The Anglo-sa xons
This picture shows the route the anglosaxons took to get to England
The Anglo-Saxons The Anglo-Saxons were German tribes that settled in England from the middle of the 400´s through the 500´s A.D. They soon began to run out the native Britons, and the 6th century they had started to take over most of England. By the 600´s they were well established in Britain.
Historians call them Anglo-Saxons. The new settlers were a mixture of people from north Germany, Denmark and northern Holland. Most were Saxons,
Franks and Frisians too.
Why did the anglo-saxons come? Some Anglo-Saxons came to Britain to fight, but others came peacefully, to find land to farm. The Anglo-Saxons knew Britain was a rich land. Their own lands were often flooded, making it difficult to grow enough food. There was not enough land for everyone.
Whole families set off across the North Sea in small boats. Each boat had a settlement of people with its own leader. They brought their tools, weapons, belongings and farm animals with them to Britain.
Whether they settled peacefully, or drove the inhabitants from their lands, the Anglo-Saxons took control of most of Britain. However, they never conquered Scotland, Wales or Cornwall.
Many districts are named after the Anglo Saxons. Examples of this are Sussex (named after the 'South Saxons'), Essex (East Saxons), Middlesex (Middle Saxons) and Wessex (West Saxons).
How did the Anglo-Saxons live? When the Anglo-Saxons arrived in Britain, most kept clear of Roman towns. They preferred to live in small villages. However, warrior chiefs knew that a walled city made a good fortress. So some Roman towns, like London, were never completely abandoned. Many Roman buildings did become ruins though, because no one bothered or knew how to repair them. Some Saxons built wooden houses inside the walls of Roman towns. Others cleared spaces in the forest to build villages and make new fields. Some settlements were very small, with just two or three families.
Ang lo- sa xon House
Fun Fact : It took the Anglo-Saxons 18 trees to build a house big enough for a family to live in.
alfred the great
Men, women and children helped on the farm. Men cut down trees to clear land for ploughing and sowing crops. Farmers used oxen to pull ploughs up and down long strip-fields. Children with dogs herded cattle and sheep. They kept a lookout for wolves - which still lived in Britain at this time. Some people had special skills. The smith made iron tools, knives and swords. Woodworkers made wooden bowls, furniture, carts and wheels. Potters made pottery from clay. The shoemaker made leather shoes. Jewellers made metal brooches, beads and gold ornaments for rich people.
Ang lo- sa xon helm et
The language At the time the Anglo-Saxons arrived, the inhabitants of England were Britons who spoke a form of Welsh, a Celtic language. Although the Anglo Saxons did not kill all the native Britons, they did almost destroy their language and replaced the native 'Celtic' language with their own 'Germanic' tongue. When the Saxon invaders came to England in the 5th century, they brought with them their own language. The Anglo Saxon language was a Germanic one, closely related to Old High German, Frisian and Scandinavian. Speakers of modern German or Dutch will see many aspects of AngloSaxon that are familiar to them from their own languages.
With the new language they gave names to new places, many of which survive to the present day. The existing settlements were not destroyed, but the Saxons found the names difficult to pronounce, so they renamed them in their own language. The Anglo Saxons spoke what we call Old English. The Old English is hard for us to understand today and don’t seem much like the English we know. But they called their language Englisc though, and it is pronounced the same way as English. Below you can see an example of the Anglo Saxon language:
Growing up The growing up for girls: Both boys and girls was very important for the Anglo-Saxons. The girls learnt housekeeping and together with the boys they collected firewood and fetched water from a stream or well. The girls was considered grown-up at the age of 10, and could then get married. Some girls became nuns in the christian church. Boys: Boys learned skills like farming and fighting from their fathers. They fished, collected bird eggs, caught wild ducks and haunted deer with the men.As the girls, most of the boys did not learn to read and write. only those who trained to be a monk. Toys and games: Home made, wood. The toys was often dolls, horses, ships. They had board games. the children also had spinning tops. Marriage: Women did not marry a man of a higher rank. Slave woman married slave man. They were allowed to choose their husband/wife. the family had to approve. If a girl married a man the brothers and parents had to approve him, because if he died the brothers was going to take care of her. Women could own land and leave wills (testamente), some times the women had a small library of books. A rich woman's possessions might also include furniture, blankets, cups and jewelry and horses.
Fun Fact: It was a woman's job to
make drinks (such as ale) and serve them.
Anglo-Saxon beliefs The romans christened England before the Anglo Saxons arrived. But the Anglo Saxons were not Christians. In fact they were pagans, much like the Vikings were. That means that they believed in many gods. Some of their gods was Woden – a German version of the Scandinavian God Odin. Other gods were: Thunor - the god of thunder Frige - goddess of love Tiw - god of war
Anglo-Saxons were superstitious. They believed in lucky charms. They thought that magic rhymes, potions, stones or jewels would protect them from evil spirits or sickness.
After the Romans left Britain, Christianity continued in places Anglo Saxons did not settle such as Wales. In 597 AD the Pope in Rome decided it was time AngloSaxons in southern Britain heard about Christianity. So he sent a monk called Augustine to Kent, to persuade a Woden The god The god Tiw the king to become Christian. Over the next 100 years, many Anglo-Saxons turned to Christianity. New churches and monasteries were built.
Fun fact: The days tuesday, wednesday, thursday and friday are named after Anglo-Saxon gods. Tiw - Tuesday Woden - Wednesday Thunor - Thursday Frige - Friday
The god Thunor
The godesse Frige
Anglo-Saxons Farming and Food
Fun Facts
Food : The Anglo Saxons were farmers, end they got their food
Anglo-Saxons wore lucky charms to protect them against evil spirits and illness.
from their farm. The crops most
Hunters used trained hawks to catch ducks, pigeons and other wild birds.
Peas, beans, and lentils were
Archaeologists have found miniature tools, probably toys for children to practice with.
used to make the alcoholic
frequently grown were wheat, oats, rye, and barley (both as a cereal and as the base for beer). also common. Honey was the only sweetener in use, and it was beverage mead. An illustration of an Anglo-Saxon farm
Pigs were a major food animal, as were cattle, goats, and sheep. Horses and oxen were raised for heavy farm labour and transportation.