Download History - Early Britain (Invasions)

British History: An Introduction
Part 1 – Early Years
Why is History Important?
History can give meaning and context to
culture:
The origins of traditions, languages,
art, geography etc are all related to
history.
E.g. Why is Mandarin the official language of
Taiwan?
Why can many older people in Taiwan
speak Japanese?
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Overview of Early British History
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Stone Age – The Neolithic
Bronze Age
Iron Age
The Romans
The Invasions – Anglo Saxon, Jutes, Vikings
Neolithic ~8000 – 2500 BC
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At the end of the last Ice Age
(~8300 BC) people crossed
into ‘Britain’ and settling
mostly in the East and South
of England.
Until around 6500BC, when
the English Channel was
formed, 'Britain' did not exist
but was part of the Eurasian
landmass.
The initial settlers were
hunter-gatherers. This meant
that they had a nomadic
lifestyle, and spent most of
their time engaged in
obtaining enough food for
survival.
The First Britons
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The first 'Britons' were an
ethnically mixed group (from
many places)
But they were all part of the
Caucasoid population of
Europe.
The varied environment of
Britain encouraged a great
diversity of cultures
Bronze Age ~2500 – 700 BC
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During this time the
hunter-gatherers started
to farm animals and
grow crops
As farming improved,
more food was grown to
feed more people
The population of
Britain ~1400 BC was
~one million
The Iron Age ~700 BC – 45 AD
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At this time, iron came into
general use, replacing
bronze as the basic material
for implements and
weapons.
Britain was still not a nation
but a collection of
indigenous tribes and more
recent Celtic invaders and
settlers
The many regional cultures
of the British Iron Age grew
out of the preceding local
Bronze Age
Iron Age Celts
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The Iron Age Celts' clothes were often
brightly colored. The Celts used berries
and plants to dye the wool different
colors.
Some of them painted patterns all over
their bodies with blue woad made of a
special plant.
The Celts' clothes showed their status
and importance within the tribe. Men
would wear a tunic with a belt, a cloak
and trousers. Women wore dresses
fastened with brooches
Celtic tribes were led by hereditary Kings
and warlords
The Kings were supported by a warriors
who enslaved most of the peasants.
Warfare was common between tribes
Confrontations tended to be brief.
The Romans
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Britain is a land of agricultural
and mineral wealth
In 43AD, the Roman Emperor
Claudius invaded Britain with
approximately 50,000 men.
They quickly occupied the
South East and then moved
inland.
Within 25 years much of
England and Wales had been
absorbed into the province of
Britannia.
The Roman Empire
Britain and the Romans
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At this time the population of Britain was about 3
million
Romans did not really ‘colonize’ Britain. There
was no mass migration from Rome
Native people adopted Greco-Roman civilization
Britons became Roman citizens, culturally and
legally.
By AD 300, almost everyone in 'Britannia' was
Roman, even though of native descent and still
speaking 'Celtic' dialects.
Scotland was untouched by Roman government.
The kingdom of the Picts appeared during the
third century AD.
The Romans & The Celts
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Some Celts, especially those
in the South East, were proRoman due to trade with the
Roman Empire and because
ofinter-tribal rivalry
Roman departure from Britain
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Because Rome was
being invaded, the
Roman soldiers were
moved from Britain to
defend Rome
The Romans had left
Britain by 410.
The inhabitants were
forced to look to their
own defences and
government
After the Romans
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The end of Roman power saw the return of
ancient cultural trends of the Iron Age.
By the sixth century, most of Britannia was
taken over by 'Germanic' kingdoms.
The Romano-British were slaughtered or
driven west by invading Anglo-Saxons
In the western-most parts, small kingdoms
formed under pressure from the Saxons, into
the Welsh and Cornish regions.
Changes after the Romans
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A Germanic people replaced the Celtic
British, or at least became a significant
part of the population of lowland Britain.
Germanic dialects replaced Latin or
Celtic
Loose knit and feuding hereditary
kingships replaced the more centrally
governed Roman provinces.
Because this change took place while
the Germanic immigrants were pagan
and illiterate, the process was not well
recorded
Anglo-Saxons
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The Angle, Saxon, and Jute tribes who invaded
Britain in the 5th and 6th centuries are known as the
Anglo-Saxons.
