AD 440 – The Anglo-Saxon Culture
During the fifth century, the Roman Empire withdrew its forces from large parts of Northern Europe. This included Britain and lands occupied by Germanic tribes such as the Saxons, the Angles, and the Jutes. They invaded Britain to discover many Roman ruins and a people living in basic conditions. After settling, the Angles and the Saxons merged to create one people called the Anglo-Saxons. This culture was the seed for the first English people. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were named after the gods of the Anglo-Saxon folk religions. This folklore still exists today as Norse Mythology. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday retained their Roman names.
AD 461 – Saint Patrick of Ireland
Patrick was born to a wealthy British family, his father was a Christian deacon. Irish bandits stole him as a young teenager and trafficked him to Ireland where Patrick was sold into slavery. It was during the next six years as he worked as a shepherd that Patrick found great solace and comfort in religion. He then escaped his slavery and fled to Britain by boat, where he followed his fathers footsteps and became a priest.
Soon after returning home however, Patrick had a dream in which he was instructed to go back to Ireland to convert people there. He studied for many years and eventually made his journey back to Ireland. He was able to unify the Christian presence within Ireland which acted as a force for mass conversion. Patrick merged Christian and Pagan symbology to show how the two faiths were related, and how the one God principle of Christianity with Angels and Demons could be explained in Pagan terms. Patrick is famed for using the three leaved shamrock to represent the Holy Trinity, which also represents mind, body, and spirit.
Soon after returning home however, Patrick had a dream in which he was instructed to go back to Ireland to convert people there. He studied for many years and eventually made his journey back to Ireland. He was able to unify the Christian presence within Ireland which acted as a force for mass conversion. Patrick merged Christian and Pagan symbology to show how the two faiths were related, and how the one God principle of Christianity with Angels and Demons could be explained in Pagan terms. Patrick is famed for using the three leaved shamrock to represent the Holy Trinity, which also represents mind, body, and spirit.
AD 604 – 664 Christianity Becomes Roman
The Christian church in Rome was being run by Saint/Pope Gregory I and he decided to expand his influence throughout Europe. In Britain where there was a mix of Pagan and Christian practices, the two faiths were accepted simultaneously by most. Gregory sent forty monks to Britain to establish Roman co-ordination of the church.
Ethelbert, the Pagan king of Kent, granted one of the monks land in Canterbury. The monk was called Saint Augustine and became the first Arch Bishop of Canterbury. This remains today as the primary seat of authority in the British church. Ethelbert's wife Bertha was Christian and she assisted Augustine in converting her husband. Because of the king's cultural influence, many others converted after. Ethelbert and Augustine then worked together to set up bishop's residences in Rochester and London.
The Roman Catholic Church became established as the dominant form of Christianity in Britain over the next century, however some Christians refused to forego their Pagan traditions and resisted Roman influence. During the Synod of Whitby in 664, an official declaration was made confirming allegiance to Rome through-out the land. This pushed resistors into underground societies.
Ethelbert, the Pagan king of Kent, granted one of the monks land in Canterbury. The monk was called Saint Augustine and became the first Arch Bishop of Canterbury. This remains today as the primary seat of authority in the British church. Ethelbert's wife Bertha was Christian and she assisted Augustine in converting her husband. Because of the king's cultural influence, many others converted after. Ethelbert and Augustine then worked together to set up bishop's residences in Rochester and London.
The Roman Catholic Church became established as the dominant form of Christianity in Britain over the next century, however some Christians refused to forego their Pagan traditions and resisted Roman influence. During the Synod of Whitby in 664, an official declaration was made confirming allegiance to Rome through-out the land. This pushed resistors into underground societies.
AD 673-735 The Father of English History
The Ecclesiastical History of the English People is a book from 731 written by Bede. This Northumbrian historian was raised by Benedictine monks. Bede established a career in the church, and became a Deacon aged 19. By 30, he'd become ordained as a priest. Thanks to his access to the monastery library, Bede had become well read and educated. He was able to collate information about English history and legend spanning 800 years to the first Roman invasion that failed. Bede's dating system of BC/AD began the commonplace use of this notation in the western world.
AD 757 – Offa, A Visionary King
King Ethelbald of Mercia was murdered by a bodyguard, and the short war that ensued saw Offa crowned as King. Ethelbald had started a war of land grabbing, and had begun to conquer the surrounding tribal kingdoms. Offa continued this work and gained control of much of the Southern part of Britain. He called himself The King of All England, the first person to claim the title, however his lands were only a fraction of what is now the country of England.
Offa's Dyke was built to protect his lands from the invading Welsh, who he was unable to conquer or control. It is a 160 mile long earthwork that can still be seen in part today and strongly influenced the modern day Welsh border. The Frankish King Charlemagne and Offa were friends, they performed trade agreements including monetary synchronisation with a silver penny. This established Offa as a strong European power.
Offa's Dyke was built to protect his lands from the invading Welsh, who he was unable to conquer or control. It is a 160 mile long earthwork that can still be seen in part today and strongly influenced the modern day Welsh border. The Frankish King Charlemagne and Offa were friends, they performed trade agreements including monetary synchronisation with a silver penny. This established Offa as a strong European power.
