Transcript Document

Anglo- Saxon
Britain
Who were the Saxons?
Saxons were a large and
powerful Germanic people
located in what is now
northwestern Germany and the
eastern Netherlands (but not in
the area that is known as Saxony
today).
• The word 'Saxon' derives from
the word 'Sax' which means
"one-edged sword".
• Saxons were thought to have
originated from the area of
northern Germany known as
Schleswig Holstein today or Old
Saxony.
The Jutes` original home
• The Jutes
lived
in Denmark.
• They lived in
a territory that
was called
Jutland.
Anglo- Saxon invasion
•5th century- Angles,
Saxons and Jutes came to
Britain
Reasons:
•Their own land
often flooded
•Saxon warriors
were invited to
come to England
The Invasion
• The Jutes came to Britain around 5-6th century AD.
• At the same time came the Angles and Saxons.
• The Celts were absorbed, enslaved or driven away to upland
and remote areas.
• The Jutes occupied Hampshire,
Kent and the Isle of White
where they made their own
Jutish kingdom.
King Arthur
The Anglo- Saxon kingdoms
• They never conquered
Scotland
• Main Anglo-Saxon
kingdoms were
Northumbria, Mercia,
Wessex, Kent and Anglia
• Offa built a long earth wall
and ditch along the border
with Wales- the Offa’s
Dyke
The Saxons in England
• They were really good
farmers, they used four and
eight ox ploughs to farm
the land
• They worked together as a
team to produce food
• Saxons lived in thatched
tent like huts called tuns
• Saxons were divided into 2
groups: freemen and slaves.
Everyday life
• Anglo- Saxons had a slave
society
• Rich freemen were called
thanes
• People lived in small
farming communities in
wooden houses with
workshops
•They didn’t have prisons. For minor crimes, a nose or a hand might
be cut off
• For murders people had to pay money to the dead person’s
relatives- wergild. (The amount depended on the murderer’s social
status)
A Village
A hut
The way of life of the Jutes
• They disliked towns so
they destroyed them.
• They prefered to live in
small villages.
• Each village was selfsufficient, there was
very little trading.
Clothing
• As the Anglo-Saxons
adopted the Christian
religion their dress and
costumes were less
revealing and heads were
covered
Armour
Saxon law
• Every man had a price
which was directly
proportional to his status in
the community
• This system was called
wergild and it applied to
everybody
• The system worked
reasonably well for many
years, Alfred the Great says
many years later:, "It was
better than a blood feud".
•
Early Saxons beliefs
• The early Saxons were
pagans and believed in
many gods. When people
died they were either
cremated and put in a
pottery urn or buried with
their belongings.
• Slaves were usually buried
with their masters.
• Early Anglo- Saxons used
runes as letters and it was
believed that they had
magical powers
•In 1939 archaeologists dug up
many precious objects that once
belonged to king Redwald at Sutton
Hoo in Suffolk
Christianity
Lindisfarne monastery
Amusements
• Feasts were held in the
lord's hall
• People ate on feasts roast
meats, bread and fruit and
drank beer or mead AngloSaxons listened to songs
and stories about brave
warriors
• They also amused
themselves by telling
riddles
Entertainment
• Saxons listened to songs and
stories about brave warriors and
their adventures. One of the
Saxons' favourite stories was
about Beowulf, a heroic prince
who killed several monsters.
Beowulf was first written down
in the 8th to 9th centuries, many
years after it was first told.
• Music was played to accompany
the songs and poems. The most
popular instrument was the Lyre.
Kings
Egbert (802-839)
8th century Venerable Bede
Alfred The Great (871-899)
Invaders
• In the 8th and 9th centuries
the Vikings, began to come
to Britain and destroyed
almost everything on their
way
• By the end of the 870s, the
Vikings occupied most of
eastern England
• The Anglo-Saxon period
came to an end in 1066
when Duke William of
Normandy defeated Harold
in the Battle of Hastings
Edward the Confessor (1042-1066)
Harold(1035-1040)
Influence
• The system of law of
the UK is based on
Anglo- Saxon ideas
• Many Anglo- Saxon
words are used
today:
faether - father
sunu - son
dohtor - daughter
chese – cheese
’’The
Ecclesiastical
History of the
English
People’’
•Many place names have
Anglo- Saxon origin:
ford - river crossing
ham - settlement
den - hill
ton - farm or village
wic - farmstead
The End