Chapter2The Origins of a Nation.docx

Chapter2The Origins of a Nation.docx

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Chapter2TheOriginsofaNation

　　了解最早的不列颠居民（公元前5000年－－公元55年），罗马人的入侵（公元前55--公元410年），盎格鲁--撒克逊人的入侵（公元446年--公元871年），丹麦人的入侵以及1066年诺曼征服。

　　1.EarliestsettlersinBritain　　　　

　　2.ArrivalandsettlementoftheCelts　　　　　

　　3.Romaninfluenceonbritainanditslimitations　　　　　　　　　

　　4.BasisofmodernEnglishrace:

theAnglo-saxons　　

　　5.VikingandDanishinvasions　　　　　　

　　6.KingAlfred（849-899）andhiscontributions

　　7.TheNormanConquestanditsconsequences

EarlySettlers（5000BC--55BC）

TheIberians

　　BritainwasoriginallyapartoftheEuropeancontinent.WhenthelastIceAgeended7000yearsago,meltingicefloodedthelow-lyingland,creatingtheEnglishChannelandtheNorthSea,andturningBritainintoanisland.

TheyarethefirstknownsettlersofBritainwhocamefromtheIberianpeninsula（nowSpain）atabout3000BCduringtheNewStoneAge.

Theywerethefarmingfolkwhokeptanimalsandgrewcrops.ThelongbarrowsfoundinthechalkylandsofWiltshireandDorsetweretheircommunalburialmounds.

TheStonehengeinWiltshirewasconstructedbefore2000BC,andwassupposedtohavesomereligiousandpoliticalsignificance.

TheBeakerFolk　

TheyarrivedfromtheareasnowknownasHollandandtheRhinelandatabout2000BC.

Theybroughtwiththemtheartofpotterymaking,theabilitytofashionbronzetoolsandthecustomofindividualburialwithbell-shapeddrinkingvessels.

Theydevelopedtheirownfarmingsociety,andbuilthillfortsthatlaterbecamesmallfortifiedtownssuchasMaidenCastleinDorset.

TheCelts

TheykeptcomingfromeasternandcentralEurope（nowFrance,Belgium,andSouthernGermany）toBritainin3mainwaves:

theGaelsstartingtocomeabout600BC,theBrythonsabout400BC,andtheBelgaeabout150BC

TheBelgaewerethemostindustriousandvigorousoftheCeltictribes.OneofthemostpowerfuloftheirchieftainswasCassivellaunus（Shakespeare'sCymbeline）whoruledoveralargeareanorthoftheThamesinwhatisnowHertforshire,Buckinghamshire,andBerkshire.

TheCeltsdidnotkillofftheIberians.Instead,theydrovesomeofthemtothenorthandwest,andkepttherestasslaves.Intheendthetworacesmixedtovaryingextentindifferentpartsofthecountry.

Theydrainedthemarshlandsandbuildhousesofwoodandwickerwork.Theywerepracticedfarmers,ironworkers,andancestorsoftheHighlandScots,theIrishandtheWelsh,andtheirlanguagesarethebasisofWelshandGaelic.

TheCelts’religionwasDruidism.TheDruidswerethewisemen,astrologers,andsoothsayerswhoworshippedandperformedtheirritesinthewoodsbythelightofthemoon.

RomanBritain（55BC-410AD）

JuliusCaesarandRomaninvasionofBritain

　　BritishrecordedhistorybeginswiththeRomaninvasion.

In55BC,JuliusCaesar,thegreatRomangeneral,invadedBritainforthefirsttime,partlytopunishtheBelgaewhohadhelpedtheirfellowtribesmenfightagainsttheRomansinGaul（nowFrance）.Inthefollowingyear’sinvasion,hecapturedWheathampstead（Cassivellaunus’hillfortinHertforshire）afterfiercefightingandwithdrewwithhostagesandprisoners

In43AD,theEmperorClaudiusmadeasuccessfulinvasion,whichstartedthenearly-400-year’sRomanoccupationofBritain.

RomaninfluenceonBritainanditslimitations

RomaninfluenceonBritain.

TheRomansbuiltanetworkoftowns,withLondon（Londinium）asthecapital.Theyalsoconstructedanetworkofmajorandsecondaryroadsbetweenthelargetowns.Manyofthemarestillinusenowbecauseoftheirremarkablesolidity.

TheRomansmadegooduseofBritain’snaturalresources,mininglead,ironandtin,andmanufacturingpottery.Theybuiltbaths,temples,amphitheatersandbeautifulvillas.

TheyalsobroughtChristianitytoBritain,whichwasquitewellestablishedbeforethefirstChristianEmperor,Constantine,wasproclaimedin306AD.

ReasonsforlimitedRomaninfluenceonBritain

Somepartsofthecountrystillresisted.Boadicea,queenoftheIceniofEastAnglia,attemptedtodrivetheRomansfromBritainin61AD,andsucceededindestroyingLondiniumbeforebeingdefeated.

RomantroopswereoftenwithdrawnfromBritaintofightinotherpartsoftheRomanEmpire.

TheycouldnotconquerScotlandwherethePictsandtheScots（thetribesofScotland）weresofiercethattheRomanshadtobuildtwogreatwalls（theHadrian’sWallandtheAntonineWall）tokeepthemoutoftheconqueredarea.

TheRomansalwaystreatedtheBritonsasasubjectofslavesclass.Neverduringthe4centuriesdidtheRomansandBritonsintermarry.Asaresult,theRomanshadnoimpactonthelanguageorcultureofordinaryBritain.

