British Literature Notes

Anglo Saxon Period as well as pre-Danish civilization

E. Fullerton

Accelerated English IV

                                                                             

 

Pre-Danish Britain

 

Between 800 BC and 600 BC the Celts invaded the British Isles

                Two Groups of Celts

1.       Brythons (Britons) – settled on the island of Britain

2.       Gaels – settled on the island of Ireland

 

Both groups spoke different but related languages of the Celtic family.

 

Celts were farmers and hunters, organized into tightly knit clans – each led by a chieftain to whom they were fiercely loyal.

 

When the clans argued they would go to a class of priest called druids to settle their disputes.

 

Druids presided over religious rituals, as well as memorized and recited long, heroic poems that preserved the people’s stories/myths of the past. (Their history was preserved orally.)

 

·         Roman Invasion (55 and 54 BC) – Romans invaded Britain. Julius Caesar invaded the island hastily. Although he barely penetrated the island, he declared it conquered and returned to France to work on his memoirs. The island was not really conquered by Rome until nearly one hundred years later during the reign of the emperor Claudius.

·         Romans established towns across the island and brought many of their comforts with them. Most important contribution was a system of well-paved roads that continued to serve the island for centuries. Fragments of original Roman roads still present on the island today.

·         Roman rule lasted for more than three hundred years. It ended when Northern European tribes invaded Italy. 407 AD – the last Roman troops left the island to defend Rome.

 

The Anglo – Saxon Period (449-1066 AD)

 

Three groups invaded Britain by 449:

Angles, Saxons, and Jutes

 

*The arrival of the Anglo-Saxons marks the beginning of the English language.

 

The Anglo-Saxons soon drove the natives from the eastern, central, & southern areas. They soon became known as “Angles Land” or England.

 

Anglo-Saxons spoke Germanic languages that developed into “Angle-ish” or English. This language is the precursor to the language that we speak today.

 

·         The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes brought highly organized tribal units that were ruled by a king.

·         Witan – a council of elders who would choose the king for each tribal unit.

 

At first there were many small kingdoms which frequently fought with one another. Tribal differences eventually faded. The kingdoms traded with one another and men from one tribe would marry women from another tribe. Gradually, kingdoms absorbed one another until seven kingdoms remained. The language spoken was Anglo-Saxon or Old English.

 

Seven Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms

1.       Essex

2.       Wessex

3.       Sussex

4.       North Umbria

5.       Mercia & the Midlands

6.       East Anglia

7.       Kent

 

When the Anglo-Saxons invaded, the Britons retreated to the edges of the island. Cornwall, Wales, even to Ireland and Scotland. In these areas People spoke Celtic languages: Cornish, Welsh, Irish Gaelic, and Scottish Gaelic.  All except the Cornish language are still spoken today.

 

Religious Beliefs of Anglo-Saxons

 Anglo- Saxons were pagans. They believed in fate, which is the opposite of the Christian belief that all individuals have the freedom to make their own choices in life.

 

Early Anglo-Saxons worshipped ancient gods of Germanic mythology. This is from where the days of the week came.

Example: Tiu, god of war = Tuesday, Woden, chief of the gods = Wednesday, Fria, Woden’s wife                  and goddess of home = Friday

 

 

·         Spread of Christianity of the British Isles

During the 4th century the Romans introduced Christianity to England. The Celts continued to be Christian after the Romans left and kept up the practice while they fled from the Anglo-Saxons. Rome fell in 476 AD to barbarian tribes and communication weakened between the Celtic and Roman Christians. Even while the Roman church was recovering from political upheaval, the Celtic Church continued and thrived.

·         563  a group of Irish monks set sail for the west coast of Scotland. Columba – a soldier and abbot along with the monks moved across northern Britain to convert souls to Christianity. They won acceptance from many Scots, as well as from some Angles and some Saxons. This led to the establishment of monasteries in the north.

·         597 – St. Augustine arrived in southeast England and converted King Ethelbert of Kent to Christianity. Augustine set up a monastery at Canterbury in Kent. He began preaching his faith to the other rulers. If the king was converted then the kingdom would follow.

·         650 – St. Augustine and his followers had largely succeeded in converting the island to Christianity.

·         The church brought education and written literature with it. Both of which had been missing from Britain since the Romans left.

·         Schools were established at Canterbury and York.

·         The monasteries supervised the preservation of learning. Monks would work as scribes, recording and duplicating manuscripts – books painstakingly written by hand. At first they worked on in Latin, the language of Church scholarship. It often took several monks years to complete a single manuscript. They were printed elaborately and illuminated in gold or silver.

