Background Sources for British Culture, Literature & Language:

Native tribes: Invaders:

Descendants from original Celtics
 Scotch  Romans
 Irish  Angles
 Welch  Saxons
 Cornish  Jutes 
 Vikings 
 Normans

Classic (Greco-Roman):

 Caesar invaded with Roman legions in 55 B.C.

 100 years later, Roman Emperor Claudius attacked Celts & set up Roman rule.
 400 years of relative order & stability followed.
 Latin & Greek literature imp. then brought back later

Germanic (Anglo Saxon):

 Angles, Saxons, & Jutes came in 5th Century. A.D. (started in A.D. 449).

 A.D. 410
o Rome had been sacked.
o Rome withdrew from Britain, beginning the Medieval Period.
 Middle Ages or Dark Ages are other terms for the era.
 Era ended 1000 years later in the 1400's-1500'

5th century:

 Rome left
 Germanic tribes (Angels, Saxons, Jutes) took over.
o Settled in East. Britain
o Took over England by 650
 Anglo-Saxon (Old English) forms the basis of English. The, is you, mann, hus,
sheep, ox, earth, plough, swine, dog, glee, etc.

 As the Western Roman Empire weakened, Roman armies retreated from the

province of Britannia in AD 410. The citizens of the province, mostly
Christian, Romanized Celts, were left to defend themselves from a series of
invaders from both land and sea. These invaders included the Picts from
Scotland, and the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, along with other smaller groups,
from Denmark, Holland and northern Germany. These invaders were
generally pagan, and did not respect the Christian faith established by the
 Romans during their previous conquest of the Britons.

 One legend from the 500s AD tells of a king by the name of Arthur, a Romanized
Celt, who had a series of victories against the invading Anglo-Saxons. King
Arthur's legend would grow during the Middle Ages, but his few victories were
not enough to keep out the invaders.

 By the 600s, there were five major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in old Britannia:
Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex, Kent and East Anglia (See: Anglo-Saxon
Kingdoms in England 700s Map). On occasion, one of the kings from these five
kingdoms would try to declare himself as the over-lord or 'bretwalda', meaning
the king of all of Britain. As for the Celts, many moved to the western part of the
island, into the lands we now call Wales and Cornwall. Britannia would now be
known as England (Angle-land).

 The Anglo-Saxons believed in gods and goddesses that were similar to the gods of
the Vikings. Odin was the chief god. These people were very superstitious, and
carried lucky charms. Their favorite story was Beowulf, Beowulf was a heroic
warrior who defeated and killed Grendel, a man-eating monster that was
terrifying the Danish kingdom.

 Christianity would eventually come to the Anglo-Saxon England. In AD 597, the

Pope sent Augustine to England to try to convert the pagan Anglo-Saxons to
Christianity. Augustine converted the king of Kent, and within the next 100 years
most of the Anglo-Saxons had converted to Christianity. Bede went to live in a
monastery in AD 680 when he was only 7 years old. Bede wrote a book about the
church and people of England.

 One of the most famous Anglo-Saxon excavations is at a place called Sutton Hoo.

Here, there is evidence of Anglo-Saxon England. In 1939, Edith Pretty, the land
owner, allowed archeologists to dig into the mysterious mounds on her property,
what was revealed was an amazing boat burial, possibly of King Readwald of East
Anglia, which included several of his personal items.

 The most famous artifact is the Sutton Hoo Helmet (See images from Sutton
Hoo). Based on the dates found on Merovingian Frankish coins at Sutton Hoo,
the burial most likely took place around AD 625. Interestingly, Readwald was not
taking any chances, there is evidence of both Christian and pagan symbols at the
burial site.

 Of all of the Anglo-Saxon Kings of England, Alfred is the most famous. Alfred is
the only English king to be given the title, the great. Alfred ruled as king of all of
England during a time when the Vikings were attacking England. At one point,
Alfred had to flee to a swampy marshland, and work for food. There is a famous
story of how Alfred, worried about his kingdom, burned cakes he was left in
charge of by the wife of a man who had hired him. Alfred defeated the Vikings in
a key battle and was able to make peace with the Vikings and share the island
 with these newcomers. The area controlled by the Vikings became known as
Danelaw (established between King Alfred and the Danish Vikings between AD
896-890), for here it was Danish Viking law that ruled the land, not English Law.

    Anglo-Saxon society was quite different from the culture that developed in the high
Middle Ages reflected in Chaucer. Following the Roman exit from Britain, there was a
breakdown of the rule of law. It was a very tribal form of society in which much
superstition abounded. They were pagans. Pagan traditions were fused with Christian
ones.  For instance, the spring festival of Eostre became Easter. Christian concepts of
fortune & providence were similar to the Anglo Saxon concept of wyrd, or fate: the
control of a person's destiny beyond the reach of personal exertion. Christianity brought
intellectual advancement. Schools grew up as monestaries spread; Latin taught. Led
Anglo Saxons to produce & write down their own literature. Anglo Saxon (Old
English) the first important vernacular written literature of Western
Europe. (Vernacular languages were the local language, as opposed to the Latin that
was common across the area covered by the western Roman Empire. )

Two classes recognized by Anglo-Saxon society:

 Earls Thanes
o ruling class based on kinship to the founder of a tribe.
 Slaves Churls
o bondsmen
o subject classes (slaves)
o A few got higher status because they or their ancestor had been freed for
service to the king.

