FPecorella

Notes of the lesson. 05/02/2014

The reason to define King Alfred “The Great” is because he managed to dethe Danes or the Vikings.

You should go deeper into your research .

The Anglosaxon Chronicle is the first form of Anglosaxon history because it records the main events that happened in the land of the Anglosaxons. We refer to the Anglosaxon because from that name comes from “England”. We take information from documents, events, thinkers’ idea that are generally recorded or ended over from generation to generation. If they are so, they were orally ended over.

The Anglosaxon brought with them their nordic religion, a strong organization and a code of valued based on a high sense of honour and fidelity to their chiefs. They also brought with them their farming and fishing matters, that allowed them to survive, in thedifficult weather of Northern country. Their social structure had the family at its centre, which branched out to the clan and the tribe. Their society was rooled by a chief or a king who was generally the military leader. Then came the earls (counts, duckes, marquises, …) who were nobles by birth and the thegns, who were the personal companions of the king. All the other people were “free men”. What were their task? They were compelled to help to maintain roods, bridges and forts and provide military service when necessary.

People lived in country villages where the farmland, woods, pastures and meadows wew owned communally.

First of all the Anglosaxons imposed their language. Later known as OLD ENGLISH, which became through several modifications the English spoken today.

The celtic languages of the Native Britons survived only in Wales, Irland and the North-West of Scotland.

Influence of Christianity: Christianity which began to spread throughout pagan Anglosaxon Britain from the end of the 6^th century, prooved a driving force in uniting the kingdom and in opening the country to the influence of Europe.

When the Danish king Cnut (1016/1018-1035), known as Canute, became Christian he took pains to reconcile the Anglosaxon and the Danish. The Church was also very influencial on aspects of culture because it introduces the writing of documents why pagan Anglosaxon culture was mainly based on oral tradition. The Anglosaxons culture was ended out from generation to generation.

Oral culture is based on people’s ability to remember. The word “Beowulf” is made up of the words “Beo” and “wolf”, the English for ‘lupo’. If Beowulf is one of the most important examples of Anglosaxon culture we should first ask ourself/ wonder why do we know something of Anglosaxon culture. Where does Beowulf come from? Beowulf is an epic poem; it’s a form of epic poetry. Epic poem is a poem celebrating the gestures and the deeds of Anglosaxon civilization.

We don’t know the origins of Beowulf. We don’t know concrete information about the origin of the epic poem.

The scolars of the time even don’t know when the poem was written exactly. What is Beowulf about? It describes a warrior society, [...].

Wpic poetry is a narrative form of poetry. It tells about eroes, deeds, and similar ones.