Around 600, invasion by Jutes (Danes) Later by Angles and...
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Anglo Saxon notes.notebook 1 August 25, 2015 Sep 31:35 PM British Literature I - Honors Covers information from 440 - Victorian Era College Prep Expectations: *reading *writing *presentations *projects *participation - discussion & group work Note: Not everyone will get an A or B Aug 162:43 PM The Anglo Saxon Period 449 - 1066 AD Aug 162:46 PM Before the Anglo-Saxon Period were The Dark Ages This was a time of: Bloody conflicts Violence Ignorance People were barbaric. They were very serious and had little humor. . .Only the strong survived! Aug 162:56 PM Let’s step back for a moment . . . The island that we now know as England was originally inhabited by Celtic tribes from Central Asia. 2 groups of Celts 1. Brythons (Britons) settled on the island of Britain 2. Gaels settled on the island of Ireland The Celts were farmers and hunters organized into tightly knit clans led by a chieftain to whom they were fiercely loyal Aug 238:36 AM The Celtic Heroes: A Magical World * (around 300 BC) the island of Britain was inhabited by tall blond warriors who called themselves Celts * a group of these warriors, called Brythons, left their permanent stamp on Britain Aug 238:32 AM *The Roman General Julius Caesar attempted to conquer the British Isles in 55 B.C. * Put off by the Celtic warriors, he quickly claimed a victory and returned to Rome. * Thus leaving the Celts (and their neighbors to the north and west the Picts and Geats) in peace.
Transcript of Around 600, invasion by Jutes (Danes) Later by Angles and...
Anglo Saxon notes.notebook
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August 25, 2015
Sep 31:35 PM
British Literature I - HonorsCovers information from 440 - Victorian Era
College Prep
Expectations:*reading*writing*presentations*projects*participation - discussion & group work
Note: Not everyone will get an A or B
Aug 162:43 PM
The Anglo Saxon Period449 - 1066 AD
Aug 162:46 PM
Before the Anglo-Saxon Period were
The Dark AgesThis was a time of:
Bloody conflictsViolence
Ignorance
People were barbaric. They were very serious and had little humor. . .Only the
strong survived!
Aug 162:56 PM
Let’s step back for a moment . . .
The island that we now know as England was originally inhabited by Celtic tribes from Central Asia.
2 groups of Celts1. Brythons (Britons) settled on the island of Britain2. Gaels settled on the island of Ireland
The Celts were farmers and huntersorganized into tightly knit clansled by a chieftain to whom they were fiercely loyal
Aug 238:36 AM
The Celtic Heroes: A Magical World
* (around 300 BC) the island of Britain was inhabited by tall blond warriors who called themselves Celts* a group of these warriors, called Brythons, left their permanent stamp on
Britain
Aug 238:32 AM
*The Roman General Julius Caesar attempted to conquer theBritish Isles in 55 B.C.
* Put off by the Celtic warriors, hequickly claimed a victory andreturned to Rome.
* Thus leaving the Celts (and theirneighbors to the north and west thePicts and Geats) in peace.
Anglo Saxon notes.notebook
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August 25, 2015
Aug 238:43 AM
The Romans: The Great Administrators
* about a hundred years later, the Roman EmperorClaudius finally conquered the Britons (theCelts)
* Rome brought organization to Britain – armies thatprevented further invasions, networks of roads, and agreat defensive wall seventy-three miles long, "civilization," Christianity, and literacy.
*evidence of Roman influence--city names-caster-chester
Aug 238:49 AM
But, Rome pulled out . . .
* The Romans were having trouble in Rome.* By 409 AD, they had evacuated their troopsfrom Britain, leaving roads, walls, villas, andpublic baths, but no central government.* Without Roman control, Britain was a countryof separate clans.* separation led to weakness, weakness led tovulnerability to other conquering nations
Sep 312:52 PM
Brief period of military success-King Arthur--character based on fact (510 -600?)
-Leader of celtic people-stood for chivalry-round table-education-ALL Leaders
Sep 312:56 PM
Around 600, invasion by Jutes (Danes)Later by Angles and SaxonsThese were Germanic tribes
brought common language"Angle-ish" - ancestor of present day English = Old English or Anglo-Saxon
"Angleland" lasted until 1066William Duke of Normandy led the Norman
Conquest
Aug 238:50 AM
* The Celts did put up a brave fight butfinally retreated into Cornwall and Walesin the far west of the country and Scotlandin the north.
Aug 171:50 PM
The AngloSaxon period was an important time of chivalry and heroism
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August 25, 2015
Aug 171:52 PM
The Anglo Saxon Society began as many small kingdoms.
Eventually, they absorbed one another until only seven kingdoms remained:1. Essex2. Wessex3. Sussex4. North Umbria5. Merica & the Midlands6. East Anglia7. Kent
Aug 171:54 PM
AngloSaxon hierarchyKING (Ringgiver)
leaders were admired for their generosity to loyal subjects
Earls (Thanes or Free Warriors)claimed kinship to founder of tribes
Freemen (Genlets)independent landowners
Churlsboundmen who trace ancestry to former captives of triberesponsible for hard labor
Thralls slaves
Aug 239:04 AM
Anglo-Saxon Religion* The Anglo-Saxon religion was pagan. It was very dark, honoringwarrior gods.
