anglo-saxon england

• when did Anglo-Saxon's rule England?

  449 AD - 1066 AD
• where did the Anglo-Saxon's come from?

  Germany
• who were the Anglo-Saxon's under constant threat from?

  the vikings
• When did the Vikings push the Anglo-Saxon's out of control?

  1014 AD - 1042 AD -> took control of the north
• what was society like for Anglo-Saxon's?

  -strong central control (king)

  -divided into shires with burhs

  -hierarchal organisation
• what was the name of the hierarchal organisation?

  Feudal System
• what was the order and role of those within the Feudal System?


  king - controlled most of the land

  earl - kings chief advisors -> gathered army (fryd)

  thegn - controlled local courts and collected taxes

  ceorls - made up most of society -> peasants and farmers

  thralls - slaves (10% of society)
• how much land did women own in society?

  around 5%
• what right did women have within society?

  could leave their husbands if he committed adultery
• was Anglo-Saxon society religious?

  yes - religion was central to their lives (they were Roman Catholic)
• Why did their bibles oppose the Pope and the rest of the world?

  they were written in English but the rest of the world's were written in latin.
• what did Anglo-Saxon's criticize in their sermons?

  -binge drinking and sexual intercourse on holy holidays

  -belief in witchcraft (many held these beliefs from their Pagan history)
• What did some bibles contain that reflected old Pagan beliefs?

  illustrations of witches and goblins
• where churches central to society's religion?

  no - they reflected wealth and control of the King. many people worshipped around stone crosses within their towns
• who tried to end church corruption in 960 AD?

  Saint Dunstan - sought to end corruption by educating monks and nuns and enforcing control over Priests to adhere to religious expectations of these individuals set by the Pope
• how did Anglo-Saxon go against the Pope?

  they made individuals Saints without his acceptance - had hundreds throughout society as they strongly believed in them
• where did King Edward the Confessor grow up?

  Normandy
• who did the King bring to England to change the church?

  priests from Normandy (it was very religious there)
• who raised awareness that led to the removal of these priests?

  Earl of Wessex - Godwinson declared they held to much power and needed to be replaced
• who replaced the priests from Normandy?

  Stigand
• was Stigand a good replacement?

  no - he was corrupt: committed pluralism (held two titles - Archbishop of Canterberry and Bishop of Winchester) and simony (sold church titles to the highest bidder). he often went against the Pope too.
• what famous artifact reveals cultural beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons?

  Alfred Jewel - highly crafted and reflects the Anglo-Saxon's connections within society and their strong religious beliefs
• what did the poem Beowulf reflect about Anglo-Saxon society?

  -revealed their interests in not only their way of life, but also the rest of the world through guesses they made in their literature work - they didn't explore often
• was Anglo-Saxon England Golden?

  yes: it was well structed and successful in its organisation

  held strong beliefs in religion and reflected these through works of high craftsmanship

  women held rights and land within society

  no: their religion was corrupt and many individuals in power reflected this corruption - they did however work and fix this corruption over time