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The Latin Language in Britain Etc

The document discusses the influence of the Latin language in Britain during Roman rule, highlighting its limited use among the native population and decline after the Roman withdrawal. It details the Germanic conquest beginning around 449 AD, where tribes like the Jutes, Saxons, and Angles displaced the Celtic population and transformed British society. The establishment of Anglo-Saxon civilization led to the formation of several kingdoms, with Wessex eventually becoming the dominant power, marking a significant shift from Roman to clan-based societal structures.

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ARIF KHAN
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29 views4 pages

The Latin Language in Britain Etc

The document discusses the influence of the Latin language in Britain during Roman rule, highlighting its limited use among the native population and decline after the Roman withdrawal. It details the Germanic conquest beginning around 449 AD, where tribes like the Jutes, Saxons, and Angles displaced the Celtic population and transformed British society. The establishment of Anglo-Saxon civilization led to the formation of several kingdoms, with Wessex eventually becoming the dominant power, marking a significant shift from Roman to clan-based societal structures.

Uploaded by

ARIF KHAN
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Latin Language in Britain

 Evidence of Romanization includes the widespread use of Latin.


 A large number of Latin inscriptions have been found, mostly created by
the military and official class, as these were often public records.
 These inscriptions do not indicate that Latin was widely used by the
native population.
 Latin did not replace the Celtic language in Britain as it did in Gaul.
 Latin's use among native Britons was likely confined to:

 The upper classes,


 Some people in cities and towns.

 Evidence like graffiti on tiles or pottery suggests that artisans in some


areas were familiar with Latin.
 Outside cities, many wealthy country houses likely had occupants who
spoke Latin.
 Tacitus mentions that during Agricola's time (1st century AD), the
Britons, who had previously resisted Latin, became eager to speak it.
 Around the same time, a Greek teacher from Asia Minor was teaching
in Britain.
 By 96 AD, the poet Martial claimed (possibly exaggerated) that his works
were even read in Britain.
 Overall, many people in Roman Britain could speak or occasionally use
Latin.
 However, Latin did not become widespread enough to survive the
Germanic invasions.
 Latin's use likely declined after 410 AD, when the Roman legions were
withdrawn from Britain.
 Traces of Latin can still be seen in the English language, particularly in
the vocabulary of the Germanic invaders.

The Germanic Conquest

Early accounts of Anglo-Saxon migration: Bede’s story


Two early accounts of the Anglo-Saxon migration were written by authors
who were both Christian clerics, Gildas and Bede. Gildas was British and
wrote in about 500AD, probably in south-western Britain. He describes in his
account the departure of the Roman army, followed by the arrival of
bloodthirsty invaders, who killed the native British population or drove them
into exile.

Two hundred years later Bede, an Anglo-Saxon monk in the monastery of


Jarrow, wrote The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, which he
completed in 731AD. He drew on Gildas's work, but in his own account
describes the Anglo-Saxon invaders, his own ancestors, as those carrying out
the just vengeance of God and therefore being a people chosen by God.

Around the year 449 AD, a major event took place that had a huge impact on
British history. This was the beginning of the Germanic tribes invading
Britain. These tribes, such as the Jutes, Saxons, and Angles, came from the
regions of Denmark and the Low Countries (modern-day Netherlands,
Germany). Over the next hundred years, these tribes slowly moved to the
south and east of Britain, and by the time they were finished, they
controlled almost the entire island, except for the highlands in the north
and west.

While the exact details are unclear, we know from historical accounts, like
those of Bede and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, that the tribes responsible
for the conquest were the Jutes, Saxons, and Angles. Bede, in his book
Ecclesiastical History of the English People, explains that the

Jutes came from the northern part of Denmark (called Jutland),

the Angles were from the southern part of the Danish peninsula, and the

Saxons were from the area around the Elbe and Rhine rivers.

A fourth tribe,

the Frisians, who lived along the coast of Germany and the Netherlands,
also migrated to Britain.

Before the invasions, Saxon attacks had been happening since the 4th
century, even when Britain was under Roman rule.

The Romans had set up a system to defend the southeastern coast of Britain
from these Saxon attacks by appointing an officer called the Count of the
Saxon Shore. They also had to defend against attacks from the Picts and
Scots in the north.

