Concetti Chiave
- In 410 AD, the Roman army withdrew from the British Isles, leading to invasions by the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes from Scandinavia and Germany.
- The Anglo-Saxons, primarily farmers and fishermen, organized themselves into clans with strong social bonds of loyalty, courage, and personal freedom.
- Pope Gregory I sent Augustine to England in the 6th century to revive Christianity, resulting in Augustine becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury and fostering the growth of monasteries.
- Britain during the Anglo-Saxon period was divided into multiple political entities that eventually formed the Heptarchy, consisting of seven independent kingdoms.
- In 865 AD, Vikings launched assaults on England, successfully conquering East Anglia, Northumbria, part of Mercia, and nearly all of Wessex.
The Anglo-Saxons – brief story of the population
In 410 AD, the withdrawal(=ritiro) of Romansarmy from the British Isles and the consequential fragmentation of Great Britain in little reigns formed by Briton that were fighting against Northen populations were the causes, in the same time, of the invasion of Angles, Saxons and Jutes of the British Isles.These populations came from Scandinavia (Frisia and Danmark) and from Germany, and they destroyed all Roman towns.
As a matter of fact, in Great Britain there are only few constructions dated back to the Roman period (for example the wall of Hadrian or Antonine Pius, Cirencester and thermal baths of Bath).The Anglo lived in the centre of the island and in the East part, the Saxons were in the South (specifically in the territories of Essex, Sussex and Wessex), the Jutes in the extreme South-East part (that today coincide with Kent and Hampshire) while autochthone populations were forced to move to North and West or they were meant to be succumbed politically and culturally by these new invaders.
As a matter of fact, historians like Paul The Deacon claim that during the IX century, Angles, Saxons, Jutes and the remaining tribes merged all together in result of the Anglo-Saxon population.
Anglo-Saxons were farmers and deep-sea fishermen and they were organised in clans.
Their social bonds (=legami) were loyalty (=lealtà),phisical courage and personal freedom.
They had a developed sense of beauty,too.
During the 6th century, Pope Gregory I the Great sent a monk(=monaco),called Augustin to bring Christianity again in England.
Augustin became the archbishop(=arcivescovo) of Canterbury and encouraged(=incoraggiò) the birth of many monastries.
Britain was divided in many political entities, who conquered or merged with (=si fusero) each other so that they organized themselves in the Heptarchy (Anglia Orientale, Mercia, Northumbria, Essex, Sussex, Wessex, e Kent).
The Heptarchy was the division of England in seven indipendent kingdoms.
In 865 AD Vikings assaulted England and they conquered completely two kingdoms (East Anglia and Northumbria),part of Kingdom of Mercia and nearly all of Kingdom of Wessex.
Anglo-Saxon’s language and Beowolf
The Anglo-Saxon, also called Old-English, is the fist state of English language that is evolved until nowadays.It is considered part of the Anglo-Frisian sub-strain which is part of the West Germanic languages and it has some resemblances with the Icelandic.
The Anglo-Saxon, although today it is not spoken anymore, left a noticeable heritage in the word families of the Modern English.
In most cases the Anglo-Saxon words were pronounced as they were written and it had 4 cases: one for the subject, one for the specification complement, one for the term complement and one for the object complement.
The most known literary work that was written in Anglo-Saxon is Beowolf around the VIII century. It is about a warrior, Beowolf, who fight against monsters until the last day of his life, firstly as the king of the Geats’ muscular and strong nephew and at end as the new king of them.
The story, at the same time, recalls Saint George’s fight against the dragon and Thor mythology.
Domande da interrogazione
- Quali furono le cause principali dell'invasione anglosassone delle Isole Britanniche?
- Come si organizzarono socialmente gli Anglo-Sassoni?
- Qual è l'importanza del monaco Agostino nella storia anglosassone?
- Quali furono le conseguenze dell'assalto vichingo del 865 d.C. in Inghilterra?
- Qual è il contributo dell'Anglo-Sassone alla lingua inglese moderna?
Le cause principali furono il ritiro dell'esercito romano nel 410 d.C. e la frammentazione della Gran Bretagna in piccoli regni, che permisero l'invasione di Angli, Sassoni e Juti.
Gli Anglo-Sassoni erano organizzati in clan e i loro legami sociali si basavano su lealtà, coraggio fisico e libertà personale.
Agostino, inviato da Papa Gregorio I, fu fondamentale per riportare il Cristianesimo in Inghilterra e divenne arcivescovo di Canterbury, promuovendo la nascita di molti monasteri.
I Vichinghi conquistarono completamente due regni (Anglia Orientale e Northumbria), parte del regno di Mercia e quasi tutto il regno di Wessex.
L'Anglo-Sassone, o Antico Inglese, ha lasciato un'eredità significativa nelle famiglie di parole dell'inglese moderno, nonostante non sia più parlato oggi.
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