Anglo-Saxons
Life
Goals for Lesson 1
In this lesson, we
will learn about
the historical and
social forces that
shaped the AngloSaxon era.
We will learn about the
everyday life of the
Anglo-Saxons.
Lord/King
Read pages 8-16 of Holt, Rinehart,
and Winston’s Literature of Britain
before you continue.
I will point out some key highlights
that you will need to remember for
later.
The Angles and Saxons
Coming across the North Sea, the
Angles and Saxons came from
Germany to invade Britain.
The language of the Angles became
the dominant, and predecessor,
language of modern English.
The resident Celtics resisted the
invasion. One Celtic leader was King
Arthur.
The Age of Warriors
Anglo-Saxon society developed from
the kinship of groups. Their leader
was known as a lord or king.
Loyalty to the lord was the most
important trait of a warrior.
Lords and their warriors were
bound to each other until death.
If the lord were killed, the warriors
were bound to revenge his death.
Rewards of Loyalty
The warriors, called thanes and
ceorls, were rewarded for their bravery
and loyalty with treasures (guerdon) of
jewelry, weapons, and land. This
loyalty also provided a close-knit
community living in small villages. The
lord/king had his own responsibilities.
Click on the link to see.
It’s a Woman’s Life
With all the fighting, you would think
that women would have no place. Women
actually held personal property and land,
even after marriage.
Women joined religious communities.
Women also had chores of gardening,
food preparation, and clothing
manufacturing. What did they eat?
The Village
The strong sense of loyalty
encouraged village life. To read
more about the village, click on
the illustrations and read what is
written.
Religious Life
Many of the Anglo-Saxon gods were
brought from Germany and closely
connected to Scandinavian
mythology.
The most important was Woden,
god of poetry and death.
Another important god was Thunor,
god of thunder and lightning.
One important figure was the
dragon who protected treasure.
Enter Christianity
Christianity
entered the AngloSaxon world with
missionaries.
Early missionaries
arrived by 432 AD.
King Ethelbert was
converted to
Christianity in 597
AD.
One interesting note
about the religious
beliefs of the AngloSaxons is that their
religion was whatever
the king said it was.
The Bard
The communal hall
(called a meadhall)
was the place for
meals, security,
meetings, and
entertainment.
The bard, or scop,
had the job of
musician/storyteller
The scop was held
in high esteem. His
job was as important
as the warriors.
How did they do it?
What musical
instruments did they
use?
Click on this link to
find out.
What else did they do for fun?
The Anglo-Saxons had many
pastimes.
Some of their games and sports are
similar to our own today.
Click on the links above. Read what
the site says about these two topics.
Make a note about the ones that are
similar to modern games and sports.
Click on this link to go to the
worksheet.