Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Did Edward the confessor make William the conqueror his heir before his death England has been characterised by not having principles that were clearly established to guide matters related with royal succession. In the Anglo-Saxon era, lack of these principles often made succession matters ambiguous and often bloody, considering that England was enjoying military might, harboured expansionist ambitions and was under constant threat from neighbouring kingdoms such as Normandy. Heirs played a pertinent and pivotal role in ensuring that the royal bloodline of the monarchs was preserved, yet intermarriages and childlessness often complicated the smooth transition of power once a king passed on. However, lack in succession guidelines often fomented rivalry for the throne among the male children in the extended royal family. Usually, a king displayed preference for his preferred successor by allowing eligible male relatives, sons included, to participate in royal charters and gain titles to significant pieces of land in the English kingdom. Notably, King Edward the confessor remained childless throughout his reign despite being married to Edith, a daughter of one of the three earls who remained in England while the kingdom was under Danish rule. As such, by the time of his death in 1066, King Edward has not sired an heir and as such, his vacant throne become contestable and even invited controversy and conflict as well. Indeed, the throne…

the authority of the Anglo Saxon kings varied between them, and depended on many factors within their reign including unity within their kingdom, challenges to their authority and what they controlled on a geographical scale as well as social. We have to consider these factors whilst making a well rounded judgement on whether they could claim to be kings of all England. The only King I feel comfortable in supporting of that claim is King Edgar, who enjoyed unwavering authority on a greater…

The interaction with the monstrous and the supernatural within Anglo-Saxon literature is certainly well documented, perhaps most famously in the Anglo-Saxon epic, Beowulf. Though the three creatures Beowulf faces are creations of the imagination, they are presented by the poet in very different ways. The man-eating beast known as Grendel is more of a monstrously misshapen reflection of bi-pedal humans that is spawned from ancient evil, whereas the dragon is a bit more conventional. This…

Old English literature is also referred to Anglo-Saxon literature. The Anglo-Saxons were settlers from Germany that originate from the names Angeln and Saxony. The Anglo-Saxon period lasted for 600 years, from 410 to 1066. They went to Britain after the fall of The Roman Empire, around AD 410. Roman armies were needed, so they left Britain in the fifth-century to fight for their land. The Anglo-Saxons were basically their own leaders in the new land and did not contribute much, or anything to…

Old English literature encompasses literature written in Old English in Anglo-Saxon England from the 7th century to the decades after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo Saxon literature consists of: sermons and saints' lives; biblical translations; translated Latin works of the early Church Fathers; Anglo-Saxon chronicles and narrative history works; laws, wills and other legal works; practical works on grammar, medicine, geography; and poetry. Anglo Saxon literature has gone through different…

In Anglo-Saxon times literature escalated as an oral tradition. It was past along generations including songs, ancient stories, and poems. The poems did not posses the expected rhyme, they particularly had a strong beat. These traditions all held unique types of alliteration. Anglo-Saxon traditions in Beowulf illustrate how the Anglo-Saxon traditions became a strong influencing focus in Beowulf. In Anglo-Saxon culture and literature, to be a hero was to be a warrior and ultimately a king. He…

Beowulf by unknown is a great example of the work from the Anglo-Saxon period. This period was one that lasted for six hundred years lasting from four ten to one thousand sixty six. This time period existed mainly in Britain and brought on new religious beliefs. Many things stemmed from the Anglo-Saxon period such as the concept of respect or Christianity. The text Beowulf is a great representation of all of these ideas from the Anglo-Saxon time period. The main character of this epic is…

Literature written during the Anglo Saxon period focuses on the importance of male roles and their ability to shape the outcome of a nation. Many of the Anglo Saxon texts depict women in very traditional social roles reflecting their given status quo, whereas men are depicted as heroes, Lords, Knights, and kings. Men are stereotypically known to influence both leadership and political power in society. As a result, Anglo Saxon literature was written from the male perspective, it focuses largely…

reputation of Grendel. In Anglo-Saxon culture, one of the worst things that a person can do is kill their own kin, and even more appalling not pay wergild or "man price", compensation for killed man 's family. Grendel is descended from Cain, a brother-killer, and is therefore perceived as evil and immoral. In the novel, when Grendel hears the story of Cain, sung by the shaper, he makes a realization. “He told of an ancient feud between two brothers which split all the world between darkness and…

hundred years after the Anglo Saxons had conquered and settled in Britain. It was transcribed in a physical form around the year 1000 A.D. after exclusively being told orally. The poem was only conveyed by illiterate storytellers who recited it from memory. The story was naturally adapted by these storytellers to remain consistent with their developing culture and society. This poem is one of the only documents that survived from the Anglo Saxon period, so it gives a very accurate portrayal of…