The Anglo-Saxons

1. The Anglo-Saxons 449-1066

2. Contributions of the British • Robin Hood and Shakespeare • Theory of Gravity • Industrial Revolution • Radar • Penicillin • The Beatles • Political system that many other countries, including the US, have imitated

3. Celtic Heroes and Heroines: A Magical World • People A. Celts – Tall blonde warriors who had settled on Great Britain in the fourth century B. Brythons – Group of Celts who the island was named after (Britons) • Religion – Animism A. They saw spirits everywhere – rivers, trees, stones, ponds, fire, and thunder B. Sprits controlled all aspects of existence C. The spirits had to be constantly satisfied- dancing rituals, human sacrifice, etc.

5. Celtic Heroes and Heroines: A Magical World III. Writing A. Mythology of the Celts has influenced English and Irish writers to this day. B. Authors who were influenced by the Celts: Thomas Majory and William Butler Yeats. C. Celtic legends are full of strong women, fantastic animals, passionate love affairs, and fabulous adventures.

6. The Romans: The Great Administrators IV. The Britons were finally conquered by Rome, led by Julius Caesar, in 55 BC. Christianity took hold under the leadership of European missionaries. The old Celtic religion began to vanish. By A.D. 409, Romans had evacuated Britain leaving roads, walls, villas, great public baths, but no central government. The result was weakness, which led to many successful invasions by non-Christian peoples from the Germanic regions of central Europe.

8. The Anglo-Saxons Sweep Ashore V. In the middle of the 5th Century, attacks came from Angles and Saxons from Germany and Jutes from Denmark. A. Changes 1.Language – Anglo-Saxon 2.Became known as Engla land from the Angles 3. Celts retreated to Wales

9. The Anglo-Saxons Sweep Ashore B. Government 1. Several independent principalities with its own king 2. King Alfred of Wessex (871), Alfred the Great, led the Anglo Saxons against the invading Danes and won. He helped form a true nation

11. The Anglo-Saxons Sweep Ashore C. Christianity A. Irish and Continental missionaries converted the kings B. Provided a common faith and morality and right conduct C. Linked England to Europe

12. The Anglo-Saxons Sweep Ashore D. Battle - Continued until 1066 when both the Anglo-Saxons and Danes were defeated by the Normans. 1. Danes – Vikings who drove dragon powered boats destroying and ravaging anything and anybody in their path

14. Anglo-Saxon Life: The Warm Hall, the Cold World VI. Life of the Anglo-Saxons 1. Warfare was the order of the day 2. As Beowulf shows, law and order were the responsibility of the leader 3. Fame and success were gained only through loyalty to the leader and success was measured in gifts from the leader

15. The Anglo-Saxon Religion VII. Despite Christianity, the old Anglo-Saxon religion with its warrior gods persisted. A. Odin was the Norse god of death, poetry, and magic. Anglo-Saxons renamed him Woden (Wednesday). They believed he could help humans communicate with spirits. B. Thunor (Thursday) was the god of thunder and lightning. His sign was the hammer and swastika, which is found on many Anglo-Saxon gravestones.

16. The Anglo-Saxon Religion C. The dragon was another significant figure in Anglo-Saxon mythology. It seems to always be the protector of a treasure. It is a personification of death. D. Overall, the religion was concerned with ethics, virtues of bravery, loyalty, generosity, and friendship.

17. The Bards: Singing of God’s and Heroes VIII. The communal hall offered shelter, a place for council meetings, and a place for storytelling. Skilled storyteller, or Bards, sang of god’s and heroes. The Anglo-Saxons did not regard these Bards, called Scops , as inferior to warriors. Creating poetry was as important as fighting, hunting, farming, or loving. The poets sang to the strumming of a harp.

18. Time Line • 449- Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invade Britain • 516 – King Arthur rules Celtic tribe • 547 – Plague reaches Britain • 793- Vikings invade Britain • 871 – Alfred the Great becomes King • 1066- Normans defeat Saxons; William the Conqueror becomes English king

19. Beowulf

20. Epic- sometimes called a heroic poem-Beowulf, the Illiad, the Odyssey- are long narratives about the adventures of larger than life characters.

