome to England under the leadership of Augustine to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity Ethelbert, the king of Kent, allowed Augustine to build a church in the town of Canterbury. One monk, Bede, was a great scholar and wrote the first history of the English people.

8 Alfred the Great About 835 A.D., bands of Danes began attacking the coast of England to make permanent settlements. The English kingdoms decided to resist the invaders. They chose Alfred, King of Wessex, who later became known as Alfred the Great, to resist the invaders. As Alfred was never strong enough to completely drive the Danes from England, he signed a treaty with them. Alfred had London rebuilt after destruction by the Danes.

9 The government of Anglo-Saxon England centered on the king who was elected by a council of lords. Since the central government was too weak to govern the whole country, the king set up local governments divided into districts called shires. Each shire was run by a sheriff, who was a local noble chosen by the king. The king and his household moved around; the area the royal household was in was under the king's peace, or royal protection. The Government

10 A group of nobles and church leaders, known as the witenagemot, met with the king to advise and act as a court. Each member of the group was known as a witan, or wiseman. The group approved laws drawn up by the king and his household. The Government (cont.)

11 The people in Anglo-Saxon England were generally divided into two classes–nobles and peasants. An Anglo-Saxon became a noble by birth or as a reward for special service to the king. Nobles had to attend the witenagemot, keep peace in local areas, and serve the king in war. The king rewarded nobles with gifts of gold, silver, horses, weapons, and estates. The People

12 The peasants lived in huts in small villages on the estate and did not own their own land. They helped each other farm the noble's land by sharing tools and oxen. The People (cont.)