Anglo-Saxon England  Anglo-Saxon England was born in warfare, remained a military society, and came to an end in 1066 because the Normans were militarily superior.

Invasions of England This era of British history encompasses the following cultures:  Celts  Celts ( B.C.)  Romans(55  Romans(55 B.C.)  Angles,  Angles, Saxons, Jutes(A.D. 449)  Vikings(A.D.  Vikings(A.D. 700)

Celtic tribes  Settled in 5 th Century B.C. from Southern Europe  People were “mad keen on war, full of spirit and quick to begin a fight”  Familiar Celt? King Arthur was a Celtic king who fought the Saxons

Celtic Religion  Believed that gods and spirits were everywhere  Druids made sacrifices (sometimes human) to the gods for the people.  Shady oak trees were favorite places for religious ceremonies

Responsibilities of Druid Priests  Held religious ceremonies  Made sacrifices  Tried people for crimes in court  Passed on knowledge to the younger generation  Called the whole tribe together in an assembly each year.

Celtic Festivals  Samain: Night of Oct. 31 st to Nov. 1 st ; when all the spirits of the Other world were set loose on the human world. A time of great danger. The beginning of the Celtic year.

Celtic Festivals  Beltane: 1 st of May when feasting, sacrificing and celebration took place to thank the gods for getting the people safely through the winter. It was also to help with fertility of crops and animals. A giant man of straw was burnt.

Celtic Festivals  Lughnasa: 15 days before the 1 st of August and 15 days after was a festival to celebrate the harvesting of the crops.

Romans: J. Caesar invaded in 55 B.C.  To the Romans, Britain was a remote wilderness only known from traders’ reports  Commodities: Corn, cattle, gold, silver, iron, hides, slaves, and clever hunting dogs  Emp. Claudius fully dominated Britain in A.D. 43  Scotland, Ireland continued Celtic traditions: “Celtic Fringe”  Results? Urban civilization, education for sons, walled towns, Christianity, warfare, roads

Anglo-Saxon invasion: A.D. 449  Romans withdrew in 407 because of European tribes invading Italy  Angles, Saxons, Jutes: Germanic tribes who destroyed Roman civilization  Culture: Ruled by a king chosen by witan (council of elders) Lived by strict codes of conduct: loyalty to leader and tribe were necessary for the survival of all.

Anglo-Saxon way of life  Ruler was generous with food, gold, drink, and weapons to those who were loyal  All people were aware of the shortness of life and the passing away of all things  Everything was determined by fate  The only thing that lasted was fame, so all competed for it

Anglo-Saxon Justice  Emphasis  Emphasis on revenge  If  If someone killed a member of your family, if you could, kill the slayer, or the next best thing: a member of his family  When  When a man committed the unpardonable offense of a crime against an actual kinsman, vengeance could be averted by payment of blood money: WERGILD

Christianity  By the year 300, a significant amount of Britons were Christians  Romans pulled out:, Christianity fell  597 St. Augustine arrived on an order from Pope Gregory  He est. a monastery in Canterbury  Became the first Archbishop of Canterbury  The church enjoyed a revival  Christianity had to compete with Pagan rituals.

Absorption of pagan ideas into Christianity  Remember:  Remember: pagan means one who is not Christian, Jewish, or Muslim (monotheistic)  Easter:  Easter: Eostre was the Anglo-Saxon goddess of dawn  Rabbits  Rabbits and colored eggs were symbols of new life

Christmas  Originally set in December to compete with Pagan winter festivals held at the same time  Gift giving: a pagan ritual  Pre-Christian winter festivals used greenery, lights, and fires to symbolize life and warmth in the midst of cold and darkness  Teutonics and Scandinavians associated with tree worship

Influences of Christianity to the Anglo-Saxon Culture  Monasteries were important centers of social, intellectual, artistic, and literary life  Monks copied books imported from other European countries  Bede: a Northumbrian monk who is considered the father of English history –Earliest historian of England –Earliest important prose writer –Venerable: in recognition of his reputation for wisdom, humility, and scholarship –Wrote History of the English Church and People

Viking invasion  From Scandinavia  Norse: Norway  Danes: Denmark  Didn’t overthrow all Anglo-Saxons—simply settled in the east and north (Danelaw)

Alfred the Great (King Alfred of Wessex)  He  He united his people  Forced  Forced the Danes to the Northeast part of England  He  He promoted the use of written English rather than the Latin the monks copied  Encouraged  Encouraged original works  Wrote  Wrote The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: Chronicle: the first historical record kept in English  Created  Created a code of law  Founded  Founded first English public schools

Anglo-Saxon Literature  There is little humor found in the literature because life was so difficult  Most of the stories and poems deal with circumstances where only the strong survive  Oral tradition –Poems were not written but sung accompanied by a harp –Kings and nobles would entertain large groups of people in enormous halls, often to celebrate victory in battle

Pagan traditions  Fate  Rewards from the leader in the form of treasure (“booty”)  Fame: others will hear about your deeds  Dead bodies were burned  Code of honor: Defend your lord with your life  Belief in omens  Mead Hall: safety, fellowship, home

Oral Tradition  Scops: they recited poems or retold stories about legendary heroes and adventures (all by memory)  Gleeman: assistant to the scop  Purposes were to entertain, pass along religious beliefs, rituals, and customs, and to glorify the heroes (remember: only fame lasts!)

Types of Poetry Heroic epic: a long, narrative poem whose central character is a hero –The hero is a noble figure with great courage and superhuman abilities –Most epic heroes are important figures in a nation’s legends or history Elegiac Lyric  A single speaker expresses thoughts and feelings  Recalls the glories of the past  Solemn subjects such as death Riddles: –Composed in verse and challenged the listeners to guess their subject

Normans! 1066 Invaders from France Fall of Anglo-Saxon rule