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    The Old English Period History

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    belen
    The document summarizes the history and literature of England from the Roman period through the 15th century. It describes the Anglo-Saxon invasion and establishment of kingdoms in the 5th century, the conversion to Christianity in the 6th-7th centuries, and the Norman conquest in 1066 which introduced French language and culture. Literature during this Middle English period included religious works, romances, poems celebrating heroic values, and drama like mystery plays. The period saw English emerge as the dominant language by the late 14th century.

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    The Old English Period History

    Uploaded by

    belen
    40 views16 pages
    The document summarizes the history and literature of England from the Roman period through the 15th century. It describes the Anglo-Saxon invasion and establishment of kingdoms in the 5th century, the conversion to Christianity in the 6th-7th centuries, and the Norman conquest in 1066 which introduced French language and culture. Literature during this Middle English period included religious works, romances, poems celebrating heroic values, and drama like mystery plays. The period saw English emerge as the dominant language by the late 14th century.

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    256912980-The-Old-English-Period-History

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    The document summarizes the history and literature of England from the Roman period through the 15th century. It describes the Anglo-Saxon invasion and establishment of kingdoms in the 5th century, the conversion to Christianity in the 6th-7th centuries, and the Norman conquest in 1066 which introduced French language and culture. Literature during this Middle English period included religious works, romances, poems celebrating heroic values, and drama like mystery plays. The period saw English emerge as the dominant language by the late 14th century.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    40 views16 pages

    The Old English Period History

    Uploaded by

    belen
    The document summarizes the history and literature of England from the Roman period through the 15th century. It describes the Anglo-Saxon invasion and establishment of kingdoms in the 5th century, the conversion to Christianity in the 6th-7th centuries, and the Norman conquest in 1066 which introduced French language and culture. Literature during this Middle English period included religious works, romances, poems celebrating heroic values, and drama like mystery plays. The period saw English emerge as the dominant language by the late 14th century.

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    of 16

    The Old English Period

    The Middle Ages


    Important Dates
     43-420 Roman invasion and
    occupation of Britain
     450 Anglo Saxon Conquest
     1066 Norman Conquest
     1200 Beginning of Middle English
    literature
     1485 Caxton’s printing of Malory
    The Middle Ages
     Covers time span
    from collapse of
    the Roman Empire
    to the Renaissance
     Time period of
    more than 800
    years
     1485 end of the
    Middle Ages
    A Time of Change

     Roman Catholic Church


    provided continuity
     Norman Conquest added
    French words to the English
    vocabulary
     Cross-currents of languages and
    literatures during this period
     Literature in English was
    performed orally,and written
    throughout the Middle Ages, but
    uniquely English literature does
    not exist before the late 14th
    century.
     English began to displace
    French at the end of the 14th
    century in Parliament and
    courts of law.
    Anglo-Saxon England
     From 1st to 5th century,
    England was province
    of Roman Empire
     Named Britannia
     When the
    Romans withdrew
    during the fifth century,
    island was invaded by
    Germanic seafarers
     These belonged to
    three tribes: the
    Angles, the Saxons,
    and the Jutes.
    Conversion to Christianity
     Britons became Christian in the
    fourth century
     In 597, a Benedictine monk was
    sent by Pope Gregory as a
    missionary to King Ethelbert of
    Kent and missionaries from
    Ireland became to preach
    Christianity in the north.
     Within 75 years, the island was
    Christian.
     The first extended written
    specimen of Old English (Anglo-
    Saxon) language is a code of
    laws.
     England produced many
    distinguished Churchmen,
    including Bede.
     ,
    Invasions by the Danes
     In the 9th century,
    Christian Anglo-
    Saxons were
    subjected to
    invasions by the
    Danes.
     They were stopped
    by King Alfred.
     King Alfred was an
    enthusiastic patron of
    literature.
    Old English Poetry
     Oral tradition
     Literacy was
    restricted to men of
    the church
     Most of Old English
    literature is religious
     Most of Old English
    poetry is contained
    in just four
    manuscripts.
    Heroic Values
     Heroic values of Germanic
    society continued to inspire
    clergy and laity in the
    Christian era.
     Heroic Values - Tribe is ruled
    by king who surrounds himself
    with a band of retainers. He
    leads men to battle and
    rewards them with gifts and
    treasures. Retainers are
    obligated to fight for their lord
    to the death
     Blood vengeance is a sacred
    duty.
     The best poetry of the period
    is both Christian and heroic.
    Characteristics of Old English
    Poetry
     Harsh world view
     Formal speech
     Elevated language
     Irony
     Contrast Pagan and
    Christian
     Fate
     The Past
     Violence
     Values of warrior
    society
    Anglo-Norman England
     The Normans took
    possession of
    England in 1066
     They adopted French
    language and
    Christian religion
     Henry II, first of
    England’s
    Plantagenet kings
    Languages
     During the Anglo-Norman period,
    four languages co-existed: Latin,
    French, English, and Celtic.
     The Latin Bible provided subject
    for Old English poetry and prose
     Attraction to Celtic legends
     Marie de France and Chrétien de
    Troyes wrote romances
     King Arthur and his court acquired
    immense popularity
     Romance involves a knight
    proving his worthiness through
    nobility of character and brave
    deeds
     Religious literature aimed at
    women – saints’ lives, The
    Ancrene Riwle.
    Middle English Literature in the
    14th Century
     Old English replaces French in
    literature
     Thirty Year’s War
     The bubonic plague wiped out
    one-third of European population
     A time of social unrest
     Church becomes target of
    resentment because of its wealth
    and worldliness
     Great European poets of the 14th
    century include Dante, Petrarch,
    Marie de France, and Boccoccio
     English writers of the 14th century
    include Chaucer, William
    Langland, the Pearl poet, and the
    author of Sir Gawain and the
    Green Knight
    The Fifteenth Century
     War of the Roses between
    Lancasters and Yorks ended
    with King Henry VII’s
    ascension to the throne
     Performances of mystery
    plays and morality plays
     Mystical writings – Julian of
    Norwich and Margery
    Kempe
     Lydgate
     Malory
     Caxton’s printing press
    introduced in 1476.
    Caxton’s publication of
    Malory’s Morte Darthur.
    Middle English Literature
     Religious literature
     Popular literature
     Romance
     King Arthur
     Allegory
     Morality
     Authors looked at
    themselves as craftsmen
     No emphasis on originality
     Ptolemaic view of the
    universe – earth centered
     Gothic Church as symbol of
    Middle Ages – height and
    light

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