Anglo-Saxons Literary Period Flashcards
What time period was the Anglo-Saxons
449-1066 A.D.
How many years did the Anglo-Saxons rule England?
600 years
Why is England hard to rule?
England is an island, therefore it is hard to defend from enemies.
Who were the 3 major inhabitants of England?
- Celts
- Romans
- Anglo-Saxons
What was the order of Invasion of England?
- Pre-Roman/Celts
- Roman Occupation
- Anglo-Saxons
- Viking Invasions
- Norman Conquest.
Who were the Celts
- A.K.A -Brythons or Britons (term britain)
- Mostly farmers / lived in clans
- Polytheistic (animism)
What is Animism?
Animism is a belief that gods live in all things like trees, stones, water, air.
What is Stonehenge?
A possible spiritual place built form limited tools and tech. Each stone weighed 4 tons. Wiltshire, England.
Who were the Romans?
- Caesar starts invasion, Claudius completes invasion
- Built wall, villas, baths, and roads (5,000 mi. worth)
- Hadrian’s wall / keeps out enemies for 250 years
- Evacuate in 409 A.D. because Rome is being attacked
What were the results of the Roman Occupation?
- Military was strong
- pushed celts into wales and ireland
- prevented vikings from raiding
“Rome’s greatest gift to Britain was peace” - Infrastructure
- Government
- walls, villas, public baths
What continued after the Romans left?
- Language / Writing
- Latin official language
- Practice of recording history begins
- Religion
- Christianity begins to take hold
Who were the Anglo-Saxons?
499-1066
Pushed the celts to the far west of the country
What were the important events of the Anglo-Saxon invasion?
- Two groups the Angles and the Saxons cross the north sea from Northern Germany
- Jutes invade from the Jutland peninsula in Denmark
- Anglo-Saxon kingdoms become the Anglo-Saxons that made up the non-unified England, aka the Heptarchy (7 Kingdoms)
What is does Heptarchy stand for? What are the names of the kingdoms?
Seven KIngdoms
- Kent
- Essex
- Sussex
- East Anglia
- Northumbria
- Mercia
- Wessex
Who made up the Anglo-Saxons? Where were they from?
Angles, Saxons, and Jutes
Northern Germany (Angels, Saxons), Denmark (Jutes)
What was Anglo-Saxon society like?
- Warrior based, led by a strong warrior chief/warriors were admired
- Warefare was both commonplace and important to societal structure
- Needed to protect the clan/home from enemies
- Fame and success = achieved through loyalty to a leader. success measured by gifts reviewed from said leader.
- Women had rights. Held property even after marriage, offered gifts of land/money from prospective husbands.
what does Wyrd mean?
fate/destiny
what was a mead hall?
Great hall of the king where most Scops told their stories.
What is the Comitatus Relationship?
A mutually beneficial relationship between a lord and his nobles. Thane swears to defend a lord until death and in return receives, weapons, protection, and a share of the wealth.
Who were Scops?
Scops = skilled storytellers
a. told heroic deeds
b. regarded as equals to warriors in society
c. remembered their stories via meter and kennings.
Importance
a. Anglo-Saxons believed their fame/deeds lived on in an afterlife
b. Immortality was gained via song and preserved collective memories
what does “lof” mean?
fame that survives death
What was Anglo-Saxon religion like?
- no hope for an afterlife
- valued - bravery, loyalty, generosity, and friendship
- worshiped gods similar or Norse myth
What was the language like during the Anglo-Saxons?
Old English, during this time they spoke Old English but studied Latin until King Alfred changed it.
Who was King Alfred the Great?
From Wessex
Instituted the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Made English a respected Language
