The History of Anglo-Saxons THE ANGLO-SAXONS The History of Anglo-Saxons

Who are they? After the withdrawal of the Roman army from Britain in 410 AD, the Romanised Celts were left alone to fight against peoples coming from Germany and Scandinavia who invaded the island in the 5th century and destroyed the Roman British towns. They were the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes.   

The Anglo-Saxon life When the Anglo-Saxons arrived in Britain, most kept at a distance Roman towns and preferred to live in small villages. However, warrior chiefs knew that a walled city made a good fortress. They were organized in family groups, called ‘’clans’’, with just two or three families. Some Saxons built wooden houses inside the walls of Roman towns. Others cleared spaces in the forest to build villages and make new fields.

Stories and pastimes The Anglo-Saxons liked to gather in the lord's great hall, to eat and drink, and to listen to songs and stories. They loved tales about brave warriors and their adventures. The most important tale is about how Beowulf, a heroic prince, kills the fierce man-eating monster Grendel, and Grendel's horrid mother.

Kings and laws Each group of Anglo-Saxon settlers had a leader or war-chief. Each king ruled a kingdom and led a small army. There were many quarrels and wars between kings, to see who was the strongest. There were five important Anglo-Saxon kingdoms: Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex, Kent and East Anglia.

Invasion and settlement   Some Anglo-Saxons came to Britain to fight, but others came peacefully, to find land to farm. The Anglo-Saxons knew Britain was a rich land. Their own lands often flooded, made it difficult to grow enough food. Each boatload of people formed a settlement with its own leader. They brought their tools, weapons, belongings and farm animals with them to Britain.

Anglo-Saxon at war Anglo-Saxon armies were usually small, with only a few hundred men. The soldiers had spears, axes, swords, and bows and arrows. They wore helmets and carried wooden shields. The most feared Anglo-Saxon weapon was a battle axe, but the most precious weapon was a sword. It took hours of work by a smith to craft a sword.

Women Anglo-Saxons thought sons and daughters were equally important, but the girls' work was centred on the home. They learned housekeeping skills such as weaving cloth, cooking and making cheese. Only a few girls learned to read and write. By the age of 10 a girl was considered grown-up. Most girls then married, though some became nuns in the Christian Church.

The Anglo-Saxon beliefs In Roman Britain, many people had been Christian. The early Anglo-Saxons were pagans. Anglo-Saxons were superstitious. They thought 'magic' rhymes, potions, stones or jewels would protect them from evil spirits or sickness.

Architecture and Art Early Anglo-Saxon buildings in Britain were generally simple. They didn’t use masonry except in foundations and built mainly using timber with thatch for roofing. Generally they preferred not to settle within the old Roman cities so the Anglo-Saxons built small towns near their centres of agriculture, at fords in rivers or sited to serve as ports. A main hall was in the centre, provided with a central heating was in the centre of each town, the character of Anglo-Saxon ecclesiastical buildings varied.

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Sites: BBC.CO.UK Wikipedia Www.englishstandard.co Primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk Www.englishmonarchs.co.uk Archive.museumoflondon.org.uk