The document summarizes the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain from 410 AD to 1066 AD. It describes how Germanic tribes from Anglen and Saxony settled in Britain following the withdrawal of Roman armies. These settlers established small kingdoms and replaced Roman structures with wooden buildings. Christianity also spread during this time. The period lasted over 600 years and saw shifting political landscapes, with Wessex emerging as the dominant kingdom following Viking invasions. Anglo-Saxon rule ended with the Norman conquest after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

1. Prepared by:
Carolino, Nicole Faith S.

2.  The term Anglo-Saxon is a relatively modern
one. It refers to settlers from the German
regions of Angeln and Saxony, who made
their way over to Britain after the fall of the
Roman Empire around AD 410.
 The Roman armies withdrew from Britain
early in the fifth century because they were
needed back home to defend the crumbling
centre of the Empire. Britain was considered
a far-flung outpost of little value.

3.  At this time, the Jutes and the Frisians from
Denmark were also settling in the British
Isles, but the Anglo-Saxon settlers were
effectively their own masters in a new land
and they did little to keep the legacy of the
Romans alive. They replaced the Roman
stone buildings with their own wooden ones,
and spoke their own language, which gave
rise to the English spoken today.

4.  The Anglo-Saxons also brought their own
religious beliefs, but the arrival of Saint
Augustine in 597 converted most of the
country to Christianity.
 The Anglo-Saxon period lasted for 600 years,
from 410 to 1066, and in that time Britain's
political landscape underwent many changes.

5.  The early settlers kept to small tribal groups,
forming kingdoms and sub-kingdoms. By the
ninth century, the country was divided into
four kingdoms - Northumbria, Mercia, East
Anglia and Wessex.
Wessex was the only one of these kingdoms
to survive the Viking invasions. Eric
Bloodaxe, the Viking ruler of York, was killed
by the Wessex army in 954 and England was
united under one king - Edred.

6.  Most of the information we have about the
Anglo-Saxons comes from the Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle, a year-by-year account of all the
major events of the time. Among other things it
describes the rise and fall of the bishops and
kings and the important battles of the period. It
begins with the story of Hengist and Horsa in AD
449.
 Anglo-Saxon rule came to an end in 1066, soon
after the death of Edward the Confessor, who
had no heir. He had supposedly willed the
kingdom to William of Normandy, but also
seemed to favour Harold Godwinson as his
successor.

7.  Harold was crowned king immediately after
Edward died, but he failed in his attempt to
defend his crown, when William and an
invading army crossed the Channel from
France to claim it for himself. Harold was
defeated by the Normans at the Battle of
Hastings in October 1066, and thus a new era
was ushered in.

8.  Old English literature(sometimes referred to
asAnglo-Saxon literature) encompasses literature
written in Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon)
in Anglo-Saxon England from the 7th century to
the decades after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
 “Caedmon’s Hymn", composed in the 7th
century according to Bede, is often considered
the oldest extant poem in English, whereas the
later poem, The Grave is one of the final poems
written in Old English, and presents a
transitional text between Old and Middle
EnglishLikewise, the Parker Chronicle continues
until the 12th century.

9.  The poem Beowulf, which often begins the
traditional canon of English literature, is the
most famous work of Old English literature.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle has also proven
significant for historical study, preserving a
chronology of early English history. Alexander
Souter names the commentary on Paul's
epistles by Pelagius, "the earliest extant
work by a British author.”

10.  In descending order of quantity, Old English
literature consists of: sermons and saints'
lives, biblical translations; translated Latin
works of the early Church fathers; Anglo-
Saxon chronicles and narrative history works;
laws, wills and other legal works; practical
works on grammar, medicine, geography; and
poetry. In all there are over 400
surviving manuscripts from the period, of
which about 189 are considered "major".