Transcript www.visitandine.it

The Anglo-Saxon Period
(prehistory – 1066 A.D.)

Iberians (pre-Celtic peoples) (up to the 7th
century B.C.)
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Celts (up to the 4th century B.C.)
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Roman Occupation (55B.C. - 410 A.D.)
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Anglo-Saxon Period (410-787 A.D.)
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Viking Invasions (787-1066 A.D.)
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Norman Conquest – Battle of Hastings (1066)
Pre-Celtic Britain
Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain, built by the
Iberians (pre-Celtic people)
Stonehenge
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Built in the early Bronze Age
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Old English “hengen” - something “hung up” horizontal stones
Structure
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between 2200 and 1300 B.C.
Half-circle of upright stones with other stone lying
on the top of them – Altar Stone inside
Function
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Maybe used as astronomical observatory
Pre-celtic Britain
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Bronze Age and Iron Age
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Metals were gradually introduced
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The first wooden huts appeared
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Long wooden warships and primitive
fortifications were built
Agriculture began
The Celts
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1st wave – Gaels (7th century B.C.)
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From Northern Europe
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Settled in the North
2nd wave – Britons (4th century B.C.)
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Settled in the South-West and West
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Origin of the term Britain
The Celts
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Skilled at working iron
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Lived on fishing, hunting and agriculture
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Pagan religion
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Worshipped natural elements (sun, moon, rivers,
trees, ...)
Water considered a holy element which generated
life
Social structure
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Druids administred religion, justice and education
The Roman Conquest
Hadrian's Wall (built in about 121 A.D. by Hadrian
to defend Roman Britain from the Picts and the
Scots living in the North)
The Roman Conquest
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Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55B.C.
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Aim = obtaining tributes and slaves
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Claudius conquered Britain in 43 A.D.
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Scotland was not subdued
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Hadrian erected a wall in about 121 A.D. from
Solway to the mouth of the Tyne
409 A.D. Honorius withdrew his soldiers from
Britain to defend Rome against Barbarian
attacks
The Romans
The Romans introduced
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their civilisation (e.g. Christianity)
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Saint Patrick established Christianity in Wales and
Ireland in the 5th century
their language
The Romans built
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Towns (e.g. commercial centre of London)
• Senate, magistrates, market square, town hall
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Roads (e.g. paved roads)
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Public bath system (e.g. Bath)
The Anglo-Saxon Period
(410-787)
The Anglo-Saxons
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The Romanised Celts fought alone vs Germanic
tribes (the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes)
from across the North Sea
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England = “the land of the Angles”
Occupation
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Farmers looking for richer lands
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Deep-sea fishermen
Society
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Organised in family groups called clans
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Loyalty = main value
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Exalted physical courage and enjoyed feasting
The Anglo-Saxons
- Women in Anglo-Saxon society
- property rights
- allowed in judicial proceedings
- Anglo-Saxon literature
- oral literature (legends, adventures, etc.)
- music and singing
- scop (ministrel)
Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy
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Seven kingdoms
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Northumbria
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Kent
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Essex
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Sussex
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Wessex
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East-Anglia
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Mercia
The Anglo-Saxons
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Anglo-Saxons belonged to Pagan religions
At the end of the 6th century Pope Gregory I
The Great sent a monk, Augustine (597), to
bring Christianity back to England
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Augustine became the 1st Archibishop of
Canterbury
Monastries became important centres of
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Communal life
Culture
The Viking invasions
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Origin = Norway and Denmark
Vikings and Danes started invading Britain in
787 (end of the 8th century)
855 – Danes conquered Northumbria, Mercia
and East Anglia = Danelaw
Wessex resisted thanks to Alfred the Great of
Wessex (871-899)
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Defeated the Danes, reorganised the army, built a
fleet and established fortified centres
The Danes/Vikings
- meaning of the name “Vikings”
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collective noun for Norse (Norwegians, Danes
and Swedes)
“sea voyage” – “people faring by sea for
commerce and war”
- occupation
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farmers and cattle herders
shipbuilders
seamen
skilled at working wood, metal and whalebone
•
king, chieftains, freemen (land owners)
- society
The Danes/Vikings
- religion
- polytheism (major and minor gods)
•
Odin (Wednesday), Thor (Thursday), Freya
(Friday)
- converted to Christianity in late 10th century
- cultural and literary background
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Runic inscriptions
Oral tradition
Epic poems (Eddas)
Stories (Sagas)
Bards or skalds (minstrels)
Alfred the Great of Wessex
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Gave importance to religion
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Called scholars to translate books into English
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Promoted the writing of a history of England –
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Illuminated manuscripts (10th century)
–
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decorated pages, several pictures
Use of English as a common language = sense
of political and social unity
–
all English boys of free birth should go to school
to learn English
More Viking invasions
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Raids continued until a Viking king, Canute,
became king of England
Canute was succeeded by Edward the
Confessor (1042-1066)
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Bulding of Westminster Abbey
•
example of Anglo-Saxon architecture of the 11th
century
The Norman Invasion
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In 1066, the Anglo-Saxon king Harold II was
defeated by William, Duke of Normandy at
Hastings
William was crowned king in Westminster
Abbey on Christmas day of the same year
Introduction of
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French language
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French traditions
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Feudalism
Feudal society
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King = owner of all land
Vassals = they held land and gave the king
goods and services (military service)
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Chief of vassals = barons
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Knights (military service in exchange for land)
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Villeins (attached to the land on which they
were born)
Serfs (almost slaves)