Реферат: The down of British History

The political unification of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms was spread up by the urgent task of defending the country against the dangerous raids of the new enemies. From the end of the 8 century and during the 9 and the10 centuries Western Europe was troubled by a new wave of barbarian attacks. These barbarians came from the North- from Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and were called, as the Vikings, the Normans, and The Danes. They came to Britain from Norway and Denmark. But more often the British Isles were raided from Denmark and the invaders came to be known in English history as the Danes.

The Danes were of the same Germanic race as the Anglo-Saxons themselves and they came from the same part of the continent. But unlike the Anglo-Saxons whose way of life had

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changed greatly ever since they came to Britain, the Danes still lived in tribes. They were still pagans.

The Danes were well armed with sword, spear, dagger, battle- axe and bow.

North Umbria and East Anglia suffered most from the Danish raids. The Danes seized the ancient city of York and then all of Yorkshire. Soon after the Danes conquered East Anglia and England, north of the Thames, that is, North Umbria, Murcia and East Anglia were in their hands.

Only Wessex was left to face the enemy. Before the Danes conquered the North, they had made an attack on Wessex but in 835 King Egbert defeated them. In the reign of Egbert’s Son the Danes sailed up the Thames and captured London. Thus the Danes came into conflict with the strongest of all the Anglo- Saxon kingdoms, Wessex. In 871 the Danes invaded again. But it was not so easy to devastate Wessex as other parts of England. Wessex had united the small Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and under the reign of Egbert’s grandson, King Alfred (871-899) who became known in English history as Alfred the Great Wessex became the center of resistance against the invaders.

Alfred managed to raise an army and to stop the offensive of the Danes. He made new rules for the army in which every free man had to serve and to come provided with the proper weapons.

During the reign of Alfred the Great the first British Navy was build and a war fleet of ships larger and faster than those of the Danes protected the island.

At the end of 9 century new Danish attacks were made, but they were beaten off; The Anglo-Saxon won their first victories on the sea, and soon the Danes no longer dared to attack Wessex.

The kingdom of England in the 10-11 century.

In the 10 century the united Anglo-Saxon feudal monarchy was consolidated. A much larger territory including the Dane’s land was now under the power of the kings of England.

From the end of the 10 century the Danes began to devastate the country again. And for some period in the 11 century England came under the power of the Danish kings.

Under both Anglo-Saxon and Danish kings feudal society continued to develop in England. More and more peasants lost their land and freedom.

In the second half of the 10 century under the rule of Alfred’s descendants the Saxon monarchy was further consolidated.

The Anglo-Saxons won several victories over the Danes, took away the Dane law and ruled over the whole of England.

The Danes were not driven out of the country but they were made subjects of Wessex.They submitted to the power of the Anglo-Saxon kings and never tried to make the Dane law into a separate kingdom.

The Danes influenced the development of the country greatly. They were good sailors and traders and they favored the growth of town and the development of trade in England.

Many Scandinavian words came into the English language at that time and are even used today. For example:

Adjective - happy, low, loose, ill, ugly, weak

Verbs - to take, to die, to call

Nouns - sister, husband, sky, fellow, law, window, leg, wing, harbour.

The Danes gave their own names to many of the towns they built.For example: Derby, Grimsby, Whitby Lowestoft etc.

2 .At the end of the 10 century the Danish invasions were resumed. The Anglo-Saxon kings were unable to organize any effective resistance. The Anglo-Saxon came again in great numbers the following year to demand more.

At the beginning of the 11 century England was conquered by the Danes once more. The Danish king Canute (1017-1035) became king of Denmark, Norway and England then made England the

center of his power. But he was away from England in his kingdom of Denmark and so he divided the country into four parts called earldoms. They were Wessex, Murcia, North Umbria and East Anglia. An earl was appointed by the king to rule over each great earldom. The earls ruled over great territories and gradually they became very powerful.

3 . Norman Conquest of England .

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Four different peoples invaded England. First came the Celts in the 6 century B.C.; then the Romans in the 1 A.D.; they were followed by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5 century; after them came the Danes at the end of 8 century.

In the 11 century England was invaded by the Normans. This was the fifth and the last invasions of England.

In the 9 century while the Danes were plundering England another branch of North men who were related to the Danes were doing the same sailing to the Northern coasts of France. They came to be called the Normans, a variation of the word “North men”.