英美国家概况2 The Origins of a Nation.pptVIP

English Speaking Countries Unit 2 Anglo-Saxons Principal kingdoms of Heptarchy: 1. Kent 2. Essex 3. Sussex 4. Wessex 5. East Anglia 6. Mercia 7. Northumbria Egbert829overlord English Speaking Countries Unit 2 Teutonic religion Tiu: god of war Woden, king of heaven Thor, god of storms Freya, goddess of peace Anglo-Saxons English Speaking Countries Unit 2 In 597, Pope Gregory I sent St. Augustine to England to convert the English to Christianity. St. Augustine soon became the first Archbishop of Canterbury. Monasteries sprang up throughout the country and became places of learning. Anglo-Saxons English Speaking Countries Unit 2 Anglo-Saxons The Anglo-Saxons laid the foundations of the English state: Divided the country into shires, which the Normans later called counties, with shire courts and shire reeves, or sheriffs, responsible for administering laws as comprehensive as any in the early medieval world; English Speaking Countries Unit 2 Anglo-Saxons Devised the three-field farming system which continued until the agricultural revolution in the 18th century; Established the manorial system, whereby the lord of the manor collected taxes, and organized the local army; Created the Witan to advise the king, the basis of the Privy Council. English Speaking Countries Unit 2 Vikings and Danish Invasions The Norwegian Vikings and the Danes from Denmark attacked England from the end of the 8th century. They became a serious problem in the 9th century, especially 835-878. They even captured York, an important center of Christianity in 867. By the middle of the 9th century, the Vikings and the Danes were posing a threat to the Saxon kingdom of Wessex. English Speaking Countries Unit 2 Alfred the Great Alfred, King of Wessex, defeated the Danes and came to an agreement with them. The Danes gained control of the north and east of England (“the Danelaw”), while Alfred would rule the rest. Alfred also persuaded their leader