British History Handout 1 PDF

British History Sept. 12th, 2024 Handout I – Britain before “Britain” 1. Ancient (“pre-Roman”) history: British Isles probably inhabited since 17.000 BCE - various peoples from Northern Europe + inland migration (evidence: burial...

British History Sept. 12th, 2024 Handout I – Britain before “Britain” 1. Ancient (“pre-Roman”) history: British Isles probably inhabited since 17.000 BCE - various peoples from Northern Europe + inland migration (evidence: burial sites) 2. Inhabitants, tribes, and conquerors (ca. 2000 BCE – ca. 450 CE): Celts, Romans, and the rest: - Celts: from Europe – Picts (Scotland); Scots (Ireland – “Scots-Irish”) – stereotypes - 55 BCE: Julius Caesar’s military expedition – a set of varied, polyglot nations on the islands - 43 CE: Emperor Claudius and the Roman system (client kings – later: administrators) - 70–160: “Roman bureaucracy” (mainly in the southeast) – the rise of Londinium - constant fights on and beyond the ancient frontier – 61 CE: Boudicca’s Celtic uprising - Roman cities with varying functions – two most important: York (north) and London (south) - (im)migration into, through, and around Britannia – trade, plague, polyglottism - issues on the Continent – loosening ties (e.g. Carausius, the “local emperor”; 287–93) - late 3rd c. – early 4th c.: Constantius I – battles against frontier folks – vicarius Britanniarum - Constantine the Great – prosperity in Britannia – villa culture, infrastructure (roads, baths) - Christianity vs. paganism; after 337: fragmentation, insecurity, “Barbarian Conspiracy” (367) - from the dawn of the 5th c. on: decline of the Roman Empire – by 450: end of Roman Britain 3. Newcomers’ luck (ca. 450 – 1066): The Anglo-Saxon era, Vikings, and the start of “Britain”: - remains of Roman Britain: pottery and commerce destroyed – BUT: culture lives on - new invaders: Germani (Angles, Saxons, Jutes) – source: Venerable Bede (731) – “England” - ca. 600: Britain “cut in half” – Celts vs. Germani (merchants, fighters, adventurers) - Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy – most significant: Wessex (West-Saxon kingdom) - “a patchwork of kingdoms” – no solid states, no lasting allegiances, no true influence - “warrior culture” (e.g., Beowulf) – but: free peasantry (hides and manors) - Christianity: disturbed by the Germani – attempts at re-Christianising the population - missionaries, official visits – emergence of later saints of the Catholic Church (e.g., St. Patrick) - 597: Augustine’s visit to Kent – establishment of one of the best-known monasteries ever - Christianity spread and popularised by Britons (Romans) and Irish monasteries – success - 8th c.: 3 “overkingdoms” – Mercia (Offa as king par excellence), Wessex, and Northumberland - from the 860s on: Viking invasion(s) – West: Norwegian settlers, East: Danish “pirates” - 870s: Alfred of Wessex – agreement: money (Danegeld) and regional rules (Dane-law) - Alfred: daughter’s marriage to Aethelred of Mercia – King of the Anglo-Saxons - Wales and Scotland: relatively independent kingdoms, by the early 900s: Dane-law reduced - new system: shires (hundreds, tithings) led by earls (magnate, ealdorman, shire-reeve) - Eadgar (973–75): secular (fealty of 8 kings) and religious (archbishops, bishops) support - after 975: weakening royal power, renewed Viking attacks (Swein: leader of united Norsemen) - 991–1013: permanent conflicts, attacks, and massacres – King Aethelred fleeing to Europe - 1028: North Sea Empire (England, Norway, Denmark) – leader: Cnut/Canute (son of Swein) - 1030s–1040s: restoration of the Wessex dynasty – Edward the Confessor (1043–1066) - efficient government, taxation, office of the royal chancellor established, Westminster Abbey - Edward: childless – appointed heir: Harold (earl of Wessex) – conflict with Tostig (brother) - illegitimate descendant: William (Norman) – Battle of Hastings (1066) – last conquest Glossary I Places Names Years Concepts Londinium Claudius 43 CE Picts Wessex Offa 367 Heptarchy Dane-law Alfred of Wessex 1066 shire Essay topics: 1. Briefly describe the strongly varied population of the British Isles during the Roman era, with a focus on the different peoples, tribes, and communities, as well as their connections, relationships, and the areas and settlements inhabited by them. /// Write an insightful, opinion- oriented but informative account of the ways in which Romans attempted to deal with the oftentimes chaotic situation in Britannia – focusing mainly on the political system of the province and the various nations to be concerned about – from the perspective of a Roman military officer or administrator. 2. Briefly summarize the religious aspects of the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, focusing mainly on the various ways in which different communities and individuals managed to spread Christianity on the British Isles, as well as the most significant, lasting changes brought about by these processes. /// Write a short memoir entry from the point of view of a Christian missionary sent to the British Isles (Britain or Ireland), concentrating on the general religious- spiritual conditions witnessed in the post-Roman regions and the methodology applied to complete the holy mission.