Anglophone Civilization: The Origins of England PDF

Anglophone Civilization Topic 1: The Origins of England Introduction: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. England is the centre of British power and government. Ancient Britain: England was...

Anglophone Civilization Topic 1: The Origins of England Introduction: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. England is the centre of British power and government. Ancient Britain: England was first inhabited by the Celtic people. They practised agriculture, used iron tools, and organised into tribes and petty kingdoms. They built Stonehenge around 2500 BCE We don’t know many more details about the Celtics because they did not have a writing system. Roman Britain: England was invaded by Roman leader Julius Caesar in 55 BCE, but he did not establish a permanent presence there. In 44 CE, England was conquered by the emperor Claudius and organised into the Roman province of Britannia. The Romans changed the country in the following ways: - Founded the capital city of Londinium (now London) - Introduced writing - Brought advanced technology to agriculture, weapons, and architecture - Established sophisticated systems of government and administration Around 480 CE, the Roman Empire started to collapse and abandoned Britain. Post-Roman Britain: After the Romans left, people from Germanic tribes settled in England. The most important were the Angles (from Anglia) and the Saxons (from Saxony). The Anglo-Saxons developed a distinct English identity and spoke a language called Old English. They were organised into seven kingdoms (the Heptarchy) until they were unified under King Æthlstan in 927. There was constant warfare among the kingdoms and against invaders from Northern Europe (the Vikings) Christianity in England: In the 6th century, Pope Gregory sent St. Augustine to convert England to Christianity The Cathedral of Canterbury was built in 597 to act as the highest authority of the Catholic Church in England. The Catholic Church (based in Rome) was a very powerful institution all over medieval Europe, becoming the centre of social and political life in every town, city, and kingdom. The Norman Invasion: In the year 1066, King Edward the Confessor died without a direct heir. Three men believed they were the rightful heirs to the English crown: 1- Harold Godwinson 2- Harald Hadrada of Norway 3- Duke William of Normandy Harold crowned himself king of England once Edward was dead. Hadrada invaded from the north and was defeated by Harold at the battle of Stamford Bridge. Two weeks later, William had landed in the south of England and defeated Harold at the battle of Hastings. William became known as William the Conqueror and established the rule of the House of Normandy over England. Effects of the Norman invasion: 1- The Norman elite displaced the Anglo-Saxon elite. The descendants of William’s Norman army are still the nobility in England today. 2- The Normans spoke French while the common Anglo-Saxon people spoke Old English. These languages eventually merged to become Modern English. 3- The Normans abolished slavery and replaced it with feudal serfdom.