Anglo-Saxon Period and Middle Ages History and Literature

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key dates, figures, literary terms, and historical developments of the Anglo-Saxon Period and the Middle Ages in England.

Anglo-Saxon Period

The historical era lasting from 449 to 1066, characterized by tribal warfare, warrior culture, oral storytelling, and the spread of Christianity.

800–600 BC

The period marking the Celtic settlement in Britain.

Celts

The earliest people mentioned in Britain, including the Britons and Gaels, who settled around 800–600 BC.

AD 43

The year of the Roman conquest of Britain, after which the Romans constructed walls and roads throughout the region.

Angles and Saxons

Two Germanic tribes that invaded Britain and gave it the name 'Angle Land.'

King Egbert

The Anglo-Saxon leader who was the first to unite the tribes into a unified whole.

Alfred the Great

The king who defeated the Danes and reunited England under his rule.

Canute

A Danish ruler who eventually ruled England.

600s

The century during which written language first emerged in Anglo-Saxon England.

Oral History

The tradition of passing down stories, history, and customs through speaking and memorization rather than through written text.

Scop

An Anglo-Saxon bard, poet, or storyteller who preserved traditions by memorizing and reciting stories, often in mead halls.

Mead Halls

Gathering places where Anglo-Saxon scops recited memorized poetry and heroic tales.

Secular Literature

Literature that is not religious; in Old English, most secular literature remained oral, resulting in few surviving written pieces.

Middle Ages

The historical era lasting from 1066 to 1485, marked by Norman rule, feudalism, linguistic division, and church-state conflict.

1066

The year of the Battle of Hastings, marking the Norman victory and the beginning of the Middle Ages in England.

William the Conqueror

The Duke of Normandy who conquered England after winning the Battle of Hastings in 1066, introducing feudalism and Norman French influence.

Feudalism

A medieval social and political system introduced after the Norman conquest that placed primary value and power on land ownership.

Crusades

Medieval military campaigns undertaken by European Christians intended to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslims.

1215

The year the Magna Carta was granted during the reign of King John.

Magna Carta

A landmark English legal document established in 1215 under King John designed to limit the monarch's power.

Hundred Years' War

A protracted armed conflict fought between England and France that lasted for more than 120 years.

Black Death

A devastating outbreak of bubonic plague that killed over one-quarter of England's population, leading to a shortage of workers and the growth of cities.