3.1: Early History & Geography

Question 1

Name all the British invasion periods from first to last

Answer 1

1. Roman
2. Germanic (Anglo-saxon + Vikings)
3. Norman (the French)

Question 2

Up until 1066, Britons…

Answer 2

• Had seen a history of invasions
• Possessed remnants of long long ago
  Invasions:
• Romans
• Germanic: Anglo-Saxon & Vikings
• Normans (a.k.a. the French)

Question 3

What did the Islands of Britain witsness? What were the results of this?

Answer 3

• Islands of Britain witnessed wave
  after wave of invasions and
  settlements
• Results: conflict, wealth, faith, war
• This also shaped language, art, and destinies of the peoples of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

Question 4

Prehistoric Britain

Answer 4

• During the Ice Age Britain was connected to the European continent. First people arrived (hunter/gatherers)
• When the Ice Age ended Britain was separated from the continent (around 12,000 years ago)
• Farming (introduced in Britain around 6,000 years ago) changed the landscape + created a different social structure

Question 5

Monument Stonehenge

Answer 5

• Built between 3100 BC – 1600 BC.
  Astronomical clock - position sun at
  important times of the year such as
  midwinter and midsummer
• Used by Druids (Members of the learned class among the ancient Celts - Priests, teachers and judges)

Question 6

Islands of Britain during the Iron Age

Answer 6

• People lived in tribes – powerful
  chief + warriors. Iron weapons.
• Hillforts used for storage depots,
  homes, workspaces, shelter.
• Trading and/or ceremonies (?)
• Celtic languages spoken

Question 7

When was the Roman Invasion?

Answer 7

43 AD

Question 8

Roman Invasion: Notes and focus

Answer 8

The Celts, picts and the Scots were living in Britain before the Romans arrived.
Note: There’s a seperate history for Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England.
Focus of the Romans: The Island of Great Britain

Question 9

Consequences of the Roman Invasion

Answer 9

• Few changes to society as the romans did not mingle (marry) the Britains.
• Hadrian’s Wall was built (117 km - built from 122-130 AD
• Placenames with Roman origin: Britain, Londondinium, Colchester
• Roads (infrastructure), forts, baths
• Properity and peace, UNTIL THEY LEFT

Question 10

Why did the Romans invade Britain?

Answer 10

• Romans’ Motive: Expand empire, exploit resources, control Celtic tribes.
• Britannia’s Importance: Remote, not a key priority, but rich in metals and farmland.
• Boudica: Celtic Iceni queen in Britannica who led a major revolt (60-61 AD) against Roman rule.

Question 11

What happened when the Romans left? (Negatives)

Answer 11

• Power vacuum = unrest
• Roman cities crumbled
• Invaders swept through the
  south

Question 12

When was the Anglo-Saxon period

Answer 12

• 410-1066

Question 13

The Anglo-Saxon Invasion

Answer 13

Also known as the Germanic Invasion.Angles, Saxons and Jutes
* 5th century
* Difference with Romans: did integrate with the natives (intermarrige etc)
* Introduction of the architectural lifestyle

Question 14

Consequences of the Anglo-Saxon Invasion in Britain

Answer 14

• Integration means huge influence on culture
• Intermarriage
• Agricultural lifestyle
• Supplanting Celtic language with Germanic dialect

Question 15

How did the consequences of the Anglo-saxon invasion different per parts of Britain?

Answer 15

West: remained Celtic (Wales ruled by Briton descendants)
North: not much invaded by then (Scotland)
Ireland: remains disunited

Question 16

What is Sutton Hoo?

Answer 16

Sutton Hoo is a ship burial, located in Suffolk, from +/- 600 AD.
he most significant artefacts from the ship-burial, which are now
displayed in the British Museum, are those found in the burial chamber, including a suite of metalwork dress fittings in gold and gems, a ceremonial helmet, a shield and sword, a lyre, and many pieces of silver plate from the Byzantine Empire. (Burial of high-ranking person!)
It is suspected to be an Anglo-Saxon burial mound.

