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The Anglo-Saxons: 449–1066
Introduction to the Literary Period
Feature Menu
Interactive Time Line
Milestone: The Celts in Britain
Milestone: The Roman Occupation
Milestone: The Anglo-Saxon Invasion
Milestone: King Alfred against the Danes
Milestone: The Spread of Christianity
Milestone: The Norman Invasion
What Have You Learned?
A Bit of Background
• England is part of a relatively small country that
also includes Scotland and Wales. It has been
invaded and settled many times over the course
of its history. Some of these invaders were the
Iberians, Celts, Romans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes,
and Normans. Each of these groups of people
contributed to what one knows as England today.
In turn, these people have had profound effects
on us as Americans since our system of
government, language, literature and culture
retain links to England.
The Anglo-Saxons: 449–1066
Choose a link on the time line to go to a milestone.
A.D. 1066
A.D. 449
Norman
Anglo-Saxon
Invasion
Invasion
55 B.C–A.D.409
A.D.878
Roman Occupation
King Alfred
against
the Danes
300s B.C.
Celts in Britain
300
B.C.
A.D.
1
A.D.
300
A.D.
600
A.D. 400–699
Spread of Christianity
A.D.
900
A.D.
1200
The Celts in Britain
Before and during the 4th century B.C.
• Britain home to several
Celtic (tall, blond warriors)
tribes
• Britain named for one Celtic
tribe—the Brythons
• Celtic religion a form of
animism
• Druids were Celtic priests
Stonehenge
The Roman Occupation
55 B.C.
Hadrian’s Wall
Julius Caesar invades Britain
A.D. 43
Celts defeated by Claudius
• Romans build walls, villas,
baths, roads
A.D. 409
Romans evacuate their troops
• Britain left vulnerable to attack
• Central government breaks down
Roman ruins
The Anglo-Saxon Invasion
Jutes
Angles
Celts
Saxons
A.D. 449 The Anglo-Saxons push the Celts
into the far west of the country.
The Anglo-Saxon Invasion
Anglo-Saxon Society
• kinship groups led by
strong warrior chief
• people farmed,
established local
governments,
produced fine
craftwork
• English emerged as a
written language
The Anglo-Saxon Invasion
Page from Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Old English
The Anglo-Saxon Invasion
The Anglo-Saxon religion
• offered no hope of an afterlife
• valued earthly virtues of bravery, loyalty,
generosity, and friendship
• was similar to Norse mythology
Norse god
Odin
Anglo-Saxon god Day of week
Wednesday
Woden
Thor
Thunor
Thursday
The Anglo-Saxon Invasion
The Anglo-Saxon bards
• called scops (pronounced “Shops”
• strummed harp as they sang
• sang of heroic deeds
• were often called “warriors”
Why were the scops important?
• Anglo-Saxons did not believe in
afterlife
• warriors gained immortality
through songs
Anglo-Saxon harp
Anglo-Saxon Living Conditions
• The Anglo Saxons tended to live close to their animals in
single-family homesteads, wooden structures that
surrounded a communal court or chieftain’s hall. This
cluster of dwellings was protected by a wooden stockade
fence. This arrangement contributed to their sense of
security and the their tendency toward community
discussion and rule by consensus.
• The communal hall offered a place of
shelter, a place for holding council
meetings, and a place for entertainment.
Characteristics of Old English
Poetry
iamb – one unstressed and one stressed syllable.
iambic tetrameter – four iambs used together to form a
line of poetry. (In Xanadu did Kubla Khan)
alliteration – the repetition of consonant and vowel
sounds at the beginnings of words.
“Then Wiglaf went back, anxious” Beowulf, line 791
caesura – rhythmical pause used to divide a verse
line in half.
“All the earth ages
and droops unto death.”
“The Wanderer,” line57
kennings – descriptive compound words
ring-giver (king)
sea-stallions (ships)
King Alfred against the Danes
8th–9th centuries
Vikings called Danes
invade Britain
871 Alfred of Wessex
is king of England.
878 King Alfred unifies
Anglo-Saxons against
the Danes.
England becomes a nation.
King Sweyn and his Danish troops
arrive in England, from a
manuscript (c. 14th century)
The Spread of Christianity
Around A.D. 400
• Christian monks
settle in Britain
• Christianity and
Anglo-Saxon
culture co-exist
By A.D. 699
• British pagan
religions replaced by
Christianity
The Norman Invasion
1066
• William of Normandy crosses the English
Channel
• William defeats Harold and Anglo-Saxon army
• French replaces
English as the
language of the
ruling class
The Norman Invasion,
Bayeux Tapestry
What Have You Learned?
Indicate whether the following statements refer to
the time before, during, or after the Anglo-Saxon
era.
______ Viking invaders terrorized England.
during
after
______ French became the language of the
ruling class.
during
______ England became unified under Alfred the
Great.
before
______ Animism was the primary religious belief.
END