Summary Anglo-Saxon period (literature)

Anglo-Saxon period (Old
English)



battle of Hastings
14 October 1066
William the Conqueror
between the Norman-French army of William, the Duke of Normandy, and an English
army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman
Conquest of England.


Hastings is a town on England’s southeast coast. It's known for
the 1066 Battle of Hastings, fought on a nearby field where
Battle Abbey now stands. The Norman ruins of Hastings Castle,
once home to William the Conqueror, overlook the English
Channel. East along the shingle seafront of Stade beach,
Hastings Fishermen’s Museum and Shipwreck Museum
document maritime history. The Jerwood Gallery shows
contemporary art.




The Anglo-Saxon period in Britain spans approximately six centuries from 410-
1066 AD



Anglo-Saxon period (Old English) 1

, The period used to be known as the Dark Ages, mainly because written sources for
the early years of the Saxon invasion are scarce.

However, most historians now prefer the terms 'early middle ages' or 'early
medieval period'.


an era of pagans (tollenaars), heroes & invasions

important stylistic features: alliteration

‘The Vikings are coming

‘Scandinavian invaders’
‘Scandinavian tribes’: the Angles, the Saxons,
the Jutes




Anglo-Saxon period (Old English) 2