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Anglo-saxon background

Terms in this set (61)

43
Britain made a Roman province
61
Celts vs Romans : the revolt of Boudica, Queen of the Iceni
407
Romans withdraw from Britain
432
St Patrick begins missionary work in Ireland
449
Anglo-saxon invasion
597
St Augustine founds Christian monastery at Canterbury, Kent
664
Synod of Whitbyu (meeting of church officials) establishes Roman church in England
731
Bede completes A History of the English Church and People
886
Truce with Danes establishes Saxon Rule in South and Danish rule in East/North
975
Saxon monks copy Old English poems into Exeter Book
1066
Normans defeat Saxons ; death of Edward the Confessor and William the Conqueror becomes King of England
Canterbury
district of Kent ; converted to Christianity
Kent
ruled by Ethelbert ; converted to Christianity
Whitby
held Synod of Whitby ; showdown to decide which religion to follow
Jarrow
once home of Bede at the monastery of Saint Paul
Northumbria
kingdom of the Angles ; northern England/southeast Scotland ; southern part lost to Danelaw ; ruled by Edwin (convert to Christianity)
Hadrian's Wall
Romans that took over Britain towns built
The Danelaw
large area in northern and eastern England held by the Danes
Wessex
led by Alfred the Great (later Edward) ; only kingdom left unconquered by the Norse
Mercia
kingdom of England ruled by Æthelred and later Æthelflaed (lady of the Mercians)
Hastings
Battle of Hastings during the Norman conquest of England ; William of Normandy vs English King Harold - Normans won
Normandy
ruled by William the Conqueror ; where Edward the Confessor grew up ; conquered England in 1066
Claudius
Roman emperor during conquest of Britain ; Britain is reconquered after Julius Caesarand colonies are established
Boudica
Celtic queen ; proved noble blood was more important than gender ; led British Iceni tribe in an uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman empire
Hadrian
Roman emperor of the early 100s ; built Hadrian's wall, marking the northern limit of Roman Britain
Vortigern
Celtic king who hired mercenaries
Hengist and Horsa
figures of a legen as two Germanic brothers who led the Angle, Saxon, and Jutish armies that conquered the first territories of Britain in the 5th century ; mention in Bede's History and The Anglo Saxon Chronicle
Patrick
Christian missionary who began work in Ireland
Columba
soldier and abbott who led a group of Irish monks to the west coast of Scotland to establish a Christian monastery on the island of Iona ; led to the establishment of other monasteries
Augustine
converted King Ethelbert to Christianity ; set up monastery at Canterbury and preached faith to other rulers in southern England
Gregory
wanted to convert nation to Christianity ; becomes pope and sends missionaries to England
Ethelbert
king of Kent in early 500s ; first king to convert to Christianity, his wife was already Christian
Bede
English monk at St Peter's in Northumbria ; author of A History of the English Church and People ; translated many Latin/Greek Christian documents, making them more accessible to the Anglo saxon
Alfred
king of Wessex ; resisted further encroachment by Danes ; encouraged rebirth of learning and education ; translated Bede's History from Latin to Anglo saxon ; commissioned The Anglo Saxon Chronicle
Edward
son of Alred the Great, brother to Æthelflaed ; continued his dad's attempts to bring back Danish land ; written about in chronicle
Æthelflaed
oldest daughter of Alfred the Great ; becomes ruler of Mercia from 911 AD to 918 AD ; real leader while husband was alive, continued to rule after he died
The Beowulf Poet
unknown ; exemplifies values of warrior society
Hilda
founding abbess at monastery of Whitby ; important in the conversion of England to Christianity ; written about in Bede's History, kings looked to her for advice and wisdom
Caedmon
earliest known English poet ; given the gift of composing ; became monk and accomplished Christian poet
Cynewulf
one of the four Anglo saxon poets whose works survives today ; spelled name out in runes ; famous for religious compositions
Alcuin
successor of Bede ; English poet, scholar, and teacher from York, Northumbria ; abbott of St Martin's at Tours
Ælfric
author of the homilies in Anglo saxon
Wulfstan
English Bishop of London, Bishop of Worchester, and Archbishop of York ; created law codes for Kings Æthelred and Cnut the Great ; considered one of the two major writers of late Anglo saxon period in England
Edward the Confessor
assumed throne in 1042 ; known as last king of the House of Wessex ; deeply religious man with strong ties in Normandy, association with Normans weakened saxon power
William of Normandy
ruler of Normandy ; cousin of Edward the Confessor ; launched Norman conquest of England in 1066, ending the Anglo saxon period
druids
priests ; settled disputes
bards
professional poet employed by monarch or nobleman to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities ; preserved history
scops
shapers/creators of poetry
gleemen
entertainers who traveled and told stories or performed with instruments
Wyrd
sense of the power that runs the universe ; every human life was in the hands of fate
flyting
competition between warriors ; trash talking
wergild
money paid after killing someone instead of avenging the death ; "mangold"
thanes
class of warriors who gave service to the king ; more of a job than a class description
comitatus
Germanic friendship structure that compelled kings to rule in consultation with their warriors ; ensures that during battle neither leaves the battlefield before the other
runes
alphabet of Anglo saxon letters later superseded by Latin
thralls
lowest of all social classes ; slaves, military prisoners, people being punished
churls
class of freeman ; worked in the land in return for military protection
earls
hereditary class of warlords who owed their position to the king
æthlings
a king's sons
witan
council of elders that advised the king providing protection and guidance
bretwalda
term given to rulers of some Anglo saxon kingdoms from 5th century onwards who had achieved overlordship of some or of all other Anglo saxon kingdoms ; means "King of Britain"
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