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Anglo Saxon England Period

HISTORY

The early medieval period of Britain it’s commonly known as the Anglo Saxon by most
historians, but some people referred to it as the Dark Ages because it was a time of war,
which lasted approximately six centuries from 410 to 1066AD (stands for Anno
Domini, Latin for “in the year of the Lord”). There is not much information about the
beginning of this time, due to the continuous battles that divided the Roman Britannia into
several kingdoms which consisted of several religious conversions until a common enemy:
the Vikings, appeared after the 790s. One of the reasons for the appearance of these new
invaders was climate change, as the Vikings sought to settle in a place that was not going
to be flooded by the melting polar ice as did the low areas. Another of the reasons behind
the invasion was the departure of the Roman legions, since Britannia had been left
defenseless and divided, which presented a great opportunity to conquer the lands.

However, it is stated that before the Vikings, the invading parties were mercenaries,
who belonged to the tribes called Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians that were
German speaking. They had been trying to rule the population of Britain gradually, even
before the Romans left. Nonetheless, there is evidence to justify the early appearance of the
Saxons as a way of helping the inhabitants to protect themselves from other invaders. For
that reason, they were meet with barely any resistance when they began to try and govern
them. But the writings of a monk called Gildas, noted that around 500AD the Romano-
British population fiercely resisted being oppressed. Gildas’ wrote about a British Christian
individual named Ambrosius who appeared in the mid-6 th century and helped change the
course of the battles, leading and winning 12 of them. Later, in his writings, Gildas ends up
referring to Ambrosius as Arthur, which some think it refers to the legend of King Arthur,
although there is no evidence of his existence, it is a possibility that has not been ruled out.
Also, it is mentioned that the Saxons were declared as enemies to the Scottish and Welsh.

Despite this, around the period of 650-800AD, seven kingdoms of Anglo-Saxons were
established throughout the country:
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1) Kent. Settled by the Jutes, whose king, Ethelbert of Kent, was the first to be converted to
Christianity around 595AD.
2) Mercia. This large kingdom was built along the border between Wales and England. The
most recognized if its rulers was Offa.
3) Northumbria. In this place a monk, Bede (670-735), lived and wrote his version of the
Ecclesiastical History of Britain.
4) East Anglia. Its inhabitants were the Angles, and here the Sutton Hoo ship burial was
found, this provided insight about the kingship, religion, warfare, trade, craftsmanship of
the place.
5) Essex. Its inhabitants were the East Saxons. During 991 the famous Battle of Maldon
was fought against the Vikings.
6) Sussex. Its inhabitants were the South Saxons.
7) Wessex. Settled by the West Saxons. It is where the kingdom of the King Alfred, the
only one known as The Great, was established. Furthermore, after his reign came that of
his impressive grandson, Athelstan, the first who could truly call himself ‘King of the
English'.

POLITICS

The history of the Anglo-Saxons becomes entangled with that of the Vikings after 793,
emphasizing the similarities between their languages, religion and origins in Northern
Europe, but also highlights their differences. For instance, the fact that they both invaded
Britain at different times establishes them as different individuals in history. In addition, the
Anglo-Saxons had turned into Christian people by 850AD. Besides, the seven kingdoms
that existed at the beginning had been consolidated into three large Anglo-Saxon
kingdoms: Northumbria, Mercia, and Wessex. The king had ultimate authority but a
complex system of local government was developed to collect taxes and maintain law
and order.

WOMEN’S ROLE

Anglo-Saxon society was largely a patriarchal society. Men assumed the role of leader,
warrior, provider, and protector in society. Because of this, they overshadowed the role of
women, whose role in the Anglo-Saxon era was rather docile and submissive. Women
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had many roles, from “peace weavers” to cup-bearer to keeper of memory. Women are
mentioned in several literary works, such as Lamentations of the Wives (a book composed
between 960 and 990). However, for Aristocratic women, there were other roles such as
wives, concubines, princesses, queens, nuns, abbesses and in the case of Edward's
sister Aethelflaed, a warrior. When Aethelflaed’s husband died in 911, she ruled in her
own right, effectively as queen. She also fought the Vikings, leading her own troops and
won several times convincingly before she died suddenly at Tamworth in 918. Little is
known about the women of Anglo-Saxon England, but the books they owned provide
historians with a glimpse into their lives. For example, about childbirth, but from their
medical books (Bald's Leechbook and Old English Herbal) we can learn what was used to
help women give birth to healthy babies. Women also owned other kinds of books, there
are five or six prayer books written by a female owner from this period, one of these was
the Book of Nanaminster, probably of Ealhswith (d. 902), wife of Alfred the Great.
Historians know this because the last page contains a description of the Winchester estate.

SOCIETY

Daily life in Anglo-Saxon England was difficult and rough, even for the rich. Society was
divided into three classes: thanes; upper class, churls; middle class, and lastly thralls;
the slave class. The human population was very small. Each village was largely self-
sufficient. People hardly needed external things like salt and iron. They grew their own
food and made their own clothes. The vast majority of Anglo-Saxons made their living
from farming; they grew peas, cabbages, parsnips, carrots, and celery. Also, they ate fruit
such as apples, blackberries and raspberries. They raised herds of goats, cattle and pigs, and
flocks of sheep.

EDUCATION

The churches and monasteries were in charge of give access to writing, Latin literacy and
Classical learning to the Anglo-Saxons once converted. The best poems to give excellent
insights into the Anglo-Saxons: The Ruin, Beowulf, and The Battle of Maldon. The
most important subjects were of medicine, astronomy and geography, also the use of
riddles with playful tones. Glossaries (Latin words accompanied by Old English translation
or modern Latin words), which are considered the precursors of modern dictionaries.
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REFERENCES

Antidote’s Blog. (2017, December 4). BC and AD, BCE and CE: What's the difference?
https://cutt.ly/x9OAvMz

Dowdeswell, M. (2022, December 8). A glimpse into the lives and roles of Anglo-Saxon
women. TheCollector. https://www.thecollector.com/anglo-saxon-women-england-
lives-roles/

Lambert, T. (2022, March 22). Life in Anglo-Saxon England. Local Histories.

The Historical Association. (n.d.). Anglo-saxons: A brief history.