ReasonsforthewithdrawaloftheRomansin410AD

ThebarbariansfromEasternEuropewereatthegatesofRome.

ThePictsandtheScotsattackedthemrepeatedly.

TheGermanicSaxontribeswereinvadingfromEurope

TheAnglo-Saxons（446-871）

TheinvasionofBritainbythreeTeutonictribes

TheJutes

　　TheycamefromJutland（nowsouthernDenmark）.AccordingtoWelshlegends,twoJutishchiefs,HengistandHorsa,wereinvitedbyVortigern,theBritishKingofKent,tohelphimdriveoutPictsandScots.Theycametohisassistance.Butafterthiswasdone,theyoverpoweredtheking.HengistbecametheKingofKentin449.

TheSaxons

　　TheycamefromnorthernGermanyandestablishedtheirkingdomsinEssex,SussexandWessex（whichcoveredmostoftheWestCountry）fromtheendofthe5thcenturytothebeginningofthe6thcentury.

TheAngles

　　TheyalsocamefromnorthernGermanyandsettledinEastAnglia,Mercia（whichcoveredtheMidlandsandtheWelshborders）andNorthumbria（whichreachedtotheScottishborder）.ItwasthemwhogavetheirnametotheEnglishpeople.

TheHeptarchyandtwodorminantkingdoms

Heptarchyisthenamegiventothe7principalkingdomsestablishedbytheTeutonictribesfromthe5thcenturytothe9thcentury.

TheAnglo-Saxontribeswereconstantlyatwarwitheachother,eachtryingtogettheupperhand,sothatthekingdomswereoftenbrokenupandoftenpiecedtogetheragain.

Bytheendofthe8thcentury,Offa,thekingofMercia（757-797）controlledforalongtimevirtuallyallcentral,eastern,andsoutheasternEngland.HebuiltthegreatearthworkknownastheOffa'sDykealonghiswesternborderstokeepouttheWelsh.

AfterOffa’sdeath,WessexbecamethedominantkingdomandcontrolledDevon,Cornwall,andtheSouthandEastSaxons.Atthebeginningofthe9thcentury,Egbert,thekingofWessex（802-839）defeatedandcontrolledtheMerciansandtheNorthumbrias,andhebecametheoverlordofalltheEnglishin829.

TheChristianconversionoftheAnglo-Saxons

OriginallytheAnglo-Saxonshadtheirownreligion,theTeutonicreligion.AmongtheirgodswereTiu（thegodofwar）,Woden（thekingofheaven）,Thor（thegodofstorms）,andFreya（thegoddessofpeace）.ThenamesofTuesday,Wednesday,ThursdayandFridayderivefromthesegods.

AfterthearrivaloftheAnglo-Saxons,theChristianityintroducedtoBritainbytheRomanssoondisappeared,exceptamongtheCeltsofCornwall,Wales,ScotlandandIreland,whereseveralsmallmonasterieswerefoundedundertheinfluenceofthefirstoneestablishedin563byamonkcalledColumba.Evenso,Christianityremainedafringebelief.

In597,PopeGregoryIsentSt.AugustinetoEnglandtoconverttheheathenEnglishtoChristianity.Ethelbert,KingofKent,soonbecameaChristianhimself.HeprovidedSt.AugustinewithahouseforhisfollowersinCanterburyandin601St.AugustinebecamethefirstArchbishopofCanterbury.

Augustinewasremarkablysuccessfulinconvertingthekingandthenobility,buttheconversionofthecommonpeoplewaslargelyduetothemissionaryactivitiesofthemonksinthenorth.Monasteriessprangupinthecountryandbecameplacesoflearning.

TherewasdisagreementbetweentheRomanmissionariesandtheCelticmissionaries.TheformerheldthatthePope’sauthoritywassupreme,whilethelatterheldthatChristianbeliefdidnotrequireafinalearthlyarbiter.Thenin664,theSynodofWhitbywasheldinYorkshire,wheretheRomanmissionariesgainedtheupperhand.

ContributionsmadebytheAnglo-SaxonstotheEnglishstate

　　TheAnglo-SaxonslaidthefoundationsoftheEnglishstate,althoughtheywereferociouspeople,constantlyquarrellingwitheachother.

Theydividedthecountryintoshires（whichtheNormanslatercalledcounties）,withshirecourtsandshirereeves（orsheriffs）responsibleforadministeringlawsascomprehensiveasanyintheearlymedievalworld.

Theydevisedthenarrow-strip,three-fieldfarmingsystem,whichcontinueduntiltheagriculturalrevolutioninthe18thcentury.

Theyalsoestablishedthemanorialsystem,wherethelordofthemanorcollectedtaxes,andorganizedthelocalarmy.

TheycreatedtheWitan（councilormeetingofthewisemen）toadvisetheking.ThiswasthebasisofthePrivyCouncil,whichstillexiststoday.

TheVikingandDanishInvasions

TheVikingandDanishinvasions

TheNorwegianVikingsandtheDanesfromDenmarkattackedvariouspartsofEnglandfromtheendofthe8thcentury.Theybecameaseriousprobleminthe9thcentury,especiallybetween835and878.TheyevenmanagedtocaptureYork,animportantcenterofChristianityin867.

Bythemiddleofthe9thcentury,theVikingsandtheDaneswereposingathreattoWessex.BytheagreementsetwithAlfred,KingofWessex,theDanesgainedcontrolofthenorthandeastofEngland.Theycalledtheseareasthe‘Danlaw