Medieval England in the 9th century was one of the wealthiest countries in northern Europe. It was an inviting prospect for raiders, invaders, and settlers.
The Nature of Medieval England and English Society in the 9th century
England had richmineral deposits of lead and iron,copper,tin, and silver. These were used to constructbuildings and to make tools, weapons jewelry, and other objects.
The Nature of Medieval England and English Society in the 9th century
Fertile land, especially in the east and south, meant crops grew well.Sheep produced high-qualitywool essential for cloth-making. There were plentiful supplies of salt to preservemeat for the winter, and the rivers and seas were full of fish.
The Nature of Medieval England and English Society in the 9th century
Trade routesinland with Europe were well established. Anglo-Saxonmerchants traded in large quantities of variousgoods. For example, they had exportedcheese, wool, cloth and minerals, and importedglass,wine,silks and spices.
The Nature of Medieval England and English Society in the 9th century
Most people lived in villages, but fortifiedtowns (called burhs or burgs)grew in number and developed as tradingcentres, especially those that were on the coast or navigablerivers.
The Nature of Medieval England and English Society in the 9th century
Many monasteries and abbeys were extremely wealthy, owning hundreds of gold and silver objects, precious jewels and beautifully illustratedmanuscripts.
Christianity
In the early medieval period, England gradually adopted Christianity. By 1066, it was a Christian country. Monasteries that were branches of European monastic orders were built. Scholars and clergymovedfreely between England and Europe as England became part of Christendom.
The Church and Christendom
Christianity was brought to England by the Romans. When the Roman Army left Britain in 410, Christianity was still simply one religion among many. Then change came.
The Church and Christendom
563: Irish Christian missionaries
597: The pope sent Augustine
635: Christian missionaries from Iona
The Church and Christendom
563: IrishChristian missionariesfounded an abbey on the Island of Iona, in Scotland.
The Church and Christendom
597: The pope sent Augustine, a Christian missionary, from Rome to England. This increased the spread of Christianity.
TheChurch and Christendom
635: Christian missionaries from Iona founded an abbey in Lindisfarne, on Holy Island, off the coast of Northumbria.
Government
Anglo-Saxon people were originally divided into many smallkingdoms. Gradually, after much fighting,largerkingdomsemerged.
Government
The most importantkingdoms in the 9th century were: Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex,Kent, and East Anglia.
Government
Kings had the ultimateauthority in their own kingdoms. They were usually advised by groups of the most powerfulmen in their kingdom. These could be a mixture of land-owning nobles and churchmen.
Government
Money to run kingdoms was raised by taxation based on land ownership.
Government
Law and order were manipulated by local communities who were responsible for preventing crime and catching criminals.
Government
The lack of a central government meant that it was difficult to organise a defence against invaders.
Government
Athelstan was the first king of all England. He reigned from 925 to 939.
Vikings
From c789 to c865 Vikings raided England and Scotland, attacking villages and towns,monasteries and abbeys that were close to the coast. They did this because they wanted the treasure held in monasteries and abbeys; the goods stored in merchants'warehouses; the ransoms they could demand to return capturedpeople.
Vikings
In 865 the VikingGreatArmy landed in East Anglia. The Vikings now wanted to settle in England because they knew the fertile soils would provide the land they needed.
Vikings
In 866Vikings captured York and used it as a base for defeatingNorthumbria,EastAnglia and Mercia.
Vikings
In 878Alfred of Wessex (the one remainingSaxonkingdom) and Guthrum,leader of the Vikings, agreed the Treaty of Wedmore. This established that the Viking migrants now controlled a large part of England and ran it using their ownlaws. This is called Danelaw.
Normans
The Normans, from Normandy in northern France, invaded England in 1066. They were led by Duke William and wanted to conquer and rule England.
Reasons why the Normans wanted to conquer England:
William becoming king
The Pope'sbrokenpromises
England's wealth
Reasons why the Normans wanted to conquer England:
William becoming king: They believed that William had been promised the English Throne by both Edward the Confessor and HaroldGodwinson. However, on Edward'sdeath,Harold became king.
Reasons why the Normans wanted to conquer England:
The Pope'sbrokenpromises: They received the support of the Pope, who backed the invasion because of what he believed were brokenpromises.
Reasons why the Normans wanted to conquer England:
England'swealth: England's wealth,fertile soil and tradinglinks made it an attractive place to settle.
Normans
In1066, at the Battle of Hastings,William and his NormanArmydefeatedHaroldGodwinson'sSaxonArmy.William was crownedking of England on ChristmasDay1066.
Normans
Normannobles and merchants then migrated to England to gainland and to takeadvantage of the traderoutes developed by the Saxons and the Vikings.
Jews
William I's plans for England involved spending a great deal of money, mainly on building castles and cathedrals.Christiansdid not generally lend money because, under Church rules, they were notallowed to chargeinterest.Charginginterest was called usury and was regarded as a sin by the CatholicChurch.
William turned to Jewish people in Normandy from whom he had previously borrowed money.Jews were allowed to charge interest on loans.
Jews
A group of merchants decided to lend William the money he wanted. In 1070,invited by William, they arrived in London, and were given 'specialstatus' as 'theproperty of the king'. Their families soon followed and established a smallcommunity in the city.
Skilled Workers from Europe
The reasons they migrated:
The HundredYears'war
The BlackDeath
ReplacingJewishmoneylenders
Skilled Workers from Europe
The Hundred Years' Wardisruptedwork and trade, especially in France. However, England was a stable country where workers with skills could do well.
Skilled Workers from Europe
The BlackDeathkilled30% to 40% of England's population in the years 1348-51. As a result, there was plenty of both skilled and unskilledwork available in England as well as the chance to setupnewbusinesses.
Skilled Workers from Europe
HenryIII wanted to replace the Jewish moneylenders with Christians because anti-Semiticattitudes were becoming common. So he invited powerful Italianbankingfamilies to England. In the 1220s the Bardi and Ricciardifamilies moved to London to work as bankers under RoyalProtection.
The experience of the Vikings
Most Vikings led settledlives in the Danelaw. They set up their own shops,markets and workshops, built their own houses and enjoyed their own forms of entertainment. Some grew rich because of their trading links developed with Europe.
The experience of the Vikings
Relations between the Vikings and the Saxons were generally good. However, for settled Vikings (danes) living near the boundary of the Danelaw, fighting Saxons was an everydayexperience.
The experience of the Vikings
Relations became worse after the Danelaw was brought under Saxon control in 937. The Danes began raidingagain and Viking settlers were sometimes attacked by Saxons.
The experience of the Vikings
Eventually, in 1016,Cnut became the firstDanishking of England. Relations improved, at least partly because Cnut set up new earldoms, giving a few Saxon nobles very largeareas of land.