3 - anglo-saxons and vikings Flashcards
who were and where did they occupy - Angles, saxons and jutes
angles: northumbria
jutes: kent and isle of wwight
Saxons from saxony: sussex, wessex essex,
state of britain in 7th c
britons forced westward by migration of germanic people
- christianity in britain by late 7th c (aethelbert of kent converts in 600
continuity or change? Structure (churches) and christianc customs (practices) such as burial, building etc
How did kingdoms emerge in Britain
- Gradual emergence of kingdoms after Roman ritain
- Extent of power: fluid and frequently changeable.
- Alliances made through marriage and religion
secular power?
- Kings of people not terriroty
- kngsoften travel a lot. hereditary succession not guaranteed
- sub-kings and overlords occupied this brutal period
- frequent warfare between rival kingdoms
- slves, hostages and exiles``
Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England (dual inheritance)
outline roman inheritence
and spread of xn
Roman:
- Mission sent from Rome (pope gregory te great)
- Augustine arrives in Canterbury in 597
- Northumbrian king dwin mariges with kent and baptised by paulinus in 627. Paulinus hasmass baptism in nothumbria.
- Lindisfarne: Holy island off coast of northumbria. Has bishopric and monastery. founded on land given to St Aidan (ion) by King Oswld. St Cuthbert 685-7. Art, literareture and learning + lindisfarne gospels and wealth/prestige
led to northumbrian renaissance
Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England (dual inheritance)
Outline irish/celtic inheritence
- King oswald exiled amongst irish during edwards reign.
- St Aidan establishes monastery at Lindisfare
- 2nd wave conversion from lindisfarne and iona
- ## close connections between reland and northumbria
Northumbrian renaissance
-
Northumbrias golden age
- cultural flowering, mixing of insular, germanic and mediterrenean art.
expanse of scriptre and science
Wearnemouth Farrow; Dual monastery late 7th c. Glass and Sculpture showed wealth and connection.
Viking raids:
- Causes of ‘Viking Age’
- One of last medieval “great migrations”
- Factors
Economic (push/pull)
Demograhic (overpop)
Environmental (medieval warm period)
Political (exiles)
Technological (ships/navigation)
“studying causes of viking age ispotentially as illuminating and complex as interpreting decline of the roman empire.” BArett, What used the viking age, 2008
Viking raids, western europe 790-900
- late 8th c: 1st small scale hit and run on coast of Britain and Ireland.
Frankish: lindisfarne 793, Weremouth Jarrow: 794, Iona: 795 - From 840s raids inreased and stayed over winter
- 860s-90s campaign armies of 100s of ships
- danish great army active onbritish mainland from 865
same army attacked Frankia in 880s`
FroM Raids to Settlement:
- Initially: Plunder (moveable Wealth), Loot (cash vlaue), captives (slavery/ransom)
- later on: territory
> 869-78: great army conquers and settles east anglia and northumbria
> Treaty of Alfred and Guthru (886-890). Alfred of Wessex defeated causing guthrum to convert
> subsequent christianisation of Vikings. - Sack of lindisfarme all sources written by Churchmen and victims`
Viking settlements
9/10th c
- Religious life centuires into 9th C: ‘life virtue’
830s: Dorestadt trding site given to vikings to protect
869-78: Great Army Conquered Mercia and created settlement of Danelaw which split land between vikings
911: Charles the simple of Frankia cedes monarchy to Rollo and through treaty creates Duchy of Normandy granting land to vikings
Anglo-Saxon England in the Viking age
a) religion
a) Other counties thrive as Northumbria suffers
- rise of Mercia (midlands) eg. Offa (757)
- Attempts to make archbishoprics at lichfield (offa) and Coenwulf (796). Copying Charlemagne who got Pope to appoint his son as King.
- Programme of Church Building in the late 8th and 9th century e.g. Brixworth
Anglo-Saxon England in Viking Age
a) Ecghert and rise of wessex (802-839)
a) 802-839 Ecbert
- Masterminded 825 defeat of Mercians at Ellundun
- Decline of Mercia coincides with re-emergence of West-Saxons.
- Several Notable west-saxon kings descended from Ecgbert
- his dynasty dominated with west saxon leadership e.g. King Alfred
Anglo-Saxon England in Viking Age
c) Great Army Transition to settlement
a) 80 years of Scandinavean political dominance in North England and East Anglia.
c) The Army organised settlements e.g. Northumbria in 876, Mercia in 879 and E.Anglia in 880
d) Great Army starts in East-Anglia, goes north takes York, down to Nottingham,cambridge and then Wessex (west saxon)
e) Army uses Repton as winter camp in early 870s, monks flee and mass pagan buurial. The Church is rebuilt after the army leaves but monastic community never return
Alfred the Great
- Scholar, Administrator, Lawmaker, Negotiator, reformist
- Dominates West Saxon of Anglo-Saxon England since Egbert
- King of Wessex had connections to Rome and Frankia
- Fought vking age 23 at ascensio