Anglo -saxons
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Anglo--Saxons
A term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of English history between about 550 and 1066 AD. The term is also used for the language now called Old English, spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in much of what is now England and some of south-eastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century.
Where did they Come from ? They came from three most powerful Germanic
tribes, the Saxons, the Angles, and the Jutes. Of Jutish origin are the people of Kent and of
the Isle of Wight, and the part of the kingdom of Wessex opposite the Isle of Wight, still called
the nation of the Jutes. From the Saxon land, that is the place which is now called Old
Saxony, came the East Saxons, the South Saxons, and the West Saxons. From the Anglian
land, that is the place between the realms of the Jutes and the Saxons which is
calledAngulus, and remains deserted to this day, came the East Angles, the Middle Angles,
the Mercians, and all the Northumbrian peoples, that is, those who dwell north of the
river Humber, as well as other Anglian peoples.
How did Anglo-Saxons lived ?
In their own lands, most Anglo-Saxons were farmers. They lived in family groups in villages, not cities. Since they lived close to the sea and big rivers, many Anglo-Saxons were sailors too. They built wooden ships with oars and sails, for
trade and to settle in new lands. Raiders in ships attacked Roman Britain.
Most people in Roman Britain were Christians. Most Anglo-Saxons were not Christians. They
worshipped lots of gods and goddesses. Their beliefs were similar to those of the Celts, who
lived in Britain before the Romans invaded.
What sort of money did they use, and how
much was it worth?
From the middle of the eighth century, Anglo-Saxon coinage standardized on the silver penny, which was about the size of
(though much thinner than) a modern quarter or 10p piece. For designs, the coins tended to have the king's head (with his name
around the rim) on the front ("heads", or obverse) side, and a pattern (often a cross) with the moneyer's name around the rim on the back ("tails", or reverse) side. The Northumbrians didn't switch
to the new standard and continued to issue base silver coins (eventually base copper coins) until the independent kingdom of
Northumbria was snuffed out by Vikings in 867. So what could you buy with a handful of silver pennies? The short
answer is that we don't know, but from a handful of clues a penny seems to have been a substantial sum of money, more equivalent
to a ten or twenty pound note (C$20-50) today.
Where did the Anglo- Saxons settled ?
When the Anglo-Saxons arrived in Britain, most kept clear of Roman towns. They preferred to live
in small villages. However, warrior chiefs knew that a walled city made a good fortress. So some
Roman towns, like London, were never completely abandoned. Many Roman buildings did become ruins though, because no one bothered or knew
how to repair them. Some Saxons built wooden houses inside the walls
of Roman towns. Others cleared spaces in the forest to build villages and make new fields.
Some settlements were very small, with just two or three families.
ANGLO- SAXON HOME
In an Anglo-Saxon family, everyone from babies to old people shared a home. Anglo-Saxon
houses were built of wood and had thatched roofs. At West Stow in Suffolk archaeologists
found the remains of an early Anglo-Saxon village. They reconstructed it using Anglo-Saxon methods. They found that the village was made
up of small groups of houses built around a larger hall. Each family house had one room, with a hearth with a fire for cooking, heating
and light. A metal cooking pot hung from a chain above the fire.
FUN FACTS
Did you know that ?It took about 18 trees
to provide enough wood to build a Saxon
house.
Sutton Hoo
In the 7th century AD, a King – it was surely no less – received a magnificent burial at Sutton Hoo, in East Anglia. A ship was hauled up from the river, a burial chamber was erected in the middle of it, and a stupendous collection of magnificent objects – gold and silver brooches and dishes, the sword of state, drinking horns and a lyre – was set in the burial chamber.
The helmet has become a symbol of the Sutton Hoo burial; yet it survived as a mass of small pieces, and was only reconstructed after years of painstaking work in the British Museum Laboratory.
Here we see a photo of the excavations in 1939, with the excavators uncovering the chamber built at the middle of the ship, and Mrs Pretty, the landowner and sponsor of the excavations, sitting with her friends in the background.