Question 17

Beowulf

Answer 17

• Epic poem
• Written in Old-English
• 3182 lines – oral tradition
• Alliteration

Question 18

Christianity in Britain

Answer 18

Spread from two directions:
* North: 432AD → St Patrick converts Ireland
* South: 579> → the Roman St Augustine converts Kentish king (Aethelbert)
* Establishment of the Archbishop of Canterbury

Question 19

Viking Invasions (date)

Answer 19

8th and 9th century

Question 20

Consequences of the Viking Invasions

Answer 20

Consequences
* Again: interaction
* Intermarriage, trading, farming
* Languages mixed: Old Norse and Old English
* Their culture didn’t differ fundamentally from the Anglo-Saxon culture (Germanic tribes)
Viking Words and Viking Raids
* Grimsby, Thornby, Derby (by is the Scandinavian word for “homestead” or
“village”).

Question 21

Viking Invasions (motto, goals)

Answer 21

• Marauders: Raiders
• Usually: come, plunder, leave.
• In the 870s, Anglo-Saxon chronincle: “They divided the land, settled
  down and began to plough”.
  Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
• Settled mostly in the North of Britain

Question 22

King Alfred the Great ruling periods

Answer 22

King of Wessex 871-886
King of Anglo-Saxon 886-899

Question 23

King Alfred the Great: Quote and goal

Answer 23

“Without wisdom, nothing can be done to any purpose.”
- First real
- Wanted to translate into English
“the books most needful for men to know” and solve illiteracy
- Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Question 23

King Alfred the Great - Kingdom of Wessex

Answer 23

• Was first real Anglo-Saxon king and a scholar
• Great influence on the English Language
• Repressed the Viking invaders
• Developed the idea of a united
  England – Angelcynn (The English)

Question 24

Britain in the late 9th Century (Who's living where?)

Answer 24

Anglo-Saxon period lasted nearly 6 centuries (+/- 600 years) * Stability = prosperity → England is quite sophisticated now * Very different in Scotland, Wales and Ireland Everything is about to change…

Question 24

Norman Conquest (date)

Answer 24

1066

Question 25

What was the Norman invasion?

Answer 25

The last successful invasion of Britain * 14 October 1066 - The Battle of Hastings * Young King Harold II – beaten * King William I / William the Conqueror / William the Bastard; wanted the throne that was promised to him. * Bayeux Tapestry: Shows the progress of the battle. Date from 11th century, a few years after the battle.

Question 26

Consequence 1 of the Norman Invasion

Answer 26

1. Feudal system -> English Class System * Replaced the complete ruling class (chief tenants replaced by French nobility) * Divine Right: Chosen by God to rule and possess all power * Start of the Feudal System: Norman Barons

Question 27

The Feudal System

Answer 27

TOP: The King (deserved to rule by Divine Right) THEN: Barons (rich noblemen) - received lands from the king NEXT: Knights, received land from the barons in exchange for protection LOWEST: Serfs - Peasant farmers who provided food for the entire chain

Question 28

Consequence 2 of the Norman Invasion

Answer 28

Influence on Language: English starting to possess French words. * Nobility speaks French (court language also French) * Peasants and serfs speak English * Poetry/Literature: Done in French or Latin

Question 29

What was drafted in 1086: The Domesday book

Answer 29

The Domesday book Original Name: This nickname for the book that was originally called the Winchester Book was given to the book because it reminded people of the Last Judgement in the Bible. The original administrative record/summary of a country-wide survey done by WIlliam I (william the conqueror, from normandy), to keep track of the taxes people owed him. Domesday Book covers all of England except the northern areas. (Possessions, poultry, animals, buildings, etc.)

Question 30

When did the Norman period end?

Answer 30

1485 - The Tudor Dynasty started and the Norman period ended

Question 31

What similar structure to Hadrian's wall was begun in AD 142?

Answer 31

The Antonine Wall, built further north, shows the increasing expansion of the Roman Empire.

Question 32

Why did the Romans give up on pursuing Scotland?

Answer 32

as the lands there were not as fertile and the northern tribes were quite rebellious, the Romans soon gave up on their wish of conquering present-day Scotland.

Question 33

Interactions between the vikings and the Anglo-Saxons

Answer 33

There was a lot of interaction between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings. The cultural differences between Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings were comparatively small since they had the same agricultural lifestyle and spoke different varieties of the same Germanic tongue. As the Vikings interacted with their English neighbours, first through farming and trading activities and later through intermarriage, the two languages (Old Norse and Old English) mixed as well. [Placenames,; Derby, Grimsby (by meaning homestad or village)]