They left their homelands in northern Germany,
Denmark and northern Holland and rowed across
the North Sea in wooden boats.
Anglo-Saxons
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It is unclear why
the Anglo-Saxons
came to Britain.
It may have been because their land often flooded
and it was difficult to grow crops, so they were
looking for new places to settle down and farm
Anglo-Saxons
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The Anglo-Saxons took
control of most of Britain
They never conquered
Scotland, Wales or Cornwall
They divided the country
into kingdoms, each with its
own royal family. The
stronger kingdoms often
took control of the weaker
kingdoms
By around AD 600 the five
main Anglo-Saxon kingdoms
were Northumbria, Mercia,
Wessex, Kent and Anglia.
What Happened to The AngloSaxons?
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In the 8th and 9th centuries the
people of Scandinavia, who were
known as the Vikings, began to
come to Britain.
Anglo-Saxon accounts describe
terrible Viking raids in which
people were massacred,
churches destroyed, and animals
and precious objects stolen.
By the end of the 870s, the
Vikings occupied most of eastern
England. Their territory was
called the Danelaw.
Vikings
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In the year 793 Viking pirates raiders
started to attack parts of Britain.
They would kill people and steal their
valuables.
In 865 a 'Great Army' of Danish Vikings
invaded England.
In the end the Vikings conquered all of
northern, central and eastern England,
and seized much of the land for their
own farms. This area was called 'The
Danelaw'.
During the same period, Norwegian
Vikings sailed to northern and western
Scotland, and seized land for their
farms around the coast and islands.
They also settled in the Isle of Man, and
parts of Wales.
Vikings
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The Vikings came
from three countries
in Scandinavia:
Denmark, Norway
and Sweden.
They were also
known as the Norse
people. They were
mostly farmers, but
some worked as
craftsmen or traders.
Many Vikings were great travellers and sailed all over Europe and
the north Atlantic Ocean in their longships.
Some went as fierce pirate raiders: they stole treasure and attacked
local people.
But most Vikings who sailed overseas were simply searching for
better land for their farms.
The Viking Age began about 1,200 years ago in the 8th Century AD
and lasted for 300 years.
Alfred The Great
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By 878 the Vikings had
conquered all of England
except Wessex.
Wessex remained AngloSaxon as King Alfred of
Wessex defeated the Vikings
in battle.
Gradually, the areas of
England under Viking rule
were reconquered by Alfred's
descendants.
But in the early 11th century
the whole of England was
ruled by the Viking King Knut.
The End of the Vikings
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In Scotland, powerful Viking earls
continued to rule the islands and
some of the mainland for
hundreds of years. They were
driven from the mainland in the
mid-12th century, but remained in
the northern islands for another
300 years.
The End of the Anglo-Saxons
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The Anglo-Saxon period came to an end in 1066.
Duke William of Normandy (France) came to England
and defeated Harold, the Earl of Wessex, in the
Battle of Hastings
This was the
beginning of the
Norman period in
English history.
The Roman Legacy
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Many types of animals and plants were brought to Britain in
Roman times. e.g. chestnut trees and chickens.
Miles, feet, and inches. All these are Roman measurements.
The Romans introduced Christianity to Britain. Many churches
are still built using designs like a Roman Basilica.
Reading and writing were also introduced by the Romans.
Before the Romans arrived nobody in Britain knew how to read
or write. Stories and knowledge could only be passed on by
word of mouth. From Roman times onwards people in Britain
would always write things down.
The Romans also helped the English language. Many words in
English and Welsh have been borrowed from the Latin
language. Some examples are:autumn, beautiful, continue, different....
The Viking Legacy
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Language
Many familiar words such as 'husband', 'egg', 'law',
'knife' and 'window' originally came from the Vikings'
language.
Some days of the week are named after their Viking
gods: for example, Thursday is 'Thor's Day'
Place names
Any place with a name ending in -by, -thorpe, or -ay
was originally settled by the Vikings
Anglo-Saxon Legacy
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Many places in England are still called by their Anglo-Saxon
names
 ton - farm or village
 ford - river crossing
 wic - farmstead
 ham - settlement
 den - hill
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Parts of the British legal system can be traced back to AngloSaxon times
Many Anglo-Saxon words are still used today.
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faether - father
sunu - son
dohtor - daughter
chese - cheese