Venerable Bede
English historian and theologian. Of Baeda, commonly called "the Venerable Bede",
almost all that we know is contained in the short autobiographical notice which he has
appended to his Ecclesiastical History: "Thus much concerning the ecclesiastical history of
Britain, and especially of the race of the English, I, Baeda, a servant of Christ and
priest of the monastery of the blessed apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, which is at
Wearmouth and at Jarrow, have with the Lord's help composed, so far as I could
gather it, either from ancient documents, or from the tradition of the elders, or from my
own knowledge.
Born: c. 672 ADBirthplace: Jarrow, Northumbria, EnglandDied: 25-May-735 ADLocation of death: Jarrow, Northumbria, EnglandCause of death: unspecifiedRemains: Buried, Durham Cathedral, Durham, England
Gender: MaleReligion: Roman CatholicRace or Ethnicity: WhiteOccupation: ReligionNationality: EnglandExecutive summary: Ecclesiastical History
Early Anglo-Saxons Beliefs
In Roman Britain, many people had been Christians. The early Anglo-Saxons were pagans. Much like
theVikings of Scandinavia, they believed in many gods. The king of the Anglo-Saxon gods, for
example, was Woden - a German version of the Scandinavian god Odin. From his name comes our
day of the week Wednesday or 'Woden's day'. Other gods were Thunor, god of thunder; Frige, goddess of
love; and Tiw, god of war. Anglo-Saxons were superstitious. They believed in
lucky charms. They thought 'magic' rhymes, potions, stones or jewels would protect them from evil spirits
or sickness.
How did Anglo-Saxons fought ?
Anglo-Saxon armies were usually small, with only a few hundred men. The soldiers had
spears, axes, swords and bows and arrows. They wore helmets on their heads and carried
wooden shields. Everyone fought on foot during a battle. It must have been a bit like a giant
rugby scrum, with lots of pushing and yelling, and nasty wounds.
The most feared Anglo-Saxon weapon was a battle axe, but the most precious weapon was a sword. It took hours of work by a smith to craft
a sword. He softened iron in a red-hot fire, twisted iron rods together and hammered the
sword into shape.
Anglo-Saxons Clothing for battle
The Warrior Code
The king had a small bodyguard of brave warriors who would die to defend him.
The 'warrior-code' of the Anglo-Saxons taught that a warrior must fight and die for his leader,
if he had to. An Anglo-Saxon poem called The Battle of
Maldon tells the story of a battle in Essex in 991, between English and invading Vikings. The English leader allowed the Vikings to cross from their camp for a 'fair fight'. The English lost, but
the poem still praises their heroism.
Why was Alfred so Great ?
Great Anglo-Saxon kings included Offa of Mercia (who built Offa's Dyke) and Edwin of Northumbria (who founded Edinburgh or 'Edwin's burh'). But the most famous
of all is Alfred, the only king in British history to be called 'Great'.
Alfred was born in AD849 and died in AD899. His father was king of Wessex,
but Alfred became king of all England. He fought the Vikings, and then made peace so that English and Vikings settled down
to live together. He encouraged people to learn and he tried to govern well and
fairly.
How did Alfred Ruled ? King Alfred was advised by a council
of nobles and Church leaders. The council was called the witan. The witan could also choose the next king. Alfred made good laws. He had books translated from Latin into English, and translated some himself. He told monks to begin writing the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
Alfred built warships to guard the coast from Viking raiders. He built forts andwalled towns known as burhs. He split the fyrd (the part-time army) into two parts. While half the men were at home on their farms, the rest were ready to fight Vikings
FUN FACTS - To test if a person was guilty of a crime, he had to hold a red-hot iron! If his hand healed quickly, he was innocent. If not, he was guilty.
- When the Viking chief Guthrum was baptized a Christian, Alfred was his godfather.
- The Anglo-Saxons knew the Earth was round, but wrongly believed the Sun and stars went round the Earth. - The body of the Sutton Hoo
king was not found in his ship-burial. The body may have 'dissolved' in the soil.
- Cow-stealing was a common crime. There are records of people tracking down stolen cows, like detectives.
GROUP 2
Kefferson Calleja Bea Pacris
Christine Castillo Kyle Van Dela Paz Danela Dela Cruz
Christopher Laplano Jonah Insao
Kyle Quitasol Lester Traen
Genesis Ojenal Jeiel Tacbi
Theresa Tibor