*Tiw - god of war* Woden – god of death, poetry and magic - chief god* Thor – god of thunder and lightning
* Religion focused on the fact that life was hard and the way to be remembered after death was to fightgloriously in battle.* Their religion focused on a strong belief in wyrd, or FATE,and they saved any admiration for heroic warriors whose fate it was toprevail in battle.* On the whole the religion was more concerned withethics than mysticism. Focused on the earthly virtuesof bravery, loyalty, generosity, and friendship.
Aug 238:59 AM
Daily life of Anglo-Saxons* Warfare was the order of the day.* People were fiercely loyal to their individual clans and leaders. Each tribe had their own king. * Fame and success were gained only through loyalty to the leader.* They tended to live close to their animals in single-family wooden buildings that surrounded a warm-lit communal hall, or mead hall.
* In the dark, death-shadowed world of the Anglo-Saxons, the bards gave one element of hope: the possibility that heroic deeds would beremembered in the society’s songs and oral poems.
Aug 172:06 PM
Warrior & Seafaring Life
The People admired:men of outstanding courageloyalty to leader and tribefierce personal valorgood sportsmanshipenduranceathletic prowessbraveryrespect for each otheraction & fightingstrengthfair play
These traits were considered necessary for the survival of all
Sep 31:06 PM
Other important aspects of Anglo-Saxon society:DemocraticArtPagan worship
Weekdays from old Anglo-Saxon godsTuesday - Tiw - god of warWednesday - Woden - chief A-S godThursday - Thor - god of thunderFriday - Frigga - goddess of the home
Thor
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August 25, 2015
Sep 31:09 PM
Anglo-Saxon literature oral art--folklore, epics, riddlesmead halls--King's gathering place
drank mead, fought, were boisterous,lots of boasting, poor table manners,told stories and riddles
scops--retell current and past events, record,
remember, and retell history, preserve a record of achievements for later generations
oral tradition necessitated a strong beat and alliteration
Two important traditions of Anglo-Saxon poetry:
1. heroic tradition2. elegiac tradition
Aug 172:13 PM
Characteristics of AS Poetry: heroic (Epic Hero Cycle)almost no romantic lovestrong use of literary devices
synecdoche part used to express the whole (sail = boat)metonymynames something by some object or attribute thatis associated with it (crown = king)kenningmetaphor that takes the place of a name(whaleroad = sea)litotesironic understatement(he's no beauty)alliteration
doesn't rhymeceasura in each line (a pause)4 principal beats in each line
Aug 239:08 AM
Spread of Christianity
* In 597 a Roman missionary named Augustine arrived in the kingdom of Kent, where he established a monastery at Canterbury.
* From there Christianity spread, and all ofEngland was at least nominally Christian (somestill held to the pagan beliefs.)
Aug 239:09 AM
The Christian Monasteries* Monasteries served as centers of learning.* They are responsible for preserving the earlier Greek and Latin works, but also local works and epic poems like Beowulf.* In the scriptorium, or writing room, Monks spent theirdays hand copying texts. (Printing is still 800 yearsaway.)* Latin remained the “serious” language of learning untilthe time of King Alfred.* St. Augustine instituted the AngloSaxon Chronicle, a lengthyrunning history of England. Because of these efforts,English gained respect as language of culture.
Aug 172:19 PM
During the 9th century, the Danes and Norse (Vikings) invaded and raided the British Islands.
Aug 238:53 AM
* The invaders of the north were plunderingand destroying everything in their path.
* At first their aim was to hit and run, to get what they could. Later they realized that England’s winters were easier than their harsh, icy ones.
* The Danish & Norse invaders set up camps andeventually gained control of parts of the country.
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August 25, 2015
Aug 238:52 AM
King Alfred of Wessex
By the middle of the century most of northern, eastern and central England had fallen to the invaders. Only the Saxon king of Wessex managed to fight them off.
Aug 238:54 AM
* Under King Alfred and Christianity, the Anglo-Saxons fought to protect their land and way of life from the Danes.
* Alfred's children, Ethelfleda, a brilliant military leader and strategist, and her brother Edward, carried on King Alfred’s fight against the Danes.
*But by the end of the 10th century, the Danes recaptured the land that Alfred the Great had claimed. They forced the rule of Danish kings.
Aug 238:57 AM
The Norman Conquest* In 1042 a descendent of Alfred’s took the throne,the deeply religious Edward the Confessor.
* Edward died and left the throne childless.* William, Duke of Normandy, declared thatEdward had sworn an oath making him heir.
* When a counsel of nobles and church officialschose an English earl, Harold, to succeedEdward, William invaded England.
* At the Battle of Hastings in 1066, Harold was killed andWilliam the Conqueror was crowned king on ChristmasDay. Thus ending the Anglo-Saxon time period.
