Transcript Document 7297884

-The Celts and The Iron Age
- The Four Invasions on
Britain
Britain =
England+Scotland+Wales+Northen Ireland
Who are the Celts?
 Over 2000 years ago, Britain
was “The Savage Land” and
was populated by people called
the Celts. (Celtic Britain)
 They were tied by similar
language, religion, and cultural
expression.
 They were divided up into
different tribes ruled by kings
or chiefs who lived in hill forts.
What were the Celts like?
1. Warriors; living for the glories of
battle and plunder. However, there
was never an organized Celtic
invasion.
2. Barbarians; they were not
organized, but fragmented, primative
and barbaric.
3. No written records.
5. They were the first to use IRON
 The advent of iron had amazing
repercussions:
Because iron was cheap and
available, it changed trade and
fostered local independence. Before
the iron, they used bronze which was
not as available as iron.
- “The Iron Age” (1)
6. Farmers:
 The Celts were either fighting in wars
or farming. They were known to be as
very good at cultivating the land.
They were the first to bring a very
interesting innovation to the farm:
the iron plough which made it
possible for the first time to cultivate
the rich valley and soil.
 “The Iron Age” (2)
7. The Clan and the Celtic family life:
 A Clan is an extended family; it was
the basic unit of Celtic life. Children
were raised by foster parents (uncles:
brother of the birth mother)
 Each Clan had its own social
structure, customs, and even Gods!
8.Their Religious practices:
 They were Pagans (holding beliefs that
were not part of the world’s main religions).
 They believed in Statues and worshipped
them.
 They were superstitious; they believed in
the power of demons, curses, and the
unknown.
 They had a very powerful priestly class
called the Druids which used to give
sacrifices on behalf of the people.
The Celts were the original
inhabitants of Britain.
 There are four main invasions in
which the Celts had to stand up for
Britain. All of the invaders are
European, but they came from
different sections of Europe and for
different reasons.
The Four Invasions are:




The
The
The
The
Roman Invasion (A.D. 43 - A.D.410)
Saxon Invasion (5th C -9th C)
Viking Invasion (9th C – 11th C)
Norman Invasion 1066
Note 1:
B.C. : Before Christ was born. (Placed after
the date, e.g 120 B.C.)
A.D. : After Christ, anno Domini means “in the
year of the Lord,” – (usually placed BEFORE
the date, e.g A.D. 43)
Note 2:
 How to calculate the century?
B.C.
A.D.
From 1 A.D. to 99 A.D. = 0 century
100 = 2nd century
200=3rd century
300= 4th century
1000=11th century
1600=17th century
2000=21st century
+1 to the first digit
The Roman Invasion
 In the summer of 55 B.C. Julius Caesar, a Roman
general, planned an expedition to Britain. He wanted to
find out the treasures of Britain, so he planned this idea
of exploring Britain, but he never came to invade it.
 In the same year (55 B.C.), Caesar conquered France
which was called Gaul by the time. The Gauls fought
hard against the Romans and had been helped by their
friends in Britain. Caesar was upset by their assistance
and decided to teach the Britons a lesson.
 He attempted to invade Britain, thus, a year later (54
B.C.) BUT British warriors and the rotten British weather
made his army give up and return to Gallia.
A hundred years later: 43 A.D.
 the Emperor Claudius sent another army to
Britain. This time the army came to
INVADE.
 Claudius sent one of his generals at the
head of 48,000 troops that landed in East
Kent. It was easy for the to conquer the
south and the east because there were no
boundaries. However, the left Scotland
because of the Hadarian’s Walls, that
divided Scotland and England.
Details about the Invasion:
 The Roman army was very well organized;
every soldier was very well disciplined and
trained. They knew what they were doing;
they were harsh, cruel and encouraged
fighting.
 It was a military invasion NOT a cultural
one. The main purpose was to have political
superiority, but they did not attempt to
influence the culture in any way, therefore,
they did not intermarry with them.
