Who Were The Anglo Saxons A QUICK HISTORY

Who Were The Anglo Saxons? A QUICK HISTORY OF ENGLAND BEFORE 800 BC- 1066 AD

�Modern Great Britain = Island comprising of England, Scotland, and Wales �Modern United Kingdom = Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and several smaller islands (British Isles) �Six groups make up the English: Iberians, Celtics, Romans, Anglo Saxons, Vikings, and Normans

Iberians (Before 800 BC) �Came from the Iberian Peninsula (present-day Portugal and Spain)

Celtics (b/w 800 -600 BC) � 2 groups of Celtics: Brythons (Britons) and Gaets � Brythons occupied the main island, Britain � Gaets occupied smaller island, Ireland Druids acted as priests, judges, historians, etc. Ultimate leaders Highly respected Mistletoe

Roman Conquest (55 & 54 BC) �Julius Caesar made a hasty claim of conquest �Then he was off to write his memoirs �But while he was gone…. spread nasty rumors about the Druids �Why did everyone believe him?

Roman Round Two (100 years later ) � Claudius came and maintained rule for about 300 years � Brought roads (still used today) and a great defensive wall seventy-three miles long � Brought Christianity � Old Celtic religion began to vanish � Then they left…. Troops left Country without a leader/divided What now? What would happen if I suddenly left? Invasion from the north

Angles/Saxons/Jutes: 449 AD and before �Invasion from the north �Angles and Saxons from Germany �Jutes from Denmark �Took charge and pushed the Celtics into Whales

Angles/Saxons/Jutes: 449 AD and before � When Anglo Saxons first show up, lots of different kingdoms with different kings Ex: Mountain King looks down at Lake King and wants the lake. They fight for the lake, and so forth…keeps going…. Eventually, 7 kingdoms (HEPTARCHY) Kent � Northumbria � Wessex � Merica � Sussex � East Anglia �

Anglo Saxons cont’d � About the people: Believe in “Wyrd” aka God of Fate Ex: Farmers need it to rain right now and it rains, “Dude, that’s so weird. ” Today’s weird: “coincidence” Witan: council of elders, chose leader, highly respected Woman had more rights during Anglo Saxon period than after the Norman Conquest in 1066 � Other gods God of War & the Sky: Tiu (too) …. . Tuesday Woden (God of War)…. Woden’s Day…. . Wednesday Woden had a wife named Fria……Friday Thor (God of Thunder)…. Thursday Sun & Moon = Sunday & Monday Saturn (Roman god)…. Saturday

Christianity vs. Paganism (450 -650 AD) � Christian Irish monks returned to the north to spread Christianity and Roman Christians came from the South � By 650 AD Christianity was the main religion (conversion of the various Anglo-Saxon kings) � B/c of Christianity men treated their wives, children, and slaves better � Warlords couldn’t claim they were descended from the gods � Woman were given an active role in the church � Church brought education and literature � Despite influence of Christianity, the old Anglo-Saxon religion with its warrior gods persisted � Beowulf: mentions both—reflects the time

Vikings (b/w 9 th & 12 th centuries) �Scandinavians (Vikings) started coming in and conquering everything �Why were they so good at this? - Tiny boats that could sail all the way to the middle of the country to farms---didn’t just land on the coast Had no interest in sharing land or slaves Destroyed everything

Wessex held strong! �Only kingdom to hold off Vikings �Ruled by Alfred the Great (Anglo-Saxon) Pushed learning and literacy Unified England Instituted the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (A lengthy running history of England. Gave England respect) Rebuilt destroyed cities �Vikings wanted Wessex! �Told Alfred to choose a Viking or we come back and kill you

Normans (1042) �Line of Alfred the Great regained the throne under Edward the Confessor �Norman on Mother’s side �Close cousin to William of Normandy (William the Conqueror) �Death led to the Norman conquest of England in 1066 Battle of Hastings