However, after the Romans left in 410 AD, the native Celts no longer had
the military strength to protect the island. The Celts were used to peaceful
life under Roman rule and had lost their fighting skills.

They asked the Romans for help several times, but the Romans were too
busy protecting their own land and couldn’t offer assistance.
At this point, a Celtic leader named Vortigern is said to have made an
agreement with the Jutes. The Jutes agreed to help the Celts fight off the
Picts and Scots in exchange for land in Thanet, a small island in Kent.

The Picts and Scots were Celtic, but they were primarily located in Scotland and posed a
different set of challenges.

The Jutes were strong warriors, and they succeeded in pushing the Picts and
Scots back. However, they soon realized that they could take advantage of
the Celtic weakness. The Jutes decided to stay in Britain and began
settling in Kent.

This settlement was different from the way the Romans had approached
Britain. The Romans had come to rule, but the Jutes came in large numbers,
took the land, and drove out the native Celts.

Following the Jutes, other Germanic tribes began arriving. According to the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Saxons first arrived in 477 AD and settled in
Sussex on the south coast.

By 495 AD, more Saxons settled in Wessex, a little to the west. Later, the
Angles arrived on the east coast, and by 547 AD, they had established an
Anglian kingdom north of the Humber River.

While these exact dates may not be completely accurate, they give us a
general idea of how the Germanic tribes spread out over the next hundred
years. Their settlements gradually changed the entire character of Britain,
shifting the power from the Celts to the Germanic tribes.

In summary, after the Romans left Britain, Germanic tribes like the Jutes,
Saxons, and Angles came to the island. They began settling in the south
and east of Britain and displaced the Celtic population. Over the course of
more than a century, these tribes completely transformed the island, and
their language eventually evolved into Old English, which later became
modern English.

Anglo-Saxon Civilization.

It is difficult to say exactly how the Anglo-Saxons interacted with the native
Celtic population, but we can make some educated guesses. In certain areas
where the number of Celtic people was low, the Anglo-Saxons likely settled
alongside them in a peaceful way. However, in places like the West Saxon
area, the Celts fiercely resisted the invaders, and the Anglo-Saxons were
only able to establish themselves after much fighting. Many Celts were
pushed into the western regions of Britain, where they sought safety in
places like Wales and Cornwall, while some even moved across the
English Channel to Brittany in France.

As a result of the Anglo-Saxon invasions, much of the Roman civilization in


Britain was destroyed. The Roman towns were burned down and abandoned,
and the lifestyle of the people changed. The new settlers, who were used to
living in the open and working in agriculture and hunting, were not
interested in town life. Society became organized around families and
clans, and there was a clear divide between the eorls (a sort of noble or
aristocratic class) and the ceorls (simple, free men).

Community decisions were made in local meetings called moots, and justice
was often carried out through fines known as wergild. These fines varied
depending on the crime and the rank of the person who had been wronged.
If someone was accused of a crime, their guilt was typically determined
through an ordeal (a physical trial) or compurgation (where people swore
the accused was innocent).

Over time, different tribes combined forces for protection or, sometimes, to
create stronger kingdoms. This eventually led to the creation of seven main
kingdoms in Anglo-Saxon England: Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia,
Kent, Essex, Sussex, and Wessex. These seven kingdoms made up what is
called the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. However, these kingdoms were not
stable or permanent, and they often shifted. Sometimes two or more
kingdoms were united under one ruler, and at other times, they were divided
and ruled by separate leaders.

In the 7th century, Northumbria became the most powerful of the


kingdoms, both politically and culturally, especially in the fields of literature
and learning. However, in the 8th century, Mercia took over as the
leading kingdom. In the 9th century, Wessex, led by Egbert (who ruled
from 802 to 839), began to grow stronger and eventually gained control
over most of England. By 830, Egbert was recognized as the overlord of all
of England, including parts of Wales. Although England was not yet fully
united, West Saxon kings (rulers of Wessex) were able to claim authority
over all the English. Under Alfred the Great (871–889), Wessex reached a
time of great prosperity and cultural development.

In summary, the Anglo-Saxon civilization gradually formed from the invasion


of several tribes who settled across Britain. Over time, these tribes created
powerful kingdoms, and even though these kingdoms weren’t fully united,
Wessex eventually became the dominant power. This period of Anglo-Saxon
rule brought about significant changes in society, including a shift from
Roman life to a more clan-based society.

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