THE MIDDLE-
AGES
TO CA 1485
Anglo-Saxon
Period Bede’s
«Caedmon’s THE
Anglo-Saxon Hymn» OUTLINE
Literature «The Wife’s
Lament»
(Elegy)
ETYMOLOGY
The Middle Ages
• the collapse of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance and Reformation (from the
5th century to the late 15th century)
The adjective «medieval» is coined from
• the Latin «medium» (middle)
«Age» is coined from from
• the Latin «aevum» (age)
refers to whatever was made, written, or thought during the
Middle Ages
RENAISSANCE REINTERPRETATION
the intervening centuries between antiquity and their own time as a
«middle» or transitional period.
the classical period as the height of civilization,
the Middle Ages as a period of decline, and
their own time as a rebirth of classical ideals
Anglo-Saxon Period
Anglo-Norman Period
Middle English Period (14th and 15th
Centuries)
THE THREE PRIMARY
SECTIONS
BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS: THE CELTIC
PERIOD
(750 BCE – 12 BCE)
the Celts: the most powerful people in the central and northern Europe
Celtic tribes
• Brythons/Brithons (who inhabit the present-day Britain) and
• the Gales/ Gauls (inhabit the present-day Ireland and parts of Scotland)
Britannia
Celtic society
• Warriors
• Druids
• Farmers and hunters
corresponds to the Iron Age
BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF THE ANGLO-
SAXONS: THE ROMANS (55 BCE – 407 CE)
From the 1st to the 5th century, England was a
province of the Roman Empire.
Roman civilization
Introduction of Christianity to Britannia
Role of Christianity in civilizing the people:
softened the lifestyle of waring people
Military fortifications such as Hadrian’s Wall in the
North, elaborate baths, villas, amphitheatres, stone
roads, the system of law, and unity of
government
ANGLO-
SAXON
PERIOD
from the middle of the 5th century CE to
the Norman Conquest of 1066
THE ANGLO-SAXON CONQUEST
the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes
the name English derives from the Angles
the founders of what we can call English Culture and
Literature
Contrary to the Britons, the Anglo-Saxon invaders were
pagans
In 597, Pope Gregory the Great sent St. Augustine
King Ethelbert of Kent was the first Christian king
THE ANGLO-SAXON LIFE (SOCIAL STRUCTURE)
King chosen by a Witan or council of elders
By the middle of the 9th century, the royal family of Wessex was universally
recognised as the English royal family and held a hereditary right to rule.
Major nobility: the earls, the ruling nobility
Minor nobility: thanes (warriors)
Freemen: the upper group of commoners
Serfs: held no land and worked for others in exchange for
food and shelter
KINSHIP AND WERGILD
[Link]:
refers to the system of social relationships based on blood ties and familial
connections within a community or society
a central aspect of Anglo-Saxon society, shaping relationships, inheritance, and
social obligations
organised themselves into clans or extended families. These kinship groups were
essential for support, protection, and legal matters
inheritance of property and wealth was often determined by kinship. Succession to
titles, land, and possessions usually followed familial lines
kinship bonds carried a strong sense of loyalty and obligation. Individuals were
expected to support and defend their kin in times of conflict
[Link]:
«man price» or «blood Money» was
a compensation or restitution paid to the kin or family of a person
who had been injured or killed
a means of resolving conflicts and preventing blood feuds
the amount of wergild varied depending on the status and social
standing of the individual
an integral part of Anglo-Saxon legal codes
failure to pay wergild could lead to a blood feud, where the injured
party sought revenge.
THE VIKINGS (407 CE TO 499 CE)
the Vikings from the Northern European mainland (Scandinavia)
were raiders who went about attacking monasteries
continued their raiding spree even during the Anglo-Saxon period
The famous Anglo-Saxon king Alfred the Great resisted their
invasion
The Vikings eventually left Britannia in 954, after their last king, Eric
Haraldsson (Bloodaxe) was killed
THE SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE ANGLO-
SAXON INVASION
1) Modern English has its roots in
Old English which was spoken
by the Anglo Saxons
2) English is therefore a
Germanic language
THE MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS OF OLD ENGLISH POETRY
The Anglo-Saxon invaders brought with them a tradition of oral poetry (nothing was
written down before the conversion to Christianity)
Old English literature deals with religious subjects and is mostly drawn from Latin
sources.
The earliest records in the English language are in manuscripts produced at monasteries and
other religious establishments, beginning in the seventh century.
Literacy was mainly restricted to servants of the church.
THEREFORE
«Heroic» and «Christian» elements in Anglo-Saxon poetry
The world of Old English poetry is in the mood of elegy
a sad poem or song, especially remembering someone who
has died or something in the past
Romantic love—one of the principal topics of later literature—
appears hardly at all
The poems of the period represent
the aristocratic and heroic values
of Germanic society:
Kinship is the basis of the
heroic code
Royal generousity is neccessary
Blood revenge is regarded as a
sacred duty
a special vocabulary that contains a multiplicity of terms for lord, warrior, spear, shield,
and so on.
Synecdoche and metonymy are common figures of speech.
Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa: For
instance, the word «iron» stands for sword.
In metonymy, the word used to describe a thing is closely linked to that particular thing but is not
necessarily a part of it. For instance, the word «crown» can be used to indicate the notion of
«power».
Kenning: a compound of two words in place of another as when the sea becomes «whale-
road» or the body is called «life-house»
The use of alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words or
stressed syllables
Caesura: pause in a line