King: Rex Arthur

 Brave commander
 Revered leader in wartime
 Wise judge
 Generous gift-giver in peacetime.

The tribal social system: Komitatus

 Based on loyalty & indebtedness Thanes

 Highlighted by oral story tellers --- Kenning
 Minstrels and oral Historians elevated --- Schops
 Crimes against one's own kin were unforgivable. Wereguild
 Punished by death- Glorious vs Inglorious (warrior code)

597 A.D.: CHRISTIANITY AND THE ANGLO SAXONS

  Augustine:
o Converted King Ethelbert of Kent.
o Augustine became 1st archbishop of Canterbury.
o Brought back Latin.

Almost nothing is known of the early life of the man who brought Christianity to
medieval England. St Augustine was most likely living as a monk in Rome when in 595,
Pope Gregory the Great chose him to lead a mission to convert the pagan Anglo-Saxons
to the Christian faith. Christianity had been present in England during Roman times,
but with the arrival of the Saxons, most of the country had once again reverted to
paganism.

 England in the 6th century was divided into many warring kingdoms. Of these, it
was Kent that was chosen as the place to begin Augustine’s mission in England,
most likely because of the powerful position of its ruler, King Æthelberht.
 The story of St Augustine’s arrival in England has become the stuff of legend, and
was first told by the 8th-century monk and historian Bede, writing 140 years after
the events took place. Bede describes how when Augustine arrived in Kent,
Æthelberht met the monk and his 40 companions outdoors, because the pagan
king was scared of the new arrivals practising sorcery. The monks are said to have
held up a silver cross and a panel painted with the image of Christ. King
Æthelberht was warned of his visitors and would have had them killed but they
invoked the right of hospitatloty which is a central warrior code of honor. 
 King Æthelberht was most likely accompanied by his wife, Queen Bertha. Bertha
was a Frankish princess who was already a secret Christian, despite her marriage
to a pagan king. It is thought that the presence of Bertha may have been another
reason for Augustine to begin his mission in Kent. King Æthelberht did not
immediately convert to Christianity, but he did treat Augustine and his
companions with hospitality.
 Story of the fish symbol and the Necklace.
 Æthelberht also provided protection to the new Christian church. He made laws
that protected church property and punished transgressions against the Church
even more harshly than those against the Crown. These charters may have been
drawn up under the guidance of Augustine himself.
 Pagan traditions were fused with Christian ones.  For instance, the spring festival
of Eostre became Easter.

CHRISTIAN BRITAIN
Christian concepts of fortune & providence were similar to the A.S. concept of wyrd, or
fate: the control of a person's destiny beyond the reach of personal exertion.

Christianity brought intellectual advancement. Schools grew up as monestaries spread;

Latin taught. Led Anglo Saxons. to produce & write down their own lit. 
Anglo Saxon (Old English) was the first important vernacular written
literature of W. Europe. (Vernacular languages were the local language, as opposed
to the Latin that was common across the area covered by the western Roman Empire. ) 
Bede:

 8th century historian & churchman

 Wrote the Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation

The Vikings: (793-1050)

 These tribes were also Germanic.

 The invasion began as plundering, ended in conquest & settlement.
 878 King Alfred beat back the Vikings, preserving English.

The Norman Conquest 1066.

 Christmas Day
 William the Conquerer was coronated
 Religion, law, science, & literature were now in French & Latin, not English, for
200 years.
 French overlords had to learn English to talk to their subjects.

100 Years War (1337-1454)

 Led to using English again.

 1356-1400 English appeared as official language in various places.

870:

 Viking Danes began attacking

 Alfred the Great
o Emerged as most imp. Anglo Saxon king.
o Had history recorded yearly in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
o Encouraged translation of books.
o Ceded north & central portions of England to the Viking Danes to save
Britain.

1014: Danes conquered Britain

1042: Anglo Saxons returned to power

1066:

 The Normans/Frenchmen invaded under William the Conqueror.

 William imposed Norman law, government and language on Anglo-Saxons.
 End of the Anglo-Saxon Era.

1066.  The Normans/Frenchmen invaded. William imposed Norman law, government

and
language on Anglo-Saxons.

    The foundation of Norman civilization (Feudal System) which was based upon the
holding of land. King owned all the land. He granted areas to his lords who promised
him their services. Lords gave portions to the knights who pledged to assist them in
battle. Serfs were the lowest on the social scale. They paid goods and services to the lord
in return for land they farmed.

Social Scale:

 King
 Lords
 Nobles - Knights
 Serfs – Peasants & Clergy