Some History

Facts from Mists

Historical Evidence: Rome

• Rome invades Britain in about 43 BCE

• Rome deserts Britain around 420 CE

• With Rome in Britain– Celts were protected from invaders– Relative peace, stability, technological

improvements

Historical Evidence: Rome

• Without Rome Celts needed to replace– civic administration– military administration– military personnel– technological maintenance

Quick Timeline

• 43 Rome invades• 60/61 Boudica revolts• 122 Hadrian’s wall begun• 364 Picts, Saxons, Scots, and Atacotti raise hell• 401/402 Roman troops withdrawn• 408-410 Saxons raid• 410 Visigoths sack Rome; Honorius tells Britons

to defend themselves

At Same Time

• Patrick active in Ireland

• Vortigern (high king?) invites Saxons to defend against northern invaders– begins strife with Germanic peoples

• Ambrosius Aurelianus fights against Saxons

Historical Evidence: Germanic Tribes

• 449: Anglos, Saxons, and Jutes begin invasions– Tribes from Northern

Europe– Germanic– Originally raiders– Eventually settled

• Devastated Celticpeoples

Historic Events: Northern Invasions

• Germans weren’t only problem

• Irish tribe from North– Scots– Conquered– Scotland as well

Celtic British Response

• Seem to have elected supreme ruler in time of war– High king– rex bellorum

• literally, king of war

• Vortigern (ca 425-450)– Caused major problems

Vortigern

• High king• Threatened from North

– Scots– Picts

• Hired Saxon and Jute Mercenaries– Led by Hengist & Horsa– Payment: lands to settle (447ish)

• Germans stayed

Anglo-Saxons

• Initially settled on coasts

• Rebelled against Britons (~442)

• Expanded holdings– Drove Celts into Wales, Cornwall, Ireland,

Brittany (NW France)

• 449 more invasions from continent– Joined with resident Anglo-Saxons

Anglo-Saxons

• Celts fought back– Launched campaign against Anglo-Saxons– ~500: Celtic victory at Mt. Badon

• 540: De Excidio Britanniae (The Fall of Britain)– Gildas– Laments fall of Britain to Anglo-Saxons

Anglo-Saxon Dominance

• By end of 6th Century– Anglo-Saxons dominated Britain– Pushed Celts to

• Wales• Cornwall• Brittany• Ireland• Scotland

• 597: Gregory the Great sends St. Augustine to Christianize Anglo-Saxons

Anglo-Saxons & Celts

Excalibur

• Fabled sword of Arthur

• Cover of Mists– anything wrong with this?– This type of sword didn’t exist in the 6th

century world

ExcaliburTypical Medieval Swords

Excalibur

Celtic Sword

Viking Sword