Medieval England

1
Medieval England

• In the Age
• Of Alfred
• And the
• Norman Conquest

2
Medieval England

• The Viking attacks took on a different meaning
  and severity than on the European Continent.
• The Vikings actually conquered a number of
  Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms
• Established themselves as Rulers, created large
  settlements in eastern and northern England
• Even staged a second wave of raids more violent
  and dangerous then the first wave(if that is
  possible).

3
Medieval England

• There are two visible trends in Anglo-Saxon
  history Cultural and political.
• Culturally, the Monks especially Bede, the Abbott
  of Jarrow, and Alcuin of York were leading
  intellectuals of the day
• We know of famous masterpieces of art in the form
  of Biblical illustrations, and intellectual
  written knowledge because of these Anglo-Saxons
  Lindisfarne Gospels.

4
Medieval England

• Politicallywe have the rise of the Kingdom of
  Mercia important because it was the first
  unified control of the Anglo-Saxon society
• This control or unification took several forms
• Exact a tribute, forced unimpeded travel, and
  establish Mercias independence from other
  Anglo-Saxon principalities.
• Most famous King of Mercia was Offa.

5
Medieval England

• King Offa very unique
• Considered equal to Charlemagne in power
• Maintained close ties with the continent
  especially Charlemagne
• Ruled from 757 to 796 AD built huge earthen dyke
  to keep out the Celts

6
Medieval England

• As the second wave of Viking raids intensified,
  this time the Viking armies settled forming
  permanent Danish villages
• Also succeeded in destroying several Anglo-Saxon
  kingdoms
• They would kill the Anglo-Saxon King and
  establish a Dane on the throne

7
Medieval England

• It appeared the Danes would conquer all of
  England
• King Alfred of Wessex stood tall and stopped the
  Danish infiltration
• He was Alfred the Great, but so was most everyone
  with a title, Constantine the Great, Alexander
  the Great, Gregory the Great, Charles the Great
  etc . . .

8
Medieval England

• However, Alfred was Great
• 870AD Danes captured Mercia then attacked
  Wessex
• Aethelred and brother Alfred defeated the Danes
• Danes regrouped drove Alfred into hiding
• Alfred regrouped and beat the Danes rather
  severely, so bad that the Dane King accepted
  Christianityended Danish threat divided England
  into two distinct zones

9
Danelaw and Wessex

• North and east of England was known as
  Danelawunder the control of Danish Kings
• Zone two was Kingdom of Wessex Anglo-Saxons
  there accepted Alfreds rule, better then the
  Danes
• Alfred seemed the only person capable of
  defeating the Vikings

10
Alfred the Great

• To prepare for the probable Viking counter
  attack, Alfred fortified towns on the periphery
  and internally in his Kingdom
• Vikings never could penetrate enough to defeat
  Alfred
• He was also an intellectual, translated Latin
  books into English promoted intellectual reform,
  hired scholars for his court only literate
  English King until Henry VIII--

11
Medieval England

• After Alfreds death, subsequent Kings determined
  to rid England of all Danish influence
• This mean genocide against all Danish
  settlements
• The issue was that everybody was fighting
  everybody

12
Medieval England

• The Danes focused their time and energy on
  England
• The Norwegians focused on Ireland
• The Anglo-Saxons had to focus on the Danes and
  the Celts
• The Norwegians tended to attack anyone in their
  way, even Danes if they refused to give ground.
• In the end the Anglo-Saxon rulers succeeded.

13
Medieval England

• Succeeded just in time for a second wave of
  fierce Viking attacks at the end of the 10th
  century
• Worse because they only focused on England
• Norwegians and Danes alliedso larger more
  organized army
• Anglo-Saxons forced to pay the Danegeld as did
  the Carolingian Rulers.

14
Medieval England

• Anglo-Saxon King Aethelred decided to pay the
  tribute, but he also formed an alliance with the
  Normans (a Viking heritage people) He married the
  Duke of Normandys daughterthis would enormous
  consequences later on
• He also decided to massacre all Danish
  inhabitants left in England.

15
Medieval England

• The alliance worked the massacre backfired
• It upset the Danes and the Norwegians
• Re assaulted England driving the Anglo-Saxon
  Kings to Normandy into exile
• They would return later, but only long enough to
  defeat the Norwegians and lose to the Normans.

16
Consequences of Viking Raids

• Recall the first wave united England under the
  House of Wessex to fend off the Vikings and
  Danish influence
• The second wave created an environment that drove
  the Anglo-Saxon kings out of England making
  England part of the Scandinavian Empire
• Of course it opened the door for the Norman
  invasion about 50yrs later.

17
Anglo-Saxon Return

• The Dane empire fell apart rather quickly, the
  Anglo-Saxons returned quite peacefully
• Anglo-Saxons however, had a very good run
  compared to other Barbarians the Ostrogoths and
  Vandals never got out of the 6th century
• The Visigoths made it to the 8th century before
  being conquered by the Empire of Islam
• The Franks, well they never were subduedthey
  alone remained on the ContinentAnglo-Saxons also
  were in their final days.

18
William the Bastard

• 1066 Saxon King died with no heirs
• King Harald Hardrata of Norway claimed rightful
  heir to the English throne
• Duke of Normandy, William the Bastard also
  claimed the English Throne
• Both had legitimate reasonsEngland prepared for
  attacks from both Norway and Normandy

19
William the Bastard

• King Harold self-appointed king of the
  Anglo-Saxons prepared for war
• Because of bad weather across the Channel, the
  Duke of Normandy was delayed
• Norwegian King Harald arrived first-he was
  defeated buy the Anglo-Saxons very costly
  victory, Stamford Bridge

20
William the Conqueror

• Harald had hoped to beat the Saxons then prepare
  against William
• Unfortunately for King Harold of the Saxons, he
  was very much weakened and logistically not up to
  a fight with William
• At the battle of Hastings, Harold almost won
  anyway until an arrow pierced his eye William
  won the day.

21
Norman Conquest

• William the Bastard traded his name in for a more
  appropriate monikerthe Conqueror
• Normans descendants of Scandinavia, but no longer
  Pagan and French is their mother tongue very
  much Christian created a more Continental look
  for Englandno longer looking toward Scandinavia
• Would constantly become embroiled in European
  issues.

22
Norman Conquest

• One huge influence aside from political and
  social issues, but language
• No longer would the Anglo-Saxon language be
  spokenOld English dies out
• Middle English heavily influenced with French
  would come on the scene
• And eventually the Queens English and American
  English we know today.

23
Conclusion

• Paradoxically, the Viking raids of the 7th, 8th
  and 9th centuries created the atmosphere for the
  final collapse and ending of the Carolingian
  European rule
• In England it created a unified England and the
  second wave of attacks during the 10th century
  created a truly unified and powerful England
  under the control of the ex-Viking Normans.
• In a full circle, we have re-established the
  Anglican rule in England and Americaof course
  with some Ottonian, Frankish, and Scandinavian
  flavors