BACKGROUND
Contents:
1. Geography Basics: Modern and Ancient
2. The English Language: Definition and Division into Historical Periods
3. Outline of English History 600 BC - 1066 AD
4. Outline of Ancient and Medieval Documents Concerning England
5. Links
1. Geography Basics
Modern
The bare fundamentals of Great Britain's geography are as follows. Major land areas: England, Scotland, and Ireland; capitals being, respectively, London, Edinburgh, and Dublin. Within the area of England you should also know the location of Wales (adjective: Welsh), and Cornwall (adjective: Cornish), and the rivers Thames and Severn.
The North Sea is found on the eastern side of the islands, the Atlantic Ocean is to the west. The English Channel, on the North Sea side connecting Great Britain with France, is the traditional gateway to the rest of the European world.
Medieval
Of the seven feudal kingdoms shown, only Northumbria (the first center of Anglo-Saxon culture) and Wessex (the second, and home of Alfred the Great) need concern you.
You should understand the division of Great Britain into Anglo-Saxon England and the Celtic Matrix (Scotland, Ireland, and Wales) as a result of the Anglo-Saxon - Celt Wars.
2. The English Language
Definition:
The Germanic language spoken in England which takes its name from the Angles (who first committed their dialect to writing) and was extended to refer to all dialects of the vernacular, Saxon and Jutish too. Old English (formerly called Anglo-Saxon) is the English language of the period ending the Norman Conquest (c. 1100-1150); Middle English is used to describe the language from then to about 1500; Modern English, founded on the dialect of the East Midlands in Middle English, extends from 1500 to the present day. (from The Oxford Companion to English Literature, 1985; p. 319).
Historical Periods and Classic Examples
Old English ? - c.1100-1150 Beowulf, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Middle English 1150 - 1500 The Canterbury Tales
Modern English 1500 - present Paradise Lost; the works of Shakespeare;
The King James Bible (1611).
3. Outline of English History 600 BC - 1066 AD
Below are listed the five key periods, with notes as necessary.
I. The Celtic Migrations 600 BC - 300 BC
II. Roman Rule 55 BC - 407 AD
III. The Anglo-Saxon Period 450 AD - 1066
i. Anglo-Saxon (and Jute) - Celt Wars 450 - 600ii. The Celtic Escape (formation of the Matrix, and cultural division of Great Britain)
iii. Creation of the King Arthur legends c.500
iv. Introduction of Christianity to Great Britain by St. Augustine, 597.
IV. The Viking Invasions/Wessex Culture/Danish Rule 860 -1066
i. The Viking Invasions begin c. 860 (Viking = a Scandinavian pirate; Scandinavia meaning Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland).ii. Wessex Culture
a. Alfred the Great 848 - 899, r. 871- d. King of the West Saxons; successfully fought back the Vikings; actively promoted Anglo-Saxon culture (most notably editing the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, c.890).b. Edgar (great grandson of Alfred) c. 943 - 975. Under Edgar the area called England is, for the first time, united as one country (albeit briefly).
iii. Danish Rule 1016 - 1042
With the passing of Edgar, England soon falls to the Danes (albeit briefly).
V. The Norman Conquest 1066 - 1154
The word Norman, while directly referring to Normandy France, is actually derived from the word Norseman, meaning "Northman" = Scandinavian. So what we have is Vikings, who some time ago, had conquered part of France, who now conquer England (albeit -you guessed it - briefly).
5. Outline of Ancient and Medieval Documents Concerning England
For the entire period we are discussing (i.e., 600 BC - 1066 AD), I believe the following eight documents to be the essential primary sources (in other words, written by authors who were close in time to what they wrote about).
The basic division of these documents is into Latin (with two Roman and four English writers), and Old English ( three Englishmen).
Latin
1. Julius Caesar c. 100 BC - 44 BC
C. 58 BC De Bellico Gallico (The Gallic Wars)
First (brief) description of England and the Celts.
2. Cornelius Tacitus c. 55 AD - after 115
C. 100 Germania
Tacitus was the greatest of the Imperial Roman historians. This book is the earliest description we have of the Germanic-speaking peoples in Europe (centered about the Rhine). It is from this large group that the Celts had originally come, and from which, after the fall of Rome, the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and others, would come; Tacitus provides us with many interesting examples into this ancient culture.
3. Gildas d. 570
C. 540 De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae (The Destruction and Conquest of Britain)
The first British historian. This short book begins as a general history of Britain and then gives some details concerning the wars with the Anglo-Saxons (which were occurring at that time).
4. Bede (or The Venerable Bede) 673 -735
731 Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum (The Ecclesiastical History of the English People)
This book is the first detailed history of England (much an improvement over Gildas' work). It covers from the time of Caesar's arrival (c. 55 BC) to just four years before the author's death. A main point of the book, as may be guessed from the title, is how the Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christianity. It was translated into Old English in the 890's by order of Alfred the Great.
5. Nennius fl. c. 830
C.830 Historia Britonum (History of the Britons)
Historia Britonum is actually a somewhat miscellaneous collection of notes concerning the English Celts and geography of the country; whether this book was actually complied by Nennius or if he was simply the last compiler/editor is unknown. The work is notable in that it alleges to give the factual background of Arthur: he was not a king but a leader of knights who fought against the Anglo-Saxons.
6. Geoffrey of Monmouth d. 1135
C.1135 Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain)
This book, despite the title, is actually no history at all, but rather a romantic, legendary account of the British kings; it concerns particularly King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. As a starting point for his heroic imagination Geoffrey often uses details obtained from Gildas, Bede, Nennius, and, possibly, a lost work which was written in Welsh. Historia Regum Britanniae is noteworthy for firmly establishing, through Geoffrey's wonderful style, the King Arthur legends in European culture (this book, in fact, was one of the most popular of the Middle Ages).
Old English
6. Caedmon fl. c. 670
C. 670 Hymn of Creation (quoted in Bede's Historia)
Bede tells us in his Historia that an unschooled herdsman named Caedmon was given divine inspiration and composed, in Old English, paraphrases in poetic form of key Bible stories; he quotes us one example. However that may have been, no work of Caedmon, other than the little quoted by the Venerable Bede, survives today. Thus, with this meager evidence, we may perhaps call Caedmon the father of English poetry.
7. Beowulf
Dating from about 800, the author is unknown. In short, the key work of Anglo-Saxon literature. See the following lecture notes for an in-depth description.
8. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Again, circa 800; again, author(s) unknown.
The second most important Old English document. It covers, sometimes in detail sometimes very briefly, the events from the beginning of the Christian era to about 1154. The events recorded are believed to be largely correct (i.e., factual). The Chronicle, although a history, is not written completely in prose, but also occasionally uses poetic form. Although generally the style is far below the magnificence displayed in Beowulf , The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle remains a rich source of historical, linguistic, and literary information.
5. Links
*Medieval Sourcebook: England.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1n.html#Anglo-Saxon%20Britain
A great site for primary documents.
*The Camelot Project.
http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/cphome.stm
Outstanding collection of Arthurian material.
*Old English at the University of Calgary
http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/eduweb/engl401/index.htm
An entire on-line course for learning Old English! Complete with sound files. Highest recommendation.
*History of the Celts
http://member.rivernet.com.au/manxman/Celts/history.htm
Just like the title says. Excellent.
Robert T. Tuohey
jadedragon61@hotmail.com
http://jadedragon.250x.com/welcome.htm