The Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Periods 449-1485

1. The Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Periods 449-1485 By: Mr. Nathan J. Harmon

2. The Anglo-Saxon Period = The DARK AGES • Violence! • Conflict! • Barbarians! • Serious: Hero epics • Struggle • Only the strong survive Centuries of INVASION

3. Early Britian • 55b.c Ceasar claimed the British Isle • He left! Took off and left Britons, Picts, Gaels in peace • 100 years later the Romans returned • Britian became a Roman province • Build: roads, cities, scholarship

4. Early Britain (continued…) • “Romanized” • Christianity • Urban lifestyle • Public baths • Military • Dependence • Britians came to depend on Roman Government • 5th Century Turns • Roman left to deal with their own invaders

5. Anglo-Saxons • Germanic tribes • Celtic Leader: Arthur • King Arthur? • Fought the invading hordes • Driven out to the west (Cornwall & Wales) and north (Scotland) • New settlers • Angle-Land • England • Anglo-Saxon culture became the base for English culture • Old English: the gutteral sound of the people

6. 790’s: New Invaders from Denmark & Norway • Crazy Men! • Looting • Killing • Burning villages • Summer homes? Vikings!

7. Vikings !! (continued…) • Preferred the winter in England than their homes, they set up camp • The Danes! • Met defeat by Alfred the Great (Anglo-Saxon) • Alfie unified England • Brought education, learning, and culture • The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: a record of England

8. The Norman Conquest • Edward the Confessor • Descendant of Alfie, had no kids • Promised the Crown • French cousin William (so he claimed) • Nobles and the Church • Endorsed Earl Harold • Williams Response: • Norman Invasion! • Harold died Battle of Hastings 1066 • Christmas day 1066 William was crowned • William the Conqueror

9. Result • The Norman Invasion ended the Anglo-Saxon dominance of Britain • New Nobles • Out with the old • The former Noble class of Anglo-Saxons sank into the peasant class

10. Cultural Influences • The Spread of Christianity • Invaders: Pagan, belief in “Wyrd” (fate) • Strong hero worship: Strength against “evil” • Christianity Takes Hold • 300 A.D several missionaries were establiched • Spread to Ireland/Scotland

11. Christianity taking hold • 597A.D Roman missionary Augustine enters Kent. • Est. Canterbury • Monastaries became centers of education, literacy, art, and social activity • Spread rapidly • By 690 A.D all of Britain was nominally Christian • Though many held pagan traditions

12. Venerable Bede • Wrote: A history of the English Church and People • Vikings plundered monasteries, tried to destroy the culture • Christianity endured

13. Epic Tradition • Early lit. style • Heroic deeds • Mead Halls • Poems performed by Scops • History • Sermon • Pep talk • Cultural pride • Demonstrates behavior • Oral art form • As religion spread • Education spread • Writing spread • Oral tradition died out • Beowulf survives…

14. The Monarchy: William the Conqueror • New kind of King: Powerful, organized, intelligent • Law and Order • “any honest man could travel over the kingdom without injury with his bosom full of gold” • Doomsday Book: a tax that recorded and taxed all property: lakes, livestock, etc. • William’s death • Power struggles • Near anarchy • Until… The Medieval Period

15. Williams great grandson • Henry Plantagenet= Henry II • Reformed the judicial system • Est. juries • Formed common law • His son: Richard I = Richard the Lion-hearted • Ten-year reign fighting abroad • Brother plotted against him • “King John”: fought with nobles about rising taxes • Forced to sign the magna carta which limited royal power

16. War & Plague War was near constant The Hundred Years’ War 1337: England vs. France Black Death killed 1/3 of the pop. 1453: England lost almost all French holdings. Two Families fought for power York (white rose) Lancaster (red rose) War of the Roses

17. The Tudors • Wars of the Roses ended in 1485 • Henry Tudor (Lancaster) killed Richard III (York) at Bosworth field • Henry took the throne = Henry VII • End of the Middle Ages

18. Three Social Forces • The Feudal System • Feudalism: political and Economic system (implemented by William the conqueror) • King owns all • ¼ for himself • ¼ for the church • The rest to the nobles • Nobles gave land to knights • Serfs= bound to land they didn’t own (Anglo-Saxons) • Everyone paid upwards toward the king

19. Three Social Forces (continued…) • The church • Led by the Pope (in Rome) • Huge powerhouse • Levy taxes • Laws • Courts • Keeping kings in line

20. Three Social Forces • Chivalry and Courtly Love • Medieval literature: created an idea of social conduct • Chivalry: code of honor intended to guide knightly behavior • Courtly Love: Relationship ideas between lords and ladies • “the Art of Courtly Love” • Marriage is no real excuse for not loving • He who is jealous cannot love • When made public, love rarely endures • A new love puts an old one to flight • Every lover regularly turns pale in the prescience of his beloved

21. The Age of Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer: Father of English Literature showed English as a literary language Wrote in the language of the time: middle English

22. The Canterbury Tales • Chaucer’s best known work • Collection of tales • The Pilgrims characters tell stories • They reflected English development such as: the serfs realizing their value (workforce), War with France re-est. English as a ruling class language

23. Medieval Romance Adventure! King Arthur and Excalibur Legendary Hero: King Arthur Artorius Britain of roman influence King Arthur to Wales as Beowulf to Anglo-Saxon Geoffrey of Monmouth: produced welsh tales that caught the interest of the French , German, English alike

24. King Arthur: Artorius • Inspired German, English, French to create their own versions of King Arthur and the Round Table • Made chivalry something to aspire to in English courts • Feats, Battles, Ideals • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight • Death of Arthur • Retold the legendary King’s end in, printed weeks before the final battle of the War of Roses: the last battle fought with knights in armor