The Anglo Saxons

The Fifth Century

401-500
difficult to know what is going on due to lack of evidence
if the anglo saxon chronicle was reliable you could put a lot of key dates into the fifth century
many scholars claim the anglo saxon chronicle is completely unreliable for this period.
410 is a key date as it wsa the end of the territory of roman britain - ended the connection with the roman empire
letter between the roman britons and the roman empire regarded as the end of roman britain
449 was date of another appeal of the british to the roman consult (for the third time) Gildas says that the british wrote asking for help
he implies this was for help against the picts and scots
when the help from rome didnt come they invited the anglo saxons to come and help them as emrcenaries
bede put a date to this letter
nenius gives this date as very diffent to bede, he gives the date as late 420's
people think nenius date more likely
Campbel believed that this letter was ctually to the romans asking for help from the anglo saxons who had been invited earlier but were then raging and pillaging
490's then the british won battle of mount beydon against the anglo saxons - turning point
john morris has argued that the fighting and struggle between the british and anglo saxons
religion - st germanus visited the british church
no key dates for the economy
inevitably some effect to the economy with the amount of invasion

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The Sixth Century

politics - Gildas wrote his work concerning the ruin and conquest of britain 550's
he was very worried, he was warning the fellow british in modern wales, devon, cornwall and somerset
he was worried if the british didnt get their act together then the anglo saxon force wil advance and conquer them. Was there something going on in the 550's that we cant see
king aethelbert married to bertha - political contact with the franks
aethelberts law code could be a turning point - it is our earliest vernacular text
intensification of frankish contacts would amke the kentish king and the aristocracy more powerful
bertha brought a chaplin with her, the chaplin didnt manage to convert aethelbert but without a doubt will have tried to
st augustine arrival in 597 - turning point allowed aethelbert to convert without losing face.
he didnt wnat to make it seem like he was being pushed around by the franks but whe nthe papal missionary arrives it seems much more of an independent move to convert
arrival of papal mission and conversion of christianity as well as contacts with the franks acts as a reintegration of kent in to the continent, they will gain charters etc.
ausgutines mission ended ended upmaking cantebury archbishopric
597 a turning point for the anglo saxon relationship with the papacy

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The Seventh Century

synod of whitby a turning point of politics
not church people present along king Oswy was there as well
he decided to favour the roman way to calculate the date of easter
turning point in how close the northuumbrian church was with the northern irish and southern scottish king
calculating easter in the same was as canterbury allied northumbria with the southern english
northumbrian ties with the north are loosened while ties with southern england are tightened
oswy gets papal favour
pope appoints theodore of tartus as archbishop of canterbury
he has political consequences due to the close ties he has with the northumbrian kings
politics was not just secular politics but within the church as well
use of law and kingship and identity
northumbria was converted by papal missionsaries from kent
the work of the irish or the iriish missionaries were the most long lasting
in northumbria when roman missionaries came it tended to lapse and not last

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The Seventh Century Cont.

theodore from tarsus was a turning point in relgion and poltiics
he organised the church, created smaller sees, created pastoral care for the flock
theodore introduced church council
good for church as they dealt with problems and helped with introduction
church council was kings, abbotts, abesses and bishops all meeting together
made decisions relating to the whole english church
cuthbert agrees that they were a political group
bede loved theodore
bede expressed his anxieties to egbert the archbishops of york - problems of church
bede thought that if every bishop was like theodore or CUbert then the world is great
685 turning point in religion
culture - theodore of tarsus - brough mediterranean influence
set up ecclesiastical school in canterbury
after this it was no longer necessary to go abroad to study

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Eighth Century

if we know the date of tribal hidage that would be important
it gives many names
suggesets adminstrative growth
bede's ecclesiastical history finished in 731?
turning point as a writing of the english people
influence that bede had over king alfred
importance of 10th century reformation to monastic cathedrals
what conclusions can we draw on the economy and administration
decades of offas coinage are milestones of the administration and kingly power
contacts with charlemagne
construction of Offa's dyke was a milestone in showing military expertise
giving insight into relations with the welsh
is offa's reign a mile stone in the creation of england or the turning point in the creation of mercia
offa wanted a iddle kingdom and an anglian kingdom that was not suposed to unite northumbria and southern england

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Eighth Century Cont.

offa was not trying to make the head of the church litchfield not cantebrury but wnated to have his own bishop
796 offa died - mercian overlordship still continued
engilsh influence on the continent was a turning point
boniface upped papal prestige
milestone of spreading anglo saxon culture, ideas, and learning on the continent
bedes biblican commentaries and historys were best sellers
crisis at jarrow as they couldnt keep up demand
anglo saxon saints become known on the continent
could regard period of boniface in the eight century as a turning point
730's York officially became an archbishopric
turning point in kingship with anointing offas son
bedes history important culturally

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Ninth Century

vikings atrted to stay in the country instead of just raging and pillaging - turning point
turning point as ultimate domination of wessex
scandinavian kings of york became converted to christnaity
books important until edward the confessor
after his death there was a breakdown in alliances
alfred's newphew runs off with a nun
if you wanted to strengthen your claim to a throne marriage alliances important
soakmen were free peastnas- danish institution
sime historians claim not all soakmen are danish
doomsday book shows many free peasants which in the anglo saxon chronicle are in areas that were conquered by scandinavians
having to cope with vikings disrupted the tightness of anglo saxon kings

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The Tenthy Century

battle is the difinitive conquest of Aethelsstand o fhte scandinavian vikings
milestone of Edgars Coronation in 953 - First english king to be crowned king of all england
edgars coin reform was a milestone in adminstration
mile stone in economic unity
10th century reformation
Aelfridges sermons wer eimportant and a turning point in the spreading of culture within the whole country listening to the same sermons

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The Eleventh Century

Cnuts succession was intersting as he was a foreign king
absentee king
foreign king with dominions not in england he spends time in a foreign land
need a steady flow of taxation while not being there
the battle of hastings in 1066 was a turning point

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Get Revising

The Anglo Saxons

The Fifth Century

The Sixth Century

The Seventh Century

The Seventh Century Cont.

Eighth Century

Eighth Century Cont.

Ninth Century

The Tenthy Century

The Eleventh Century

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Similar History resources:

The Fifth Century

The Sixth Century

The Seventh Century

The Seventh Century Cont.

Eighth Century

Eighth Century Cont.

Ninth Century

The Tenthy Century

The Eleventh Century

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