Christianity in Ireland and England
Last Updated     11/27/2007      11/26/2007

Ireland was Christian.
Anglo-Saxon Britain was not.
Pope Gregory I decided to convert the Anglo-Saxons.
597 AD, Pope Gregory sent four monks from Rome to England.
The monks were led by Augustine.

Bertha and Ethelbert
Monks landed at the south England kingdom of Kent.
Queen Bertha was a Christian.
King Ethelbert was not.
Ethelbert became a Christian.
He allowed Augustine to build a church in Canterbury.
Augustine was allowed to teach the people about Christianity.
601 AD, Augustine made first archbishop of Canterbury by Pope Gregory.
By 700 AD all England was Christian.
The Pope was the head of the church.
Monasteries were built throughout England.

Bede   672-735 AD
Bede was born around 672, near Sunderland.
He lived as a monk at the monastery of Jarrow in Northumbria
He was a great scholar.
He wrote the first history of the English people.
In 732, he wrote the first History of the English Church and People.
He brought to England the way of dating events from the year Jesus was born.

Writing
Early Anglo-Saxons wrote using letters called runes.
They believed runes had magical powers.

Beowulf
700 AD, Earliest known epic poem of 3200 lines.
Passed along by oral tradition.
900 AD, Beowulf written down in Old English.
Beowulf goes from place to place fighting wicked people and animals.
In his greatest battle he defeats a horrible monster named Grindel.
Most important work of Anglo-Saxon literature.

Alfred the Great 849-899
About 835 AD, Danes begin attacking coast of England.
They made permanent settlements in areas they conquered.
The English chose Alfred, King of Wessex, to fight the Danes.
Alfred needed time to build a stronger army.
For two years, Alfred paid tribute to the Danes to leave England alone.
When he was ready, he refused to pay.
The Danes invaded England and defeated the Anglo-Saxons.
877 AD,  Alfred was pushed back to a small corner of the marshes around Athelney, in Somerset.

Triumph of Alfred
Alfred came out of the Athelney marshes and surprised the Danes under Guthrum at Edington.
The Danes were defeated.
Guthrum was chased back to his base at Chippenham.
Alfred besieged Guthrum for two weeks.
Eventually Guthrum surrendered, and agreed to retreat from Wessex.

King of England
Alfred strengthened his army.
Built the first English fighting ships.
Built forts throughout England
England rallied behind him.
The King of Wessex became the King of England.

Treaty With the Danes
Alfred never became strong enough to drive the Danes out of England.
He signed a treaty with them known as the Peace of Wedmore.
The Danes would rule the northeast part of England.



This area was called Danelaw.
The Danes promised to stay in their land, and not to attack English land.
Guthrum was also baptized as a Christian.

Accomplishments of Alfred
Danes had destroyed part of London.
Alfred rebuilt it and it became England's leading city.
Alfred made new laws based on Anglo-Saxon customs.
They stresses honesty and protected the weak against the strong.
He started a palace school for the sons of nobles.
Alfred had books translated into English.
Alfred had monks begin a record of English history.

Death
Alfred died in 899 AD.
He is remembered as Alfred "The Great."

Central Government
Centered on the king.
Council of Lords elected from members of royal family.
After 700 AD, church crowned new kings.
King directed the central government.
The central government was made up of royal servants and advisers.
Central government was too weak to govern the whole country.

Local Governments
England was divided into districts called shires.
A shire was run by a sheriff, a noble chosen by the king.
A sheriff collected money, enforced the law, called out soldiers when needed.
He was the "eyes and ears" of the shire.

King's Peace
The king and his household moved from royal household to another.
Whatever area the king was in was under King's Peace or royal protection.
Lawless acts were outlawed.
Commit a crime and you were punished under the king's law and not local law.
Eventually King's Peace spread to all areas of the kingdom.

Witenagemot
Witenagemot was a group of nobles and church leaders who talked over problems with the king.
Each member was know as a witan.
A witan was a wise man.
The group approved laws that the king and his household drew up.
It also acted as a court.

People
Below the king there were two levels of freemen, the upper class thanes and the lower class ceorls (churls).
Below the thanes and ceorls were the slaves.
Slavery was one of the biggest commercial enterprises of Dark Age life.
Much depended on this involuntary labor force.


Nobles
You became noble by birth or as a reward from the king.
Nobles attended the Witenagemot, kept the peace, and fought for the king during wars.
Noblemen wore pants and tunics covered by silk or fur coats.
Noblewomen wore tunics and long coats held in place at the shoulders by a brooch.
The more expensive outfits were marked by colorful dyes and decorated with exotic borders.
The king rewarded nobles with gold, silver, horses, and weapons.
Nobles were given estates.
Nobles moved from place to place with their families and servants.

Houses of the Nobles
House had a large hall where meals were served and guest's entertained.
Walls were covered with tapestries.
Tables and benches were the only furniture.
Bedrooms were next to the hall or in a separate building.

Peasants
Peasants lived in small villages or on the noble's estate.
most worked the land of the noble.
Every year the land was redivided.
They shared tools and oxen.
The crop was divided between the peasant and the nobles.
The nobles protected the peasant from attack.

Peasants Houses
Peasants lived in a one-room wood and plaster hut.
The family and the animals shared the same room.
A open fireplace was in the center of the room.
The fireplace provided heat and a place to cook.
Smoke escaped through a hole in the roof.

Slavery
You could be born a slave.
War was the most frequent source of slaves.
People could also become slaves if they were unable to pay a fine.
A family would sell a child into slavery in time of famine to ensure the child's survival.
Slavery was not necessarily a lifetime sentence.
A slave could be ransomed by his or her relatives.
They could be granted freedom in an owner's will.
They might be freed when the value of their labor reached the value of the original debt.

Farming
Crops most frequently grown were wheat, oats, rye, and barley.
Peas, beans, and lentils were also grown.
Honey was used as a  sweetener and to make the alcoholic beverage mead.
Pigs were a major food animal, as were cattle, goats, and sheep.
Horses and oxen were used for farm work and transportation.

Weapons
The common weapon was the spear made with a seven foot long ash shaft and an iron head.
It was both thrown and used to jab.
Shields were round, made of wood covered with leather, and had an iron boss in the center.
The nobility used swords, which were about thirty inches long, made of iron with steel edges.
The hilt was often elaborately carved and jeweled.
They could be inscribed with good luck symbols and the names of gods.
The Danish Vikings were more heavily armed than the Anglo-Saxons.
They relied on chain mail and helmets.
They used short stabbing swords which were useful in close quarters.
They also used the fearsome double headed battle axe.

Leisure and Entertainment
Favorite pastimes of the Dark Ages were dice and board games such as chess.
Riddles were popular.
Horse racing and hunting.
The most common entertainment was the harp.
The harp was also used in church music.


Bibliography
Greenblatt, Miriam, and Lemmo, Peter. Human Heritage A World History. Columbus, Ohio: McGraw-Hill, 2001.

Ross, David. "Alfred the Great." Britain Express. 27 Nov. 2007. http://www.britainexpress.com/History/Alfred_the_Great.htm.

Ross, David. "Anglo-Saxon Life." Britain Express. 27 Nov. 2007 http://www.britainexpress.com/History/anglo-saxon_life.htm.

"Time Strip." bbc.co.uk 27 Nov. 2007. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/walk/timestrip/bede_al.shtml.

Wood, Michael. "Alfred the Great." Birth of England: The Wessex Kings. 12 Nov. 2004. 27 Nov. 2007. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/conquest/wessex_kings/birth_england_wessex_05.shtml.