Lecture 1 the anglo-saxon period 449-1066 plan:

1. The Germanic Invasions

2. Anglo-Saxon Civilization

3. Anglo-Saxon Literature

4. Beowulf

5. Bede

The germanic invasions

Very little is known about the Britons, a Celtic people who were the original inhabitants of Britain. They were conquered by the Romans in the first century a.d. and became a part of the Roman Empire. Ev­idence of this occupation exists in familiar place names ending in -caster or -chester, a local version of the Latin word for "camp," castra. Around the year 410, when the Roman legions were required at home to protect the capital, the peoples of Britain were left unpro­tected and fell prey to raiding and looting from their neighbors on the Continent.

According to tradition, it was in 449 that the first band of people from the great North German plain crossed the North Sea to Britain and settled in what is now the county of Kent. They were Jutes, from the peninsula of Jutland in Denmark, and they were the first of many Germanic invaders. Following the Jutes came Angles and Saxons. The Britons were no match for the invaders, but they did not retreat to the mountains and moors without a struggle. The leg­endary King Arthur may have been the leader of the Celtic people who were driven into Wales.

These Germanic tribes brought with them a common language, the ancestor of our present-day English, called Old English or Anglo-Saxon. Together they created the Anglo-Saxon England ("Angle-land") that lasted until 1066, when the Normans led by William, Duke of Normandy, successfully invaded and conquered the country.

During the Anglo-Saxon period, England was not the unified country it is today. Most of this time the land was divided into sepa­rate kingdoms, the most important of which were Kent, Northumbria, Mercia, and Wessex. During the last two centuries of this period, the Anglo-Saxons were compelled to organize themselves to resist further invasions from the Vikings, or Norsemen, whom they called "Danes." King Alfred of Wessex (871-899) was able to unite his people and to force the Danes to the northeast part of England. Anglo-Saxon England was born in warfare, remained an essentially military society, and came to an end in 1066 because of the superior strategy of another military power - the Normans.

Anglo-saxon civilization

Although the Anglo-Saxons frequently fought with one another, they had a great deal in common. Besides a common language base they shared a heroic ideal and set of traditional heroes. They ad­mired men of outstanding courage, whatever tribe they came from. Loyalty to the leader and the tribe and fierce personal valor were considered necessary for the survival of all. Persons of rank were re­ceived with grave courtesy, whatever their tribe or people. The ruler was supposed to be generous to those who were loyal, and the fol­lowers, in return for this generosity, were to remain loyal. Everyone was aware of the shortness of life and the passing away of all things. Everything was thought to be determined by an impersonal, irresist­ible fate. Therefore, all competed zealously for fame, the only thing that lasted.

Anglo-Saxon society was comparatively well-developed, branching out from the family unit to the clan and tribe and then to the king­dom. While the Anglo-Saxons easily developed great loyalty to their chosen leaders, they had a natural tendency toward what we should call now a democratic habit of mind —that is, they liked to hold meetings in which people could openly express what they thought and felt.

Although it is widely known that the Anglo-Saxons were hardy and brave, it is not generally realized that they had a highly developed feeling for beauty. They had a passion for fine ornament, and they produced many beautiful pieces, such as brooches and bracelets of exquisite design and workmanship. They were in fact a more artistic and poetic people than their Norman conquerors, who were essen­tially soldiers and administrators. The Anglo-Saxons also had vigor­ous minds. They had men of great learning such as the Venerable Bede. By the end of the period we are studying, learning in England was so admired on the Continent that it was natural for European rulers to send to England for teachers.

One aspect of Anglo-Saxon civilization that survives in our daily lives is the names of certain weekdays. The names of these days are derived from the names of old Anglo-Saxon gods: Tuesday from Tiw, the god of war; Wednesday from Woden, the chief Teutonic god; Thursday from Thor, the god of thunder; and Friday from Frigga, goddess of the home. Even many basic American traditions in law, conduct, outlook, language, and literature are a legacy from the Anglo-Saxons.