The Middle Ages
From 55 BC to about 450 AD the biggest part was under Roman rule. By the end of
the fourth century, the Roman Empire was threatened on all sides.
In Britain were the Romans under attack by the Celts
The Romano-British people were also attack from across the North Sea such as:
the Angles, Saxons and Jutes
People who lived in Denmark or Germany were been driven off by the Huns
This period is known as the migration of the peoples
The Anglo-Saxons raiders became slowly settlers of several kingdoms on British ground.
some were small and a couple of kingdoms were together rules by overlords.
There were many wars between those overlords, so the pattern of control was
constantly shifting.
In Wales, Scotland and Cornwall stayed out of the Anglo-Saxon rule and there was still
the Romano-British order !!
The Anglo-Saxon kings surrounded themselves with young, strong riders. These riders
formed a military and social elite. They got something in reward, such as weapons,
valuables (kostbaarheden) and land in return for their loyalty. Fleeing (vluchten) for a
battle was not acceptable.
But most of the people weren’t overlord or a rider, but a farmer. There isn’t much
information about them, because they weren’t important. From the 7 th century, monks,
priests and bishops also played a important rule in society.
At the end of the 6th century Missionaries were send by the pope to make the Anglo-
Saxon people Christian. Some kings became very quick a Christian.
With the Christianity came Latin literature.
A very important monk was Bede (673-735): He wrote about the history of the Anglo-
Saxon.
Also the The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a keysource of information about the history of
the various kingdoms and the Viking invasions
The first recorded attack on Britain by Scandinavian Vikings took place in 793, when the
monastery (klooster) on the island Lindisfarne was sacked (gepakt). The Vikings raids
continued. they took very wealth monasteries for the expensive things to take it back
to their country (Scandinavian)
Also took the Vikings advantage of the shifting between the kings the kings were too
busy with themselves instead of the Vikings.
The German tribes who crossed the North Sea, settled themselves in Britain, just like
the Vikings. Till the 11th century continued the Scandinavians, Anglo-Saxon and
Normans the fight over the English crown.
, William the Conqueror defeated (verslaan) the Anglo-Saxon at the battle of Hastings in
1066. the end of the era of the Anglo-Saxon and the beginning of the Norman period
of English history
Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo is a burial site (begraafplaats) of a 7th century king. He laid in a ship, 27
metres long. Buried with him were many valuable objects, including decorated
weapons, gold coins and brooches and helmets.
Sutton Hoo shows that the society were capable of producing beautifully detailed
jewellery and weapons. It also shows the transition (overgang) that was made from
paganism (heidendom) to Christianity.
In the ship were also 2 spoons with the names Paulos and Saulos that shows that
paganism and Christianity existed next to each other.
King Alfred of Wessex
He was in many ways an important king.
He defeated the Danes in 878 that led to the stop of the halting (opmars) of the
Vikings
He made a peace treaty with the Danes
He re-organised the Anglo-Saxon military
And he created a border between the Anglo-Saxon and Danish territory
He built a fleet of ships start of the English navy
He wanted that education and learning became a bigger deal in the monastery
was learning the central idea, but those monasteries suffered badly from the
Viking raiders.
To promote literacy, came Alfred with the idea to translate the Latin texts in Old
English
Beda Venerabilis
A monk Bede wrote a very important work: The Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
everything we know about him, is what he tells us in his book.
Bede did not only wrote this book, also many others:
De Natura Rerum (about the nature of things)
De Temporibus (about time)
De Tempore Ratione (about the measurement of time)
But his most important work was also best-known in Britain and a part of Europe.
King Alfred thought it was very important to the development of his country, so he
translated it in English
it is the only existing written source of information about the early history of Ireland
and Wales
The book Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum is about:
The history of the Anglo-Saxon church
The first inhabitants of the British Isles
The Roman period
From 55 BC to about 450 AD the biggest part was under Roman rule. By the end of
the fourth century, the Roman Empire was threatened on all sides.
In Britain were the Romans under attack by the Celts
The Romano-British people were also attack from across the North Sea such as:
the Angles, Saxons and Jutes
People who lived in Denmark or Germany were been driven off by the Huns
This period is known as the migration of the peoples
The Anglo-Saxons raiders became slowly settlers of several kingdoms on British ground.
some were small and a couple of kingdoms were together rules by overlords.
There were many wars between those overlords, so the pattern of control was
constantly shifting.
In Wales, Scotland and Cornwall stayed out of the Anglo-Saxon rule and there was still
the Romano-British order !!
The Anglo-Saxon kings surrounded themselves with young, strong riders. These riders
formed a military and social elite. They got something in reward, such as weapons,
valuables (kostbaarheden) and land in return for their loyalty. Fleeing (vluchten) for a
battle was not acceptable.
But most of the people weren’t overlord or a rider, but a farmer. There isn’t much
information about them, because they weren’t important. From the 7 th century, monks,
priests and bishops also played a important rule in society.
At the end of the 6th century Missionaries were send by the pope to make the Anglo-
Saxon people Christian. Some kings became very quick a Christian.
With the Christianity came Latin literature.
A very important monk was Bede (673-735): He wrote about the history of the Anglo-
Saxon.
Also the The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a keysource of information about the history of
the various kingdoms and the Viking invasions
The first recorded attack on Britain by Scandinavian Vikings took place in 793, when the
monastery (klooster) on the island Lindisfarne was sacked (gepakt). The Vikings raids
continued. they took very wealth monasteries for the expensive things to take it back
to their country (Scandinavian)
Also took the Vikings advantage of the shifting between the kings the kings were too
busy with themselves instead of the Vikings.
The German tribes who crossed the North Sea, settled themselves in Britain, just like
the Vikings. Till the 11th century continued the Scandinavians, Anglo-Saxon and
Normans the fight over the English crown.
, William the Conqueror defeated (verslaan) the Anglo-Saxon at the battle of Hastings in
1066. the end of the era of the Anglo-Saxon and the beginning of the Norman period
of English history
Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo is a burial site (begraafplaats) of a 7th century king. He laid in a ship, 27
metres long. Buried with him were many valuable objects, including decorated
weapons, gold coins and brooches and helmets.
Sutton Hoo shows that the society were capable of producing beautifully detailed
jewellery and weapons. It also shows the transition (overgang) that was made from
paganism (heidendom) to Christianity.
In the ship were also 2 spoons with the names Paulos and Saulos that shows that
paganism and Christianity existed next to each other.
King Alfred of Wessex
He was in many ways an important king.
He defeated the Danes in 878 that led to the stop of the halting (opmars) of the
Vikings
He made a peace treaty with the Danes
He re-organised the Anglo-Saxon military
And he created a border between the Anglo-Saxon and Danish territory
He built a fleet of ships start of the English navy
He wanted that education and learning became a bigger deal in the monastery
was learning the central idea, but those monasteries suffered badly from the
Viking raiders.
To promote literacy, came Alfred with the idea to translate the Latin texts in Old
English
Beda Venerabilis
A monk Bede wrote a very important work: The Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
everything we know about him, is what he tells us in his book.
Bede did not only wrote this book, also many others:
De Natura Rerum (about the nature of things)
De Temporibus (about time)
De Tempore Ratione (about the measurement of time)
But his most important work was also best-known in Britain and a part of Europe.
King Alfred thought it was very important to the development of his country, so he
translated it in English
it is the only existing written source of information about the early history of Ireland
and Wales
The book Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum is about:
The history of the Anglo-Saxon church
The first inhabitants of the British Isles
The Roman period