 Some Celts decided to make peace with the
Romans in return for keeping their kingdoms. These
people were called client kings, and they had to
agree that once they died the Romans could take
over their lands. One client king was Cogidumnus,
the ruler of the Atrebates. The famous palace at
Fishbourne in West Sussex was probably built for
him with help from the Romans. Other British
leaders, such as Caratacus, carried on fighting
against the Romans until they retreated.
Bad news for the Romans:
 They had to retreat and return for
their country for some political and
military reasons; soldiers were
needed for Rome.
 Britain stopped being a Roman
Colony when the Romans left.
Aftermaths …
 Though the Romans had left, they brought
with them a civilization that is totally alien
that remained.
1. They bulit a network of roads.
2. They built an existing settlement to
become a trade and administrative center
which they called Londinium which we
know as London today. It became the
CAPITAL.
London
 The choice of the
Romans proved to be
the best. They chose a
location that helped in
troop movements and
administrative
communication. Trade
expanded quickly
because people
depended on water
sources as means of
transportation, and
London is situated
next to a number of
rivers.
Continued … (Roman Influence)
 The Romans lived in luxury, they build villas
and palaces which were also left behind.
(Roman Architecture)
 However, they neither influenced the
culture or the racial makeup of the country,
all they left behind was military civilized
building which Britain did not give much
importance to them.
 The Roman Invasion was one that
influenced Britain the LEAST!
The Anglo-Saxon Invasion.
 After the Romans left, the city was left into a decline.
The population diminished drastically and large areas
of the city were left in ruins. The British Islands were
left defenseless.
 The Saxons came to find the villas and palaces that
the Romans had built, but because they were very
primitive, unfamiliar with the city life, they were not
interested.
 They were very good at farming and cultivating the
land.
• What does a good location for a village need?
- Source of fresh water to be used in cultivation
- good soil
- good weather.
Why did the Saxons invade
Britain?
 They came because they were hungry!
They did not come with the kind of army of
the Romans, the just came like very simple
warriors. They came in the form of raids,
instead.
(raid: a sudden attack by a small army)
 They first came for plunder (to take what
they want and then leave), but afterwards
they thought about settlement in Britain.
What does settlement need?
 INTERACTION
 Because they decided to settle,
they had to interact. When
settlers mixed with the others,
there is an expected change in
the racial makeup of Britons.
 The Saxon Invasion changed
Britain beyond recognition; it
changed the English life forever.
Changes:
 Race
 Language: The Saxons came with a
Germanic tongue, so they brought
the German language with them.
 Idea of Kinship and Kingdom: they
divided England into seven kingdoms
each is ruled by a different king.
(Wesex, Essex, Sussex, Nothumbria,
Kent, Mercia, East Anglia).
To sum up:
The Roman Invasion
The Anglo-Saxon Invasion
3rd C. – 5th C.
5th C. – 9th C.
They mainly came to
conquer
They came because of
attraction of food and
land
Army: organized, trained
Primitive, raids
No settlement
Settled down and married
Military Invasion
Cultural invasion
City dwellers; understood
good locations for cities.
Farmers; very good at
cultivating the land
The Viking Invasion
 By the 9th C. and with the settlement of
the Anglo-Saxons, London became a
very prosperous trading center. This
wealth attracted the Vikings who came
from different areas (mainly Denmark
and Scandinavia). The Vikings used to
make a lot of trading trips to the east
coast of England and Scotland, but
these friendly visit became more
aggressive in the period between the
late 8th C. and the early 9th C.
Similarities with the AngloSaxons:
 They came from the same region
(North-West Scandinavia)
 They came for the main purpose:
attraction of land and food
 They are from the same race
 They also came in the form of raids.
Differences from the AngloSaxons:
 Very ferocious, violent, savage and bloody.
(They were the most savage and barbarian
people who attacked Britain. When they
entered a place they completely destroyed
it.)
