The Anglo-Saxons and the Norman Conquest

Tina and Karishma

Essential Question!

In what ways have the Anglo-Saxons impacted the Middle Ages, in terms of culture and the English language?

Conquering Britain

Settlement● They took control of most of Britain but not Scotland, Wales and Cornwall

● Settled in England near the seaside because it was easily reached by boat

● Mostly settled in Tonbridge, Kent

● At the time, England was heavily covered in trees, there were only about a few thousand of the settlers

● It was an easy place for them to settle due to the excess lumber. The newcomers would find a place to start a village then chop down the surrounding forest to make farmland

Lifestyle: Houses

Most settlements were very small, with just two or three families

Worshipped gods of nature, springs, wells, rocks, and treesTried to keep away from

any Roman tribes and

preferred to live in small

villages however a few

villages inhabited the

abandoned Roman

cities and towns

Some of them built wooden houses inside the walls of Roman towns. Others cleared spaces in the forest to build villages and make new fields.

Fun Fact:It took about 18 trees to provide enough wood to build a Saxon house

Lifestyle: Clothes and Weapons

Men wore robes or tunics and women wore dresses that reached their feet

The common weapon was the spear made with a seven foot long ash shaft and an iron head

All cloth was typically linen

and woolens, the more

expensive outfits being

colourfully dyed

Shields were round, made of wood covered with leather, and had an iron boss in the centreOnly the nobility used swords

Lifestyle: Farming● Most people’s living came from farming● Most frequently grown crops were wheat, oats, rye, and barley (both as a

cereal and as the base for beer), peas, beans, and lentils were also common. Honey was the only sweetener in use, and it was used to make mead

● Pigs were a major food animal, as were cattle, goats, and sheep

Anglo-Saxon riddle: My nose points downwards. I crawl along digging into the ground.

English LanguageWe’ve got a little video for you…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9Tfbeqyu2U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B8TwBrCIEY

English Language Cont...● They spoke distinct languages which later evolved to Old English● introduce first video here● Developed from Germanic dialects● Spoken and used from the 5th Century to the 11th Century● Speakers of Old English called their language Englisc, themselves Angle,

Angelcynn or Angelfolc and their home Angelcynn or Englaland.● Old English writing began to appear in the 8th Century in West Saxons. At the

time, there were 4 major dialects: West Saxon, Mercian, Northumbrian, and Kentish

Who were the Normans?● Vikings that settled along the coast of France● Were known as the Norseman from Norway by the locals● Eventually became Normans and the land they lived in is known as Normandy today● Through a truce with France, Normandy became a duchy (territory) of France and their leader was known as the

Duke of Normandy

Norman Conquest: Cause● In 1066, the King of England, Edward the Confessor died---Last year of the Anglo-

Saxon’s power● Since Edward had no children or heirs, there were three men that all wanted the crown

for their own reasons:

Before Edward ruled, England was ruled by a Scandinavian King called King Cnut the Great. Since Edward had no heirs, Harald though that England should be under Scandinavian rule again

Was Edward’s brother-in-law and also one of the most powerful men in England. His reason is kind of self-explanatory

Had a relationship with Edward and “claimed” that Edward had promised the throne to him

King Harald Hardrada of Norway Earl Harold Godwinson of England Duke William of Normandy

Norman Conquest: First Crowning

King Hardrada of Norway gathered his forces and invaded England from the north in September of 1066

The English brought out their own army and the now “King” Harold II met the Norwegians at Stamford Bridge on September 25, 1066

Harold was the first to act and he was the obvious choice for the English Nobles. He was crowned almost immediately after the death of Edward however, there are 2 other men that want Harold’s position

Battle of Stamford Bridge

Norman Conquest: Battle of Stamford Bridge

Fighting was fierce as both sides lost over 5000 soldiers however, King Harold II came out victorious as he had not only defeated the Norwegians but also killed King Hardrada in battle

King Harold and the English had little time to celebrate their victory as William of Normandy led his army across the English Channel only a few days after the Battle of Stamford ended.

Norman Conquest: King William

The English leaders finally admitted defeat and crowned William King of England on December 25, 1066 (Christmas)

William would not be denied as he fought and won a few more battles along the way and reached London in late December

William continued to march towards London however the English resisted and rejected his rule. They even elected another man, Edgar, as king

It was quite an even fight as both side had the same number of soldiers but William had the advantage of having more archers and cavalry. Eventually, William’s army won the battle when King Harold was killed by an arrow (to the knee)

King Harold led his army south to meet the Normans. Both forces met at the top of Senlac Hill on October 14, 1066

William set up his army at the city of Hastings, where he built a wooden castle

Norman Conquest: Legacy● Norman rule had a lasting affect on England - many English nobles left the

country fleeing to Ireland, Scotland, and the Scandinavian countries● The Normans instituted many new laws and brought the French culture with

them● William instituted the Domesday book which kept track of who owned what

areas of land. Whatever was written in the book was final. There were no appeals. William used the book in order to tax the people.

● William also built many castles and cathedrals throughout England. These included Windsor Castle, the Tower of London, Colchester Castle, and the Rochester Cathedral.

Trading● Despite Rome’s previous control over the land of Britain, they didn’t leave a

lot of marks which is why people spoke English instead of Latin● Even though Rome left their monetary system in Britain which was using

coins to purchase items, the method wasn’t widely used● Instead, most Anglo-Saxons would barter and trade to get the items they

needed because coins was only available to the rich● If you were a farmer, you would trade your crops for lumber

Interactive ActivityYou are going to live the life of an Anglo-Saxon. In order to survive, you will need to trade with others for items that you do not currently have

● Get into 4 groups of 7● Every group needs:● 3 Groups of Logs● 4 Tunics● 2 Buckets of Water● 1 Loaf of Bread● 1 Spears