21. Characteristics of an epic: • Hero - great leader, does great deeds in battle, or undertakes an extraordinary journey • Setting- Broad and often includes the upper and lower worlds • The gods or other supernatural, fantastic beings take part in the action

22. Characters • Beowulf- Son of Edgetho and nephew of Higlac, King of the Geats • Brecca- Chief of the Brondings and Beowulf’s friend • Grendel- Man-eating monster who lives at the bottom of a foul mere, mountain lake • Herot- Golden guest hall built by King Hrothgar

23. Characters • Hrothgar- King of the Danes; friend of Beowulf’s father Edgetho • Unferth- One of Hrothgar’s skilled warriors. His sword, Hrunting, is used by Beowulf • Welthow- Hrothgar’s wife, queen of the Danes • Wiglaf- Beowulf’s best friend who helps him with the battle of the dragon

24. Setting Beowulf is set in the 6th or 7th century. It is not set in England, nor or its characters English. The story takes place in Scandinavia and involves the Geats (Sweden) and the Danes (Denmark). Scandinavians were known collectively as Anglo-Saxons. It was first put into writing by a scop in the 700’s.

25. Anglo-Saxon History Quiz

26. Name one contribution of the British. • What was the primary religion at the beginning of the Anglo-Saxon era? • What was the belief of the religion? • Who brought Christianity to the Anglo-Saxons? • Briefly describe the Danes, also known as the Vikings. • Who or what was considered the protector of a treasure? • What is a scop? • What type of poem is Beowulf considered? • Name one characteristic of this type of poem. • True or False: Beowulf takes place in England.

27. The Middle Ages 1066-1485

28. Changing the Course of History In October of 1066 Duke William of Normandy, France, (A.K.A. William the Conqueror) defeated and killed King Harold of England. This began the Norman Conquest, an event that radically affected English history, the English character, and the English language.

29. Feudalism and Knighthood: Pyramid Power • Feudalism A. The System – 1. It was based on a religious system of hierarchy, with God as the supreme overlord; even a king held land by “divine right”. 2. It was a pyramid system: the king could allot land to a baron (a vassal) in return for allegiance, the baron could then allot land in return for allegiance, and so forth down the ladder to the knights and serfs. B. Knights – The primary duty of males above the serf class was military duty to their lord. Young boys left their own houses, lived in other houses so their training was strict, and then were dubbed knights (originally by a hard blow to the shoulder). Knighthood entailed a complex system of social codes in the feudal system of loyalty. Braking a code was strictly forbidden.

30. Women in Medieval Society: NO Voice, No Choice II. Women’s Role A. Women had no political rights. B. The woman was always subservient to the man, whether husband, father, or brother. C. Her husband’s or father’s social standing determined the level of respect she commanded. 1. Peasant women – ceaseless round of childbearing, housework, and fieldwork. 2. Women of higher status still bore children and tended to housework, but also managed their entire estate when the husband was at war.

31. Chivalry and Courtly Love: Ideal but Unreal III. Chivalry – A system of ideals and social codes governing the behavior of knights and gentlewomen. A. Must adhere to the oath of loyalty and warfare. B. Adoring a particular lady (not necessarily one’s wife) was seen as a means of achieving self- improvement.

32. Chivalry and Courtly Love: Ideal but Unreal IV. Courtly Love – The idea that revering and acting in the name of a lady would make a knight braver and better; it was nonsexual. A knight may wear his lady’s colors in battle. He may write poetry about her or praise her with words. But, she was always out of reach, just as the feudal lord was set above his vassal.

33. Chivalry and Courtly Love: Ideal but Unreal V. Literature A. Courtly Love and Chivalry provided built-in drama for storytellers, as the King Arthur saga illustrates. B. This brought about an idealized attitude toward women, but it did little to improve their actual position. It did, however, give rise to a new genre of literature: romance.

34. The New City Classes: Out from Under the Overlords VI. The Development of City Classes – Medieval society centered around the feudal castle, but as the population grew people began moving to towns and cities. This developed lower, middle, and upper-middle social classes (as seen in Canterbury Tales).