The Anglo-Saxon Period (study guide)

Who were the Britons

A Celtic people who were the original inhabitants of Britain before the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons.

• Britons were conquered by the Romans in the first century AD

• Became part of the Roman Empire

“Around the year 410 AD, when the Roman Legions were ____, the people of Britain were___, and left prey ___ …”

• Required at home to protect the capital

• Left unprotected

• To raiding & looting from their neighbors on the continent

“It was 499 that the first brand of people from ___

They were known as _ , perhaps from the peninsula of _ and were the first of many _”

• The great North German plain crossed the North Sea to Britain & settled in what is now the country of Kent.

• Jutes/Jutland in Denmark

• German invaders

Who came came after the Jutes?

Anglo-Saxons (group of tribes including Angles + Saxons)

Were the Britons a good match for its invaders?

No, the Britons weren’t a good match for its invaders but didn’t leave without a fight.

Who might've been the leader of the Celtic group (Britons)? Where were they driven?

• The leader might’ve been King Arthur

• Driven into the west (Wales) by the Anglo-Saxons.

What did the Anglo-Saxons bring with themselves, in terms of language.

• They brought the ancestor of our present-day English, which we call Old English or Anglo-Saxon.

“Together the Anglo-Saxons created __ that lasted until __ when the __ successfully invaded & conquered the country.”

• Anglo-Saxon England (“Angleland”

• 1066

• Normans (led by William, Duke of Normandy)

What England unified during the Anglo-Saxon like it is today?

No…

• Most of the time land was divided into separate kingdoms

• Most important areas were Kent, Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex.

“During the last two centuries of this period the Anglo-Saxons were compelled to __

• Organize themselves to resist further invasions from the Vikings or Norseman who they called “Danes”

What was King Alfred of Wessex able to do?

(871-899)

• He was able to unite his people & Force the Danes to the Northeast half of England.

“Anglo-Saxon England was born in __ , remained essentially a __ , and came to end in 1066 because of __ .”

• Warfare

• Military society

• The superior strategy of another military power - the Normans

Besides a common language, what did the Anglo-Saxons share amongst themselves?

• They shared a heroic ideal & a set of traditional heros.

• Loyalty to the leader (of tribe) + fierce personal bravery was considered necessary for survival

How did the Anglo-Saxon branch out?

• Family

• Unit

• Clan

• Tribe

• Kingdom

Although the Anglo-Saxons developed great loyalty to their leaders, they had a natural tendency towards what?

• A democratic habit of mind

  • Liked to hold meetings in which people could express themselves/thoughts openly

Although the A/S were hardy/brave… how did they have a highly developed feeling for beauty?

• Had passion for the fine ornament → produced brooches/bracelets of exquisite design.

How were the A/S different than their Norman conquerors?

• They were more artistic and poetic people compared to the Normans who were essentially soldiers/administrators.

Who was Venerable Bede?

• One of the greatest teachers and writers during the Early Middle Ages

• Man of great learning

What is one aspect of A/S civilization that survives in our daily lives?

The days of certain weekdays.

When did a bishop of London attended the church council at Arles in France? Who was the most famous?

• 314 A.D.

• The most famous was Saint Augustine (can in 597) and established a monastery at Canterbury.

Who became the first bishop of canterbury? What did he come to be regarded as?

• Saint Augustine

• “Primates” of England

“in 664, there was a synod at __, a famous monastery for __ under the leadership of the __ .”

• White Abbey

• For men and women

• Abbess Hilda

Who was also a spiritual director of the pious Caedmon? Who was the pious Caedmon?

• Abbess Hilda

• The first English religious poet, whose life by Bede is included.

What did the synod at White Abbey unite? How?

• The synod united the English church with Roman Christianity.

• The church began to draw the island kingdoms together & encouraged ties with the rest of Europe.

What kind of art was A/S poetry?

• It was oral art. (Spoken)

• Poems weren’t written ‘till much later

• Poems were sung frequently along with a harp.

What was another name for the professional poet? Why was he important?

• The Scop

• He was the memory + historian of the tribe.

  • Remembered important heros/kings/battles/folktales of the tribe

“The oral nature of the poetry probably necessitated __. These poetic devices not only aided in __ but were necessary __.”

• Strong beat/alliteration

• Memory

• Necessary raw materials for free invention.

What were the 2 most important traditions of A/S poetry? What do they do?

• Heroic traditions

• Elegiac traditions

• Mourns the passing of earlier, better times

What was grafted onto A/S traditions?

• Christian beliefs which were gradually replaced by Pagen ones.

Of the 30,000 lines of A/S poetry that remains to us, what was the most important simple poem.

• The Epic called Beowulf.

What were riddles to the Anglo-Saxons?

• They were an intellectual exercise.

The churchmen who wrote verse, generally wrote in what language? What did they occasionally include?

• Latin

• Occasionally included English

It was from their limitations of church hymns in Latin that the gradual introduction of what?

• Rhyme into English verse.

The earlier prose writers among A/S churchmen also wrote in Latin. The greatest of these was…

• Venerable Bede (673 - 735)

• Most learned + industrious writer of the whole period

• Author of A History of the English Church and People

As a historian, Bede is rightly regarded as…

“The Father of English History.”

Who was Alfred the Great?

• The ablest + most remarkable of all time kings

• Not only become the patron of scholars & educators but also turned author & translator himself

  • After delivering his kingdom from the Danes.

A/S prose and history owe most to whose influence and his example?

Rather than use Latin which was normal __ promoted use of written English & was responsible for what?

• Alfred the Great

• For the initiation of the A/S Chronicle.

  • The first historical record to be kept in English.

Alfred the Great maintained diplomatic relations with who?

• All neighboring Kings, princes

• Sent frequent embassies to Rome

• Corresponded with the Patriarch of Jerusalem

• May have sent a mission as far as India

What did Alfred the Great formulate

• A code of law + founded the first English “public school”