 During the Anglo-Saxon Invasion, Britain
was Christianized, but when the Vikings
invaded it, they wiped-out the old Celtic
Christianity and all forms of religion
(Churches and Monasteries).
The Canoe
 It took about 48
men to make the
ship go fast.
 Very strong ship
that sails very
gracefully.
 There are theories
telling that the
Vikings were the
first to cross the
Atlantic by those
Canoes.
Alfred, the Great
 King of Wessex (one of the English
Kingdoms)
 He fought the Vikings more than any
Saxon has done.
 He formed the “Dane law,” a law that
gave a large part of Britannia to the
Danes and left another large part of
Britannia to be ruled by the Saxons.
 He was the savior, however his
victories did not last long after his
death.
Aetherlred, the Unready.
 Because his brother Edward was killed, he took
the throne instead at a very young age.
 Because he was so young, he depended on his
advisers to give him advice and make decisions
for him. This created a bit of trouble for the
king's subjects, especially when the Danes came
back in force.
 The Danelaw had worked for a time, mainly
because English troops kept it efficient and
because the Danes had been beaten so badly.
But they came storming back in 980 after King
Alfred’s death, and Aethelred was definitely
unready for their return.
Conclusion:
 The Dane law’s strategy was lost
because Aetherlred bribed the vikings
to prevent raids.
 He was the wrong person in the wrong
place. He was called the “Unready”
because of his recklessness and way of
dealing with the Danes.
 End: he was forced into exile to
Normandy with his wife Emma.
 King Canute takes over and then the
throne goes to Edward the Confessor
after he dies.
The Norman Invasion (1066)
 Edward promised his succession to the Duke of
Normandy (William I), but later changed his
mind and supported Harold of Wessex to the
English crown. This caused troubles between
both parties.
 Both Harold Gonwinson (Britain) and William of
Normandy (France) were waiting for Edward the
Confessor’s death to take his place on the
British throne.
 Before Edward’s death, Harlod was shipwrecked off the coast of Normandy. This was to
the benefit of William who took advantage of
what happened and forced Harold to sign a
paper relinquishing his right to the British
throne.
 However, when Edward died, Harold crowned
himself as King of Britain.
Battle of the Hastings.
 At the same time, Harold had to ward
off a final Viking attack in the north
on which he achieved victory.
However, he had to hurry back to the
south because he had to fight William
of Normandy who was waiting for him
with his army to claim his right to the
throne. This battle is called the Battle
of the Hastings.
William the Conqueror.
 Harold was defeated in the Battle
of the Hastings because his army
was exhausted from the last
Viking attack. He died in the
battlefield leaving William to rule
the British throne.
His reign:
 Unification of Europe: united
England and Europe.
 He introduced the French
language.
 He introduced the feudal system.
 He formed the Domesday Book
which recorded in two volumes
the wealth and properties of
estate and land owners.
Domesday Book:
The Norman Invasion brought with it life
changing systems for the natives of Britain:
1. The French language, and it also
became the main language of the
ruling aristocracy. Also, it
became the base of our modern
English language.
2. They brought with them a sense
of elegance and sophistication.
They brought with them the idea
of the “Knight” or the soldier
who fought on horseback.
Cont’d …
4.They brought grandeur to the idea
of Kingship.
-Palace
-Velvet
-Entourage
5. They brought a very organized
army with them.
Most important thing they
brought with them was:
 The Feudal
System
(hierarchal)
A system in
which a FEW
RULED AND
OWNED the rest
of the country.
The majority was
powerless. The
main power lies
in the hands of
the king.
King
Baron
Lord
Knight
Serf
Conclusion:
 The irony of history proves itself when
we regard the Norman Invasion. It is a
bit like the Roman Invasion and the
Saxon Invasion. It is like the R.I in the
sense that soldiers came in a wellorganized army and were well-trained.
On the other hand, it was similar to the
A-S.I as the Normans never left, they
settled and intermixed with the people.
 Presentations:
- King Alfred, the Great
- British Educational System during the
9th C.