From Legend to History (A.D. 449-1485)

“Who pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil, is rightwise king born of all England.”

-Sir Thomas Mallory, From Morte d’Arthur

Major Historic Events

449 – Anglo-Saxon invasion of Briton 653 – Christianity begins to spread throughout

Severn Valley C. 750- Surviving version of Beowulf composed C. 975- Saxon monks copy Old English poems into

The Exeter Book 1066- Norman invasion; William the Conqueror

becomes King of England

Feudal System

King

Baron

Knights

Serfs (peasants)

Origins of Britain

The terms “British” and “Britain” are derived from European peoples called Celts or “Bretons who inhabited the British Isles and the northern coast of France (still called “Brittany”)

Celts The Celts had invaded the British Isles, and

settled there, in the 4th Century before the Christian era

The Celtic invaders spoke a language that is related to modern Welch and Irish

5,000 year old tomb in Ireland – Celtic history

The British Isles were invaded again, by the Romans, around the time of Jesus

Britain was part of the Roman Empire, but the Romans did not settle the area

There is no reason for this slide – I just wanted to see one more of Rome. Sorry.

Anglo-Saxon

The British Isles were invaded again, in the 5th and 6th centuries, by the Angles and Saxons and Jutes Notice how Angles and English sound alike

Germanic language that is a direct ancestor of Modern English

Caedmon's Hymn: West Saxon Version

Verse Early SaxonNu sculon herigean         heofonrices weard, meotodes meahte         and his modgeþanc,

weorc wuldorfæder,         swa he wundra gehwæs, ece drihten,         or onstealde.

5 He ærest sceop         eorðan bearnum heofon to hrofe,         halig scyppend;

þa middangeard         moncynnes weard, ece drihten,         æfter teode

firum foldan,         frea ælmihtig.

Old English Literature

Exeter Book (Codex) contains Old English Poems (including a few found in our textbooks)

1066- Norman Invasion

The British Isles were invaded again, in 1066, by William, Duke of Normandy also known as William the Conqueror Had the blessing of Pope Alexander II

For more than 200 years, the language of the English government and legal system was French

The people’s language changed from the very Germanic Old English to the French influenced Middle English

Middle English Whan that aprill with his shoures soote

The droghte of march hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth Tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the ram his halve cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye…

From Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

Canterbury Tales

Ellesmere Manuscript: before the printing press, books were copied and illustrated by monks.

Modern English

Began after Great Vowel Shift circa 1550 Ex. ‘i’ use to make the ‘ee’ sound

So yes, Shakespeare is, in fact, Modern …but we’ll save him for another day.