AD 800s – Viking Pirates
After King Offa died, the British tribes began warring again and much of the union of lands was lost once more. The Anglo-Saxons and the Mercians couldn't align their agendas and this created friction across the land. At the same time, the Viking raiders from Scandinavia were invading much of Europe. They had begun to settle as far South as Constantinople. When they arrived in Britain, they found an uncoordinated people that were easy to invade. By burning churches and monasteries, pillaging towns and villages, and murdering many people, the Vikings were able to establish settlements in much of Eastern Britain.
AD 871 – King Alfred the Great of Wessex
Remarked as the first true King of England, Alfred was responsible for unifying the front against the Vikings and forcing them back into the North East of England. A treaty was signed at his jurisdiction which split the country into two parts, one under Danelaw, and one under Anglo-Saxon Law which included the kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia. This counted for much of modern England, including the South and the Midlands.
By personally translating several books into English from the original Latin, including Bede's History, Alfred gave an education to a wide English audience for the first time. King Alfred is also responsible for the first unification of Anglo-Saxon, Roman, and Christian law into one code of ethic. Named the Doom book, this code has remained the basis for all British law until this day.
By personally translating several books into English from the original Latin, including Bede's History, Alfred gave an education to a wide English audience for the first time. King Alfred is also responsible for the first unification of Anglo-Saxon, Roman, and Christian law into one code of ethic. Named the Doom book, this code has remained the basis for all British law until this day.
AD 1002 – Turmoil Between Kingdoms
After years of peace that started with Alfred the Great, the Vikings began to invade Southern Britain again. King Ethelred was advised to pay the Vikings to stop, rather than resist with force. This money was termed danegold but was actually made of silver. The Danes decided to invade anyway, and demand more money.
King Ethelred then decided to have all the Danes in England killed, and although his orders were not carried out by many, enough were killed to cause upset within the Dane communities to the North. Ethelred then decided to marry Emma of Normandy, a portion of France that the Danes already controlled. This didn't deter the Norse however, and they continued to invade until they conquered England under the leadership of Swein Forkbeard.
Ethelred was forced into exile in 1013 until Forkbeard's death in 1014, when Ethelred returned to his throne only to die shortly after in 1016. Although nicknamed Ethelred the Unready, due to him taking bad advice, he is responsible for judicial reforms which are arguably the basis for the American Grand Jury of today. England also enjoyed great economic wealth during his reign, due to his keen mind for financial matters.
King Ethelred then decided to have all the Danes in England killed, and although his orders were not carried out by many, enough were killed to cause upset within the Dane communities to the North. Ethelred then decided to marry Emma of Normandy, a portion of France that the Danes already controlled. This didn't deter the Norse however, and they continued to invade until they conquered England under the leadership of Swein Forkbeard.
Ethelred was forced into exile in 1013 until Forkbeard's death in 1014, when Ethelred returned to his throne only to die shortly after in 1016. Although nicknamed Ethelred the Unready, due to him taking bad advice, he is responsible for judicial reforms which are arguably the basis for the American Grand Jury of today. England also enjoyed great economic wealth during his reign, due to his keen mind for financial matters.
AD 1017 – King Canute and the North Sea Empire
When Ethelred the Unready's son, Edmund II, was defeated in 1016 by Canute, the son of Swein Forkbeard, Canute became the king of England. This included the Dane lands in the North which had been under separate rule to the South, previously Anglo-Saxon. Canute was also king of Denmark, and conquered Norway and Sweden in his lifetime.
Although of Viking heritage, Canute had Christian beliefs which he helped to further establish throughout Northern Europe. When he died in 1035, his two sons became rivals for the English crown. They ruled in succession to one another during conflicting times until 1043 when Anglo-Saxon rule returned.
Although of Viking heritage, Canute had Christian beliefs which he helped to further establish throughout Northern Europe. When he died in 1035, his two sons became rivals for the English crown. They ruled in succession to one another during conflicting times until 1043 when Anglo-Saxon rule returned.
AD 1043 – Britain Returns to Anglo-Saxon Rule
Son of Ethered the Unready, Edward the Confessor was of Anglo-Saxon heritage and claimed the throne of England after King Canute's both sons had died. Having been in exile in Normandy for twenty five years upon his return, he brought with him many strong connections with Europe. As he was childless, Edward's father-in-law's son, Harold Godwinson, was the promised the English throne. When Edward died in 1066, Harold became king. His late father however had already promised the throne to William of Normandy while in exile.
AD 1066 – The Battle of Hastings
William Duke of Normandy, had been promised the English crown upon Edward the Confessor's death. However, Edward changed his mind and declared that Harold, Earl of Wessex, should inherit the title. There was a loose family connection however William decided to take his claim by force.
King Harold II was returning from a victorious battle against the Norse in the North of England when the Normans landed in the South. Meeting them in battle at Hastings, Harold's tired army were soundly beaten by the Normans. On Christmas day, 1066, William of Normandy became king, thus ending the Anglo-Saxon legacy in Britain.
King Harold II was returning from a victorious battle against the Norse in the North of England when the Normans landed in the South. Meeting them in battle at Hastings, Harold's tired army were soundly beaten by the Normans. On Christmas day, 1066, William of Normandy became king, thus ending the Anglo-Saxon legacy in Britain.
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