ENGLISH

CIVILIZATION

9-10-2015
-sapt. imparaThe Anglo-Saxon Age

The barbarian migrations started in 450 A.D

Britannia (England-today) was a part of the Roman Empire because it
was conquered in 43 A.D (under Emperor Claudius) and became a Roman
province (when the first Roman army crossed the British Channel).
Britannia - just England. It didnt include Scotland, Wales and Ireland
because the population living there was too savage, too untamed. So, when the
Romans came to the British Isles, they concentrated on England, also because
England was the richest. The purpose of the conquest was to get rich, to
improve their lives.
The Romans transformed the local population into a Roman population
(the original population were the Celts). The Romans imposed their own Roman
rules, they built cities and around the cities fortresses, roads, Baths( terme/ bai
romane), aqueducts etc. The Romans came with a very practical way of life.
Britannia was at the margins of the empire. The people thought that if you
went to the western coast of England or Ireland youd fall in the abyss (they
thought the Earth was flat).
England was at the western margins. The Roman Empire started to face
problems, not only external, but internal as well. It became difficult to protect
Britannia, so in 450 A.D the Romans left the province of Britannia.
The population continued to live in a roman way, but it was no longer
protected by legions (the army).
The North-West part of Germany was too savage- they had their own
culture, gods, rules and they wanted to conquer their own territories so they had
a tense relationship with the Roman Empire.
The Scandinavian countries were small, had no natural resources; they
realised they couldnt contain their population and they were in danger of dying
of starvation. So they decided to move into the Roman provinces. The North
realised they had to conquer new lands.

In England existed Pax Romana( Roman peace) which meant the

romans controlled everything. After the legions left, the Romanised population
of England was left unprotected and when the barbarians came, they found a
population which wasnt accustomed to war anymore they didnt know how
to fight.
Later, in 476 A.D, the Goths invaded the Roman Empire and conquered
Rome, which fell and the Roman Empire collapsed.
The barbarian population was so large, that the English (who were
pacified) couldnt handle them.
There were three barbarian tribes who came to England:
Angles ( from Denmark)
Saxons ( from Saxony)
Jutes ( from Jutland Peninsula)
These tribes had in common the fact that they had the same northern beliefs
and communicated easily among them. They came by sea from the North. Just
like the Romans, they focused on England. They thought it was easier to control
an already conquered land because it had been organised by the Romans.
They landed from their ships and gradually ( in gradual waves of invasion)
occupied the whole land.
They lived in tribes (not cities) they werent accustomed to living in cities
like the Romans. Most cities became ruins (the barbarians werent interested in
them). They lived in villages. They led a simpler life; they were farmers,
hunters, fishermen, warriors).
A group of families found a place they liked ( they settled along the
rivers, in valleys, on plains- it was easier to cultivate, they also used the roads
built by romans), they built farms and gradually, a small family would unite
with another family they formed a clan and that clan would unite with
another clan tribes were formed and more tribes a confederation; more
confederations a small kingdom which would grow into a bigger one.
The movement was from small to big:
familiesclanstribesconfederationskingdoms.
A confederation was ruled by warlords ( dux bellorum) which were part
of the aristocracy.

Social classes:

Aristocracy : formed by lords and warriors also called

retainers = companions they were the ruling class

Clergy : made up of magicians, wizards, warlocks their

obligation was to serve the gods

Peasants : the largest group

Aristocracys obligation was warfare: they acquired more land; the
lords and the warriors protected the land and expanded it this was the
daily existence of the Anglo-Saxons.
As a social class, the aristocracy functions on certain rules
(obligations) which were specific for the aristocracy. There was one
specific rule: The Code of Honour.
The Code of Honour was a heroic behaviour, a moral example. It
functioned reciprocally:
LORDS had to
protect the land which will be a function of the kings later on
take care of the people
go to battle and win the wars
impart justice
act like a judge
maintain the rules and prevent chaos and anarchy
WARRIORS had to
accompany the lord in battle
protect the lord in battle
die for the lord in necessary (dying in battle field was a
heroic death)
help the lord in governing the land

