Anglo Saxon Notes Flashcards
What invasions took place in Anglo Saxon period that led to the beginning of the English language?
Invasions of Angles, Saxons and Jutes
What conquest happened during the Anglo Saxon period?
Norman Conquest
British literature is the English language literature of the inhabitants of ___________
The British Isles and British empire
When was Beowulf created?
800 AD
Who were the first invaders in Prehistory?
Iberians
Where did Iberians come from?
From what is now Spain and Portugal
When the Iberians settle the British isles?
In Stone Age
What were the other invaders of British isles?
No way to know
When was Stonehenge built and by who and why?
Built in 2000 BC, no one knows by who and why it was built
Theories: for religious, human sacrifices, calendar etc
Who burned down library of Alexandria?
Islamic people
Celts come In waves from _____ BC
800-600 BC
What were the two groups of celts from souther Europe that invaded British Isles
1) Brythons/Britons
2) Gaelic-settled Ireland
What did celts speak and what was their influence on English?
They spoke Celtic languages unrelated to English. Had little or no influence on English
Gaelic? celts were _______/farmers
Hunger
Celts organized Into clans loyal to an individual _________
Chieftains
Who were the most important people in Celtic society?
Druids
What were the tree types of Druids?
1) Priest (Pre-Christian religion, included sacrifices)
2) Judges
3) Story Tellers
What did the type of Druid judges do?
Settled inter-clan disputes
What did Druid story tellers do?
Created, memorized and recited epic heroic myth poems
Name two characters in an epic heroic myth poem
Old King Cole (nursery rhyme) King Lear (Shakespeare)
When did the Romans conquer?
55-54 BC
How many times does Julius Caesar invade and what does he say in his memoirs?
Twice
Doesn’t truly conquer but says he does in memoirs
The Romans really conquered Britain 100 years later under which emperor?
Claudius
What did the emperor Claudius establish when he conquered British isles?
Established camps the towns
Roman culture arrives
PAVED ROADS link the island
When did the last Roman regions leave the British isles and why?
407 AD because to help defend Rome against Huns
When did the Angles, Saxons and Jutes invade?
In 449 AD
What were the Angles, Saxons and Jutes?
Warriors, fishermen from Denmark (where Beowulf took place) and Germany(where saxony was)
Angles Saxons and Jutes take over all but what?
Western Britain
How did Scotland and Wales form?
The Angles Saxons and Jutes didn’t conquer Western Britain so that formed Wales and Scotland
What do the areas of the Angles Saxons and Jutes become?
Become “Angles’ land”, shortened for “England”
Germanic languages spoken by these invaders develop into what?
“Angle-ish”—-> “English”
From when to when was the Anglo Saxon Period, AKA the beginning of English language?
449-1066 AD
Tribal units gradually _______
Merge
The king is chosen by who?
Witan- council of elders
Who were the 4 social classes?
1) earls
2) freemen
3) churls
4) thralls
Who were the earls?
Hereditary ruling warlords loyal to king earl (who invented sandwich)
Who were the freemen?
Landowners and traders
No wealth back then, money=land
Who were the subdivision of freemen?
Thanes
Who were the thanes?
Early barons- status via military service
Who were the churls?
Bonded servants who worked the land
Who were the thralls?
Slaves
What was the religion?
Pagan-fate(wyrd)- no real free will
Who were the Germanic gods?
Tiu
Woden
Fria
Who was Tiu?
God of the sky/war- Tuesday
Who was Woden?
King of gods- Wednesday
Who was Fria?
Queen of gods- Friday
Where did original Britons retreat?
Retreated to Wales, Scotland, Ireland, continued to speak Celtic languages
Who introduced Christianity? Who kept it alive? Where?
Romans introduced it
Celts kept it alive in Wales, Ireland(st Patrick) and Scotland and finally England
Who was Columba?
Soldier/abbot
What did Columba found? And when?
First Christian monetary in England in 563 AD
The monetary in England was major unifying and civilizing factor in _________
England
By 650 AD most of England is __________
Christian
What does Christianity reintroduce?
Reintroduces written word (Romans)
What did monks work as?
Scribes
What are scribes?
Copiers of manuscript
What are illuminated manuscripts?
Manuscripts painted and bordered in gold and silver
Who was the Venerable Bede?
First English historian
What book did the Venerable Bede write?
A History of the English Church and People
Written in Latin
Who were Scops?
Singer (like Homer) who accompanied themselves on Harp
Recitations sometimes went on for days
Who were the assistant of Scops?
Gleemen
Have to be this before becoming a Scop
What are Epics?
Long heroic Poems
What are the three characteristics of Epics?
1) rigid pattern of accents- 4 accents per line
2) caesura- pause in middle of poetic line
3) alliteration- repetition of initial letter sound
What are the two types of Anglo-Saxon verse?
1) heroic poetry
2) elegiac poetry
What is a heroic poetry?
Achievements of warriors
What’s an elegiac poetry?
Lament over death or significant loss
