Invasions

Invasions

World HistorySOL WHI.9d

Essential Question How did invasions by the Angles, Saxons, Magyars, and Vikings influence the development of Europe?

Angles and Saxons In the 5th and 6th centuries Germanic tribes known as the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes migrated across the North Sea to England. These tribes conquered the previous inhabitants of England, the Celts, and established long lasting kingdoms.

The period from the 6th century to the mid 11th century in England is known as the Anglo-Saxon period.

Angles and Saxons The Anglo-Saxons did not replace all of the Celts or conquer all of the territory of the British Isles. Mountainous or remote areas such as Wales and Scotland remained Celtic.

Anglo-Saxon culture was very similar to Viking culture. Kings had to prove themselves as strong warriors as well as leaders. The tribes were pagan until the arrival of Christianity.

By the 9th century most Anglo-Saxons in England were Christian.

Saxon House

Angles and Saxons During the 8th and 9th centuries England was invaded and occupied by Vikings. Anglo-Saxon kingdoms remained in southwest England but most of England was ruled by Vikings and forced to pay money for “protection”.

Vikings The Vikings lived in Scandinavia, a northern region in Europe that includes Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

They were expert seafarers and built large warships for raiding coastal regions.

In the 9th and 10th centuries they looted and burned communities along the coasts and rivers in Europe.

Vikings The Vikings were not just destructive raiders. They were also traders and explorers who sailed around the Mediterranean Sea and across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Vikings also settled in England, Ireland, northern France, and parts of Russia.

Normandy in France was settled by Vikings and named the for the Norse Men.

Magyars Around 896, the Magyars settled in what is today Hungary. From there they moved into Eastern Europe and plundered Germany, parts of France, and Italy.

In 910, the Magyars defeated the army of Louis the Child in Germany. After 910, there was little resistance to their raids in Western Europe.

The Magyars were finally defeated in 955, at the Battle of Lechfeld by Otto I, a German king.

Outcomes of Raids Manors with castles provided protection from invaders, reinforcing the feudal system.

Invasions disrupted trade, towns declined, and the feudal system was strengthened.