Pre-Anglo-Saxon Period (55 B.C. – 410 A.D.)

Pre-Anglo-Saxon Pre-Anglo-Saxon PeriodPeriod

(55 B.C. – 410 A.D.)(55 B.C. – 410 A.D.)

Prior to Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire invading in 55 B.C., Britain was inhabited by Celtic tribes…

……that first migrated that first migrated to the British Isles to the British Isles around 600 B.C..around 600 B.C..

The Celts built The Celts built walled farms and walled farms and hut villages. They hut villages. They used bronze and used bronze and iron tools and grew iron tools and grew crops.crops.

Separate Celtic Separate Celtic tribes, each with its tribes, each with its own king, battled own king, battled with each other. with each other. They built wood and They built wood and stone fortresses and stone fortresses and rode in two-wheeled rode in two-wheeled chariots.chariots.

Celtic priests called druids conducted sacrificial rites. The Celts were Pagans and their religion was known as “animism,” a Latin word for “spirit.” Celts saw spirits everywhere.

- military- infrastructure- language/writing- religion

Important Cultural and Historical Results of the

Roman Occupation 

- Pushed Celts into - Pushed Celts into Wales and Ireland Wales and Ireland - Prevented Vikings - Prevented Vikings from raiding for from raiding for several hundred several hundred yearsyears

Military

InfrastructureInfrastructure

- Government (fell apart when they left) - Walls, villas, public baths (some remains still exist)

- Latin was official - Latin was official language language - Practice of recording - Practice of recording history led to earliest history led to earliest English “literature” English “literature” being documentarybeing documentary

Language and Writing

- Christianity begins - Christianity begins to take hold, to take hold, especially after St. especially after St. Augustine and other Augustine and other missionaries came missionaries came from Rome in 597from Rome in 597

RELIGION

In 410, while Rome In 410, while Rome was falling to an was falling to an army of German army of German

barbarians, barbarians, Honorius, the Honorius, the

emperor, ordered emperor, ordered the Romans to come the Romans to come

back home.back home.

ANGLO-SAXON ANGLO-SAXON ENGLANDENGLAND

(450 – 1066 (450 – 1066 A.D.)A.D.)

From 410 – 450,From 410 – 450,

Angles and Saxons Angles and Saxons invaded from the invaded from the Baltic shores of Baltic shores of

Germany, and the Germany, and the Jutes invaded from Jutes invaded from

the Jutland the Jutland peninsula in peninsula in

Denmark.Denmark.

The invaders were vigorous warriors and skilled seamen who often served as mercenary soldiers for the Roman Empire.

The Celtic inhabitants fled into the western highlands of Wales. King Arthur is rumored to be one of these men.

England became a tribal society, ruled by warrior kings just as it was before the Romans conquered it. Neighboring kings and warriors within their own tribes constantly threatened tribal kings.

To protect himself and his lands, a king gathered around him a retinue of fighting men called thanes.

Bloodshed and fighting was rampant across the land.

Tribal kings would build a mead-hall, where the warriors would feast, sleep, and…

…be entertained by singing poets called scops. The scop would recount both past history and present events.

Fame and honor was highly important, and the scop preserved a record of the warriors’ achievements for later generations.

In 597, St. Augustine was sent from Rome to spread Christianity across England. During the next 40 years, most of the Anglo-Saxon kings and their people converted.

Starting in the 8th century, England was invaded by Vikings.

From the 8th century to 1066 (when William the Conqueror invaded England) the land was divided between Scandinavian groups in the north and east…

…and the Anglo-Saxon groups in the southeast and south.