England’s Beginnings

 England’s political system differed from the rest of

_Europe__________
 The English laid the foundation for
______American democracy
 People of the British Isles have different physical
characteristics, cultures, and developed
independently

Geography
 Britain consists of several hundred ___________
separated from Europe by the English Channel
 Two main islands: ____________ and Great Britain
 Great Britain includes Scotland, England,
and Wales
 England has a temperate climate with heavy
rainfalls and thick fogs -> geographic separation
from the rest of Europe influenced England’s
history but did not protect it from invasion

Early Settlers: The Celts

 Dark complexioned people
 England was divided among several Celtic tribes constantly fighting each other
 Worshipped many gods, in forest groves
 Druids: religious leaders ->teachers, medicine men, priests, judges
 No written language
 Children memorized long rituals, passed down through generations
The Romans
 During Roman expansion, soldiers set up a province in __England______________
 Garrisons set up to protect England from raiders
 Some Celtic tribes never accepted Roman rule
 50 B.C. -> Roman citizens started building towns in ____Roman____________ style in
England
 Improved Celts’ farming techniques
 Improved standard of living
 Established good _____Trade_________ relations

Period of Growth
 300s A.D. -> Christianity came to Britain
 Many __________ left their pagan religion, became Christians
 Schools established
  Peace enforced under Roman rule

Period of Decline
 Tribesmen threatened ___Rome__________, Roman British soldiers left to protect
homeland
 Celts don’t want them to leave
 Picts and Scots attacked from the ___________
 Roman culture collapsed

Saxon-Angles Invasion
 449 A.D. -> Celtic King __Vortigern__________________ hired mercenaries from Saxon
lands in Europe to help defeat the Scots
 Saxons liked England, wanted it for themselves, got the Angles____________ to come
help them invade
 Celts were weak and withdrew to __Wales______________
 The Irish trained missionaries in Wales and sent them into Scotland

Saxon-Angles become the Anglo-Saxons

 537 -> Angles and Saxons gained control of Britain
 Established a functional society
 Angles named the island “___Angleland_________________”
 Later became England
 People of England became known as Anglo-Saxons
 England was not a __unified____________ country

Christianity Arrives
 Anglo-Saxons were ______________
 597 A.D. – Augustine of Canterbury was sent to England by the Pope (Greg)
 Various kingdoms in England accepted Christianity
 The non-Christian kingdoms fought the Christian ones for more than 50 years
 The whole island became ________________________

Culture Flourished
 England was peaceful for the next _________ yrs
 A rich culture centred around Christianity developed
 Churches were built, schools established
 English civilization rocked until 793 A.D. when the ______________ showed up and
caused problems until 878 when King Alfred’s army defeated them for the final time
 Anglo-Saxons controlled England until ___________