The lord had the obligation to reward the warrior (with land, gold, jewels
etc.). If a warrior fought heroically in a battle or came with good solutions in
governing the country the lord was obliged to reward the warrior.
The Code was very strict with very strict rules.
If one of the parties did not respect the rules EXILE (the punishment)
They would lose their honour, they were rejected from the community,
they wouldnt be accepted in other community, they were isolated. Also, given
the fact that the weather in the 5th-6th centuries was drastic (very cold, windy,
winters were long), exile meant certain death. People could not survive on their
own.
If a warrior died on the battlefield there were two consequences:
A practical consequence: the lord had to provide for the
family he gave them an amount of money, as a perpetual
rent
A symbolical consequence: the warrior would go to the gods
the Germanic religion had multiple gods (Odin, Loki,
Frea, Thor etc.) the northern gods. Nowadays, their names
are used in the Days of the Week
Wedne[s]day Wodans day
Tue[s]day Tyus day
Thur[s]day Thors day
FridayFreas day (the goddess of eternal
youth)
The warriors would go to Odins palace (there were 9 worlds in the
German Mythology).
The Germanic gods arent immortal; they make mistakes, they kill each
other. The Germanics mentality is very sad: their poems had a feeling of
fatality.

States of Britannia
When the land was completely conquered and the nations gathered
around the same principles, they had the idea of evolving as a nation; they
wanted to make it a more powerful nation this meant creating states.
The states of England replaced the confederation of tribes, which were no
longer adequate. The states represented the power of the lords, a step forward in
the modernisation of the land.

There were 7 states:

Northumbria (border with Scotland)
Mercia ( today-the land around London)
the 4 major states
Kent
Wessex (S-W to Wales; where the West Saxons had settled)
Essex (East Saxons)
Sussex ( South Saxons) 3 smaller states
East Anglia
In the 6th Century, these states formed the England of the Heptarchy.
Each of these states had a king. Each of the 4 important stated alternated
in power. The alternation of power was a form of early democracy (more
powers alternating each other) and it meant development, making the country
more prosper. (e.g. When Northumbria was the powerful one, the king wasnt
just a lord, but the overlord). The king didnt rule by himself. He was helped by
a council called Witan the term was brought from Scandinavia. Witan
originates in folkmoots (adunari ale populatiei).
The Witan was made of the most worthy people of the states. They helped
the king to govern. They also chose the king and could depose the king in they
found him inadequate. The Witan participated in trials and helped with the
decisions regarding wars and external policy.
The overlords ruled over the other states for a period of time.
The fact that England was already organised in states made the
Christianisation of England easier.

Christianisation of England
Rome had become the centre of Christianity and the one which spread it
around Europe. In England, it came in 597 A.D. because of the word of a
great pope (he also concentrated on other countries like France, Germany etc.)
Gregory the Great. He was a philosopher, poet, composer and translator.
He sent a mission to England (the Gregorian mission) in 597 A.D. made
up of monks lead by Augustine of Rome (also a monk). He was the leader. He

was sent with letters of recommendation. He landed in Kent (at a time Kent was
the ruling state).
The place where they landed was Canterbury - the very first town where
Christians started to bring word of the new religion. The queen of Kent was
already Christian (she married king Ethelberht of Kent). She was very helpful
with the mission. She convinced her husband and the autocracy to convert to
Christianity.
Christianisation started with the aristocracy and ended with peasants. The
other states followed Kents example (almost 100 years until the
Christianisation was complete).
The aristocracy was more open-minded. The clergy accepted the new
religion, although not immediately. The peasants didnt accept it easily. They
werent modern. The old beliefs were still very strong- the natural phenomena
were the work of gods.
The change took place from top to bottom. England becomes a catholic
country (until the 16th century): Roman Catholicism. Rome wasnt the only form
of Christianity in England.
Before Roman Catholicism there was the Celtic/Irish Christianity:
Saint Patrick the patron saint of Ireland the is said to have
driven away all the serpents in Ireland
Saint Columba
They were saints who have already Christianised Scotland and Ireland.
Another type of Christianity: one that was made in the middle of nature (caves,
valleys, forests etc.) a stricter Christianity. They didnt have the system of the
Romans. To the Irish Christians belonged two very important Christian
monasteries: the Abbey of Iona (Northern Scotland) which is in ruins today and
Lindisfarne (in Ireland). The Book of Celts was written in Iona. They were
cultural centres of Irish Christianity.
Then there was the problem of which type of Christianity should England
adopt. In the important meeting in Northumbria (in the 8th century) was decided
the English should follow Roman Catholicism which became the official
religion of England on an organised basis. The ecclesiastical system of
Roman Catholicism came with structures of the roman world which were
functional.
For 10 centuries England was a Catholic country with Arch Bishops
under the rule of Vatican. Flourishing of cultures, poems, schools, libraries,
intellectuals who came to England, the country was developed because of the
stability and peace Early Democracy.
This stopped because of the Viking invasions.