The Middle Ages

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The Middle Ages

• Anglo-Saxons
• 449-1066
• Medieval Period
• 1066-1485

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Old English

• 55 B.C. Julius Caesar tries to invade Britain
  not successful
• Claudius successful
• Romans rule Britain for 400 years
• Bring language, architecture, roads
• Romans leave to defend their territory

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Old English

• Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Frisians soon moved in
  from the Norwegian and German coasts
• Denmark, Norway, and Sweden
• Drove the Celts out to Scotland, Wales, and
  Ireland and soon dominated the main isle
• most powerful of these groups was the Angles.
• second most powerful group was the Saxons, this
  period is often referred to as the Anglo-Saxon
  period.
• language spoken was Old English.

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Old English

• Jutes and the Frisians, from modern day Denmark,
  settled along the west coast of Britain
• Anglo-Saxons were the biggest group in the
  English parts of Britain
• English regions were basically able to rule
  themselves.
• English regions split into four kingdoms North
  Umbria, Mercia, Wessex, and East Anglia

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Middle English

• 1066 Battle of Hastings
• French conquer Britain
• Rule for 200 years
• English becomes language of lower class
• Ends in 14th Century

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Modern English

• 16th Century
• Increased trade
• Political and economic success
• Language develops rapidly

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Influence on Language

• Old English also called Anglo-Saxon
  (449-1150CE) the language of Beowulf
• Middle English influenced by the French Normans
  (1150-1500CE) the language of Geoffrey Chaucer
• Modern English marked the rise of the English
  state (1500-present) the language of Edmund
  Spenser and William Shakespeare

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ALFRED THE GREAT

• 871-899
• Most remarkable of all English kings
• Patron of scholars and educators
• Promoted the use of written English instead of
  Latin
• Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
• Founded the first English public schools

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Anglo-Saxon Civilization

• A Lord's Life
• Richer lords lived on estates
• Inside the hall a lord might mark his prestige
• The hall was the scene of feasts for the lord's
  followers
• Used warfare to acquire land

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Religion- Paganism

• The Anglo-Saxons were pagans when they came to
  Britain
• They worshipped many different gods.
• Religion for the Anglo-Saxons
• Religious observance consisted of invocations and
  charms to ensure the gods' help

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ANGLO-SAXON LITERATURE

• Heroic Tradition Elegiac Tradition
• Two most important traditions
• Beowulf is the most important single poem
• Seafarer is a good example of an elegiac lyric
• Riddles were also common
• Prose and verse were generally written in Latin
  (occasionally in English for verse)

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Old-Middle-Modern English

• Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum - Father our
  thou that art in heavens
• Si þin nama gehalgod - be thy name hallowed
• to becume þin rice - come thy kingdom
• gewurþe ðin willa - be done thy will
• on eorðan swa swa on heofonum. - on earth as in
  heavens
• urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg - our
  daily bread give us today
• and forgyf us ure gyltas - and forgive us our
  sins

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Middle English
Oure Fadir that are in hevenes,Halewid be thi
name,Thy kingdom come to thee,Be thi will don
in eerthe as in hevene.Give to us this day oure
breed over othre substance,And forgive to us
oure dettis as we forgiven oure dettours.And
lede us not into temptation, But deliver us from
ivel.