THE ANGLO-SAXON AND MEDIEVAL

PERIODS: 449–1485The Origins of a Nation

Historical Context From its very beginning, Britain experienced many

invasions. Groups came in and fought for control and influence over the region.

The Dark Ages—representative of the Anglo-Saxon period—was a time of bloody conflict, violence, ignorance, and barbarism.

Due to the difficulties everyday life afforded, the literature of this time period reflects these cultural realities.

Very little imagery of the short, English summers appears in the literature of this time; however, winter prevails and spring comes along slowly, if at all.

The people of this time were very serious minded so the stories often present heroic struggles in which only the strong survive.

Centuries of Invasion Britain had become home to several Celtic tribes by

4th century B.C. Britain was named after one of the Celtic tribes—the

Brythons. The Celts religion was based on the idea of animism

which refers to the belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls.

In the year 55 B.C., the Roman general Julius Caesar invaded Britain and claimed victory for Rome. He returned to Rome, leaving the Britons and their northern and western neighbors, the Picts and the Gaels, in peace.

Roman Conquest Nearly 100 years after Caesar claimed victory of

Britain, Roman troops returned to the region and made it a province of the Roman Empire.

They introduced cities, roads, written scholarship, and introduced Christianity to the Britons.

Roman rule lasted about 300 years. During this time, the Britons became accustomed to the Roman lifestyle.

In the early 5th century, Rome evacuated its troops leaving the Britons with no central government or army, thus making them susceptible to invasion.

The Anglo-Saxon InvasionA.D. 449 The Anglo-Saxons, along with other Germanic tribes, pushed the Celts into the far west of the country after a series of battles led by a Celtic chieftain named Arthur.Once settled by the Anglo-Saxons, the main part of Britain took on a new name: Angle-land, or England. Anglo-Saxon culture became the basis for

English culture. In addition, their language became the spoken language of the people. This language is now referred to as Old English.

Anglo-Saxon Society Anglo-Saxon society focused on two very important

arrangements: kinship and a lord-thane relationship. The idea of kinship became the basis of tribal culture.

It was the obligation of each member of the kinship to help, defend, and avenge other members of the family.

Strong kinship ties often sparked feuds. In this society, the only logical end to a feud was for one side to totally eliminate the other side.

This brought about the Anglo-Saxon idea of wergild. The literal translation of wergild means “man

payment”. Therefore, wergild served as a payment, or retribution to end the feud.

Anglo-Saxon Society A lord-thane relationship was the only

relationship that trumped kinship in terms of Anglo-Saxon law.

A lord was to provide a worthy thane with weapons, armor, horses, land, clothing, etc.

In return, the thane promised unyielding loyalty and militaryservice to the lord.

Anglo-Saxon Religion Offered no hope of an afterlife Valued earthly virtues such as bravery, loyalty, generosity and

friendship Similar to what we call, today, Norse mythology This pagan religion was marked by a strong belief in wryd, or fate. The bleak fatalism of the Anglo-Saxon’s early beliefs reflected the

reality of day to day life but offered no hope. When Christianity was brought in, a new sense of hope and

possibility was born. Christianity was spread in the area due to the Roman missionaries

who established monasteries. Monasteries became centers of intellectual, literary, artistic, and

social activity.

ThursdayThunorThorWednesdayWodenOdinDay of weekAnglo-Saxon godNorse god

Literature of the Times

The early literature of the Anglo-Saxon period existed in the form of epic poems which praised the deeds of heroic warriors.

These poems reflected the reality of life during this time. Epics were told as a form of entertainment. They were told by

professional poets known as scops. The literature of the Anglo-Saxons was handed down orally by scops

who sang in the lords’ mead halls, where warriors gathered to celebrate the events of the day.

These scops, like the Greek poets before them, remembered their stories by using accentual meter and many stock phrases called kennings.

The word wyrd was used by the Anglo-Saxons to represent one’s fate in life.

Because the early Anglo-Saxons did not believe strongly in an afterlife; they believed that immortality, or lof—fame that survives death—could be earned through heroic action. This is why scops were an integral part of society.

Viking Invasion The 790s brought the next wave of invaders, a fearsome

group of seafaring raiders from Denmark and Norway—the Vikings.

The Vikings looted, killed, and burned down entire villages. They found England had more desirable conditions than

their homeland so they made it their winter home. When the Vikings invaded, they plundered the monasteries

and threatened to obliterate all traces of cultural refinement.

Despite their barbaric influence, Christianity continued as a dominant cultural force for more than a thousand years to come.

The Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest marked the entrance of England into

what is known as the Medieval Period. In 1066, William the Conqueror defeated Harold and the

Anglo-Saxon armies and was crowned king of England. He took no time taking full control of England and exerted

his authority down to every last detail. He created the Domesday Book which held tax records of all property owned. This caused many people to be resentful of him.

William’s death left England in a power struggle until his great-grandson, Henry II, took the throne.

Henry was succeeded by his son, Richard I, known as Richard the Lion-Hearted.

War and PlagueAs the medieval period drew to an end, war was a constant threat.In 1337, the Hundred Year’s War between England and France began.In addition to this prolonged war, England was struck with a terrible plague known as the Black Death, which killed a third of its population.The Hundred Year’s War finally ended in 1453 and was soon followed by the Wars of the Roses.

Social Forces When looking at medieval literature, it is best

understood under the context of three major societal influences: feudalism, the church, and the code of courtly love.

This period marked a shift in language. A new form of English was developed—Middle English.

Feudalism was a political and economic system set up by William the Conqueror in which the king owned all of the land in the kingdom. The king parceled out land to his thanes who remained loyal to him.

The only exception to this hierarchy was the church. The church owned more land than anyone in Europe and, thus, had the ability to wield its own power.

Social Forces The third social force

resided in the ideals of chivalry and courtly love.

Chivalry was a code of honor intended to govern knightly behavior. It encouraged knights to be brave, generous, pious, honest, honorable, to defend the weak and battle evil in order to uphold good.

Courtly love applied chivalric ideals to the relationships between men and women.

Courtly love and the concept of chivalry represented ideals rarely met in real life, yet served as inspiration in many of the finest works of literature.

Medieval Romance Medieval romances were stories of adventure,

gallant love, chivalry, and heroism. They served as a representation of the social order and ideals of the Middle Ages.

The legendary hero, Arthur, emerged during this time and served as a catalyst for European literature.

Stories of King Arthur and his court are still revived and discussedtoday. They stand as a timeless partof English history.

Each group will need a sheet of poster board and two sets of post it notes. As a group, using your note-taking guide to assist you, decide on 10 facts you think are the most important to know about Anglo-Saxon history and the Medieval Period. On the second set of post it notes, you are to write why each corresponding fact is significant. As a group, you will create a presentation of the aspects of Anglo-Saxon society you found most important and will present your finished poster to the class.

Divide up into groups