British Beginnings. “Britons” 800-600 B.C.E. Celts invade the British Isles. –Brythons...
-
Upload
theresa-fitzgerald -
Category
Documents
-
view
224 -
download
0
Transcript of British Beginnings. “Britons” 800-600 B.C.E. Celts invade the British Isles. –Brythons...
British BeginningsBritish Beginnings
““Britons”Britons”
• 800-600 B.C.E. Celts invade the British Isles.– Brythons (Britons)
settled England– Gaels settled Ireland
Organized into clans with a chieftain
Priests (Druids) would settle disputes
Romans!Romans!
• 55 B.C.E. Julius Caesar invades England
• Small battles and encampments last for 100 years, finally Romans begin to colonize.
• 407 C.E. Roman legions leave England to defend Rome itself.
Christianity on the IslandChristianity on the Island
• 597 C.E. St. Augustine (from Rome) converts King Ethelbert of Kent to Christianity
• Augustine sets up monastery at Canterbury
• Converts other rules and promotes peace and unity
Anglo-SaxonsAnglo-Saxons• 449 C.E. Invaded from what is now
Germany.
• 800’s : Vikings attack– Danes from Denmark (southern England)– Norse from Norway (Northumbria, Scotland,
Wales, Ireland)– Danelaw: 886
• Saxon Rule in the South• Danish rule in East and North
Anglo-SaxonsAnglo-Saxons
Norse and DanesNorse and Danes
• Nose: Northumbria, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland
• Danes: eastern and southern England
• 871 Alfred the Great takes the Wessex throne, only king to gain title
• 886 Truce between Danes and the Saxons– Danelaw
Anglo-SaxonsAnglo-Saxons
• Expert sea-farers
• Although they converted to Christianity, many retained a pagan conviction in the power of fate, retold Germanic and Scandinavian tales of heroes and monsters.
• A man-dominated society. Sorry ladies, you would have very few rights as a single female and even fewer if you were married
• Late 900’s: Danes force Saxons to have Danish kings
• 1042 succession returns to Alfred’s bloodline, Edward “The Confessor” due to his devote faith as a Christian
• 1066: Edward’s death is the end of the Anglo-Saxon period.
The Exeter BookThe Exeter Book
• Collection of manuscripts that includes pieces from oral tradition
• Compiled during the reign of Alfred T.G. by monks (871-899)
• Has large burns and several stains (drinking mug) and several cuts
• Recorded stories told in the oral tradition
Anglo-Saxon LyricsAnglo-Saxon Lyrics
The making of poetry!The making of poetry!
VocabularyVocabulary
• Lyric poem: expresses the thought and feelings of a single speaker.
• Anglo-Saxon lyrics: composed for easy memorization and recitation
• Elegy: a lyric poem mourning the loss of someone or something.
Component PartsComponent Parts
• Lines with regular rhythms, usually with four strong beats
• Ceasuras: rhythmic breaks in the middle of lines, where the reciter could pause for breath
• Kennings: two-word poetic renamings of people, places, and things, such as the kenning “whales’ home” for the sea
Component PartsComponent Parts
• Assonance: the repetition of initial vowel sounds in accented syllables
• Alliteration: the repetition of initial consonant sounds in accented syllables