Anglo-Saxon England

1
Anglo-Saxon England

• Old English Literature
• Beowulf

2
Anglo-Saxon History

• 449-1066
• 50 BCE Julius Caesar arrived in Britain
• Romans pushed native Celts to outskirts
• Celts who remained became Romanized
• 407 CE Rome pulled troops from Britain
• Troops needed to defend Rome against Germanic
  tribes
• No more protection or centralized government

3

• 449 Germanic tribes (Angles, Saxons, and Jutes)
  arrived from what is now Denmark, Northern
  Germany, and northern Holland

4

• 597-664 Conversion of England
• 789-878 Viking invasions
• 871-899 reign of King Alfred the Great
• defended Wessex against Vikings
• reorganized military
• augmented navy
• created law code
• had Latin works translated into (Old) English

5

• 1042-1066 Edward the Confessor
• Remember this name!
• nicknamed the Confessor because of his piety
• unclear plan for succession
• Earl Harold Godwinson?
• King Harald Hardrada of Norway?
• Duke William of Normandy?

6

• 1066 Norman Invasion and Conquest
• January 5 Edward dies
• January 6 Harold Godwinson crowned
• September Harald Hardrada arrives
• September 25 Harald Hardrada killed
• September William of Normandy arrives
• October 14 Harold Godwinson killed
• December 25 William of Normandy crowned

7
Anglo-Saxon Culture

• Buildings
• Houses
• Small
• Wood
• Danger of fires
• Churches stone
• Large mead hall (feasting hall)
• Mead is honey wine.
• The hall provided warmth, safety, and
  companionship.

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Anglo-Saxon House

• (recreation)

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Anglo-Saxon Church
10
Anglo-Saxon Mead Hall

• (recreation)

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• Political structure (early Anglo-Saxon Age)
• Tribal
• Kingchosen by witan (group of advisors)
• Warriors
• Comitatus
• Relationship between king and warriors
• Warriors gave king protection.
• King gave warriors gold.

12

• Religion
• Paganism
• Analogous to Norse beliefs
• Týr (Tuesday), Woden (Wednesday), Thor
  (Thursday), Frigg (Friday)
• Christianity
• Full-scale conversion began in 597
• Augustinesent by Pope Gregory
• Conversion did not occur overnight Paganism and
  Christianity lived side-by-side for a while

13

• Paganism

• Christianity

• Polytheistic
• Focused on this world
• Name lives on
• Valued pride
• Wyrd controls
• People read omens
• Sacrifices

• Monotheistic
• Focused on the afterlife
• Spirit lives on
• Valued humility
• God controls
• People trusted in God
• Prayer

14

• Language Old English
• Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum
• Si þin nama gehalgod
• to becume þin rice
• gewurþe ðin willa
• on eorðan swa swa on heofonum.
• urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg
• and forgyf us ure gyltas
• swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum
• and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge
• ac alys us of yfele soþlice

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• Old English

• Modern English

• Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum
• Si þin nama gehalgod
• to becume þin rice
• gewurþe ðin willa
• on eorðan swa swa on heofonum.
• urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg
• and forgyf us ure gyltas
• swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum
• and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge
• ac alys us of yfele soþlice

• Our Father, Who art in Heaven,
• Hallowed be Thy name,
• Thy kingdom come,
• Thy will be done,
• On earth as it is in Heaven.
• Give us this day our daily bread,
• And forgive us our trespasses,
• As we forgive those who trespass against us,
• And lead us not into temptation,
• But deliver us from evil.

16

• Anglo-Saxon for people and culture
• Old English for language
• Germanic
• Inflected (word form more important than word
  order)

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• Literature
• Only monks could write
• Wrote in scriptoria
• Sometimes added commentary
• Poetry
• Did not rhyme
• Alliteration
• Stressed syllables

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Beowulf

• Began in oral tradition
• Written down in 8th century
• Preserved in one manuscript
• Parts damaged by fire
• Setting
• 6th century
• What is now Denmark and Sweden

19
The Beowulf Manuscript