407 romans withdraw from britain celts - britons anglo-saxons

407 Romans withdraw from Britain

Celts - Britons

Anglo-Saxons

End 6th c. Anglo-Saxons dominant in England

596 Pope Gregory the Great sends mission toEngland

Angles - angels

Deira - de ira dei Aelle - Alleluia

597 Augustine (of Canterbury, d. 605) arrivesin England, converts King Aethelbert ofKent, establishes monastery at Canterbury

617-33 Reign of Edwin, King of Northumbria,who is married to Aethelberga, daughterof Aethelbert

625 Edwin converted to Christianity throughinfluence of wife and Paulinus

633 Conquest of Northumbria by Penda, paganKing of Mercia

St Patrick (c. 390-461)

From W. England. Capturedby Irish raiders, slavefor several years

Escaped to Gaul, studied atvarious monasteries

c. 432 Returned to Ireland asbishop

Irish/Celtic Christianity

Monasteries as basic units of organisation

Ascetic lifestyle of monks

Devotion to learning

Self-exile as religious observance (St Columba(521-97), St Columbanus (founder ofBobbio, c. 530-615)

634 Oswald drives out Penda, retakesNorthumbria. Brings in Aidan (d. 651),who founds monastery of Lindisfarne

643 Penda kills Oswald in battle. Power passesto Oswy (r. 643-70)

656 Oswy kills Penda

664 Synod of Whitby

Eanfled Wilfred Colman

669 Pope sends Theodore of Tarsus to be newArchbishop of Canterbury. Accompaniedby Hadrian (founder of school atCanterbury) and Benedict Biscop (628-90,founder of monasteries of Wearmouth andJarrow)

Northumbrian/Anglo-Saxon Renaissance

The Venerable Bede (672/73-735)

Oblate, spent most of life at Wearmouthand Jarrow

Wrote wide range of works

Ecclesiastical History of the English People

Beowulf:

Old English

First written down in present formc. 700

Other vernacular works:

First collection of Germanic law (Kent)

Anglo-Saxon devotional poetry(Caedmon, Cynewulf)

Role of women, e.g. Hild (614-80), Abbessof Whitby (“double monastery”),founder, teacher