·         Venerable Bede (673 – 735) called the father of English History, a Northumbrian monk, he wrote An Ecclesiastical History of the English Church and People which gives us the most meaningful account of early Anglo-Saxon life.

 

Anglo Saxon Social Life

 

Centered around Mead Hall

                Mead – fermented beverages made from honey.

                Built by the local lord or king for the entertainment of the thanes

                Thanes – warriors and soldiers loyal to the local lord or king.

 

The appearance of the mead hall

                Rectangular

                Pointed roof

                Middle trench on the inside for fires

                Two long, low tables on each side of the trench

                Supported by rows of columns

 

Flagon – cup for mead

Ate from communal dishes

Utensils were hunting knives

 

Entertainment

                Gleeman –singers

                Scop – poets

 

Character Traits of Anglo-Saxons

Athletic

Strong

Seafaring

Adventures

Strong belief in fair play

 

Seven Anglo-Saxon Ideals

Repression of sentiment

Allegiance to Lord or King

Great love of personal freedom

Lord or King must be hospitable to Thanes

Respect for women

Love for Glory

Honored the truth

 

 

Anglo-Saxon Literature

 

Mostly oral stories, especially riddles

Written Poetry

                Doesn’t rhyme

                Uses alliteration

                Uses Kennings(Anglo-Saxon metaphor, often hyphenated) Ex. Whales-path = sea

                Caesura in each line (a pause)

                4 principal beats in each line

 

Symbolism with Seasons

                Spring = Youth

                Summer = Adult

                Autumn = Old Age

                Winter = Death

 

Beowulf

                Pagan story embellished with Christian references

                Recorded between 800-900 AD by a Christian West Saxon

                Serious Tone

                Presents a vision of evil in the world

                Expresses belief in the power of “Wyrd” (the power of fate)

 

Importance of Beowulf

                Only survivor of the early English epics

                Important linguistic document

                Important information old English social life and politics

 

 

The First Danish Invasion

                        Between the 9th and 12th centuries, the Danes and the Norse (Vikings) raided the British

                        Islands.

·         Norse – invaded North Umbria, Scotland,  Wales, and Ireland

·         Danes – invaded eastern and southern England.

 

The Vikings ransacked and plundered monasteries, destroyed manuscripts, and stole sacred religious objects. They burned entire communities and killed the villagers.

By the middle of the 9th century most of northern, eastern, and central England had fallen to the invaders.

·         Danelaw – the territory that the Danes and Norse controlled. (It’s not a law! It’s the name of the land)

·         Only the Saxon king of Wessex manages to fight the Danes to a standstill.

·         871 – Alfred the Great ascends to the throne of Wessex

·         866 – Alfred the Great reaches a truce with the Danes. England divides. The Saxons respect the Danish rule in the east and the north; Danes agree to Saxon rule in the South. Alfred the Great becomes a national hero.

 

Alfred the Great’s Achievements

1.       He encouraged a rebirth of learning and education.

2.       He was instrumental in preserving the remnants of pre-Danish civilization.

3.       He oversaw the translation of Bede’s History and other works from Latin into Anglo-Saxon (the colloquial language of the people)

4.       He fostered a growth of the English language and English literature.

5.       He began to keep records in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

 

                        Gradually the Danes became more peaceful, with their Danelaw communities becoming

                        Centers for trade instead of military fortresses.

 

The Second Danish Invasion and The Norman Conquest

Toward the end of the tenth century Danes began to return to England to recapture the land  that Alfred the Great had reclaimed. Once they had succeeded in recapturing and widening the Danelaw, they forced the Saxon Witan to select a series of Danish kings.

 

1042 – Edward the Confessor, direct descendant of Alfred the Great, became king. Was called “the confessor” because he was a deeply religious Christian.

·   He spent many of his early years in Normandy (now a part of France)

·   His mother was Norman

·   Developed a close friendship with William, Duke of Normandy.

·   Died in 1066 without an heir.

 

1066 – Harold of Wessex was chosen to replace him. William, Duke of Normandy made a claim for the throne. He said that Edward had promised the throne to him (they were cousins).

 

1066 – The Battle of Hastings was fought. William along with his Norman armies challenged Harold’s right to the English throne. Harold died in battle, the Normans won and William became William the Conqueror.

December 25, 1066 William the Conqueror was coronated as King of England thus ending the end of the Anglo-Saxon era and heralding in The Norman Conquest of England.