English History

[Tarser]

I've been trying to get a basic picture of all the invasions that led to the development of English/British culture and history. I find it very complicated and would like to ask something at the end of this time-line, hoping that it is basically correct:

People known as 'Celts' occupied the British Isles before the Romans came. Celts were Romanised in some areas but not in others - e.g. Scotland.

When the Romans left, the Angles, Saxons and Jutes came and destroyed Roman culture and Christianity, leading to 'The Dark Ages'.

The Vikings then invaded and destroyed the Monasteries, being described as 'Heathens' by the writers of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles...

Here's my question: If the Saxon invaders destroyed Christianity, why were there still monasteries for the Vikings to destroy? How much Christianity still existed during the time of the Anglo-Saxons and why didn't the latter go about destroying the monasteries and the last remnants of Christianity? How did it survive at all?

Were the Welsh still Christian from Roman influence in defiance of the Anglo-Saxons. Can anyone recommend a book that answers questions like these? Fascinating but very complicated. Thanks.

[Tarser]

Also, how is it that the Celts never adopted the Roman language? They had adopted their religion so must have been very influenced by them, yet not their language. As they became Christians, how did they learn it from the Romans if they didn't speak Latin?? Questions, questions....they spring up at every turn! Did someone translate it to the Celts?

[Khandro]

But the Saxons didn't destroy Christianity, they built churches, some of which still remain.

[Old_Geezer]

As a lay person's opinion only. Surely they left the details to the priests and did what their chieftains told them. Until Tyndale and such forth the people believed what the expert religious folk told them.

It's all a power struggle and one goes with the best options available. But changing a whole language, moist unlikely. Even if the toffs used one, the native masses would have no incentive to change from what the family already used.

Why would one bother to destroy monasteries unless there was a benefit to expending the effort ? If it didn't stop them ruling...

[Togo]

409 Britains throw off their allegiance to Rome
431 Pope Celestine I sends Palladius to be bishop of Christians ion Ireland.
449 Angles and Saxons arrive in SE England
516 Britains defeat Angles and Saxons at Mount Baden
556 Columba founds a monastery on Iona Scotland
597 Augustine arrives in Kent to begin the conversion of England
616 Ethelbert the 1st Christian English King dies in Kent
627 Edwin of Northumbria becomes the first English King of the North Of England.
633 Aidan founds the first Monastery on Lindisfarne
664 Synod of Whitby is held to settle the differences between Roman and Celtic Clergy ( This was a very important event obviously)
668 Theodore is consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury.

These are some of the important turning points Tarser, but it is as you have discovered much more complicated. There was much infighting going on between Ireland and Scotland and England with both and the Celtic Welsh some of whom had fled from both the Romans and the Anglo Saxons after that rather than be governed by them. I have included a link that gives a very good timeline but is scarce on social conditions but it may help you to get the timeline fixed in your head. Keep looking.

[Togo]

Link...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/timelines/british/index_embed.shtml

[jno]

the Celts quite likely did speak some Latin, though not necessarily all the time. Like Norman French later, Roman may have been the language of the conquerors but not of their subjects - those not in regular contact with the new rulers would have had no need to speak their tongue.

The Angles and Saxons didn't really destroy Roman civilisation, it just seems to have gradually withered away. For instance, they didn't move into the remains of Roman London but congregated further upriver.

I don't think Christianity was all that strong under the Romans, but the Angles and Saxons, though they were pagans when they landed, were converted maybe 100-200 years after arriving in Britain. They then built the churches and monasteries that were later attacked by Vikings.

[jno]

Guthrun did it at the point of a gun; I've never been sure if that counts.

[Togo]

Thank you Tarser, fascinating stuff. I hope you continue to find interesting facts that help you to understand English and indeed British history.