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fandomhigh2006-01-10 11:30 am
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History of Medieval England - Tuesday 6th Period: Lecture 1: Introduction and Pre-History
Methos stood in front of the class, dressed in jeans and a sweater, leaning back against his desk. "Right, folks. This is Medieval English History. On your desks you should have a syllabus and course information sheet. You will be responsible for knowing all the information on that sheet. I'd like you to meet your TA, Elizabeth Weir, who I totally did not steal from CJ. Any questions? Good.
"First of all, I would like to dispel some myths that may or may not be present in your mind regarding the period we are going to discuss. When the word "medieval" is used, it conjures up associations of two widely divergent worlds: one of knights and ladies and tall castles and what all, and of peasants mucking around in the dirt, of ignorance and poverty and abject despair.
"The truth, as is usual, falls somewhere in between. What can be said is that it was an incredibly *active* age, with energy and passion. People weren't afraid to try things. It was the most technologically adventurous time until the Industrial Revolution.
"In England, it shaped the future of the nation. The very idea of "nation" was born in this period, taking over from the concept of loyalty to a specific person. The founding blocks of law and government that would enable England to rule one of the largest empires ever known -- and then to preside over the mostly peaceful disassembly of said empire.
"However, that's about a millenniumin the future from where -- or when -- we're talking." Methos stops his lean against the desk and begins pacing in front of the class.
"Now, then, who was actually *living* there? The Celts can be roughly spoken of as being the last pre-historic culture to dominate Britain. When the Romans began spreading north into modern-day Germany and Great Britain, they already knew of the Celts, also called the Gauls.
"The Celts were, however, distinct political tribal units loosely linked by a similar language and culture. Against a united front, there was no possible way to withstand an invading Roman force. In addition, the Romans were offering attractive things like a more comfortable and civilized lifestyle, trade perks, and other enticements -- such as Roman citizenship -- to keep the peoples whose lands they had claimed for the Empire from indulging in costly rebellions.
"This didn't of course stop all rebellions. Boadicea is famous for leading one that is mostly notable for being of sufficient extent and success that the Romans actually had to expend some effort to put it down. It was started by a Roman administrator being very stupid and overestimating his control and underestimating how subjugated the British were. This would also be a continuing thread in British history (not to mention the history of every political power that has ever conquered an area).
"Rome's hold on Britain did not last more than a handful of generations. Britain was made part of the Roman empire in about 30 CE. Control never extended over the entire island, and mostly focused on civic centers that the Romans either created or appropriated. But by the early 400's, Britain was cut loose from Rome's administrative and military control as the Western Empire continued the slow implosion that had been building since pretty much it had become an empire. So we had an island of mixed-bag Romanized Celts, non-Romanized Celts, really-hate-the-Romans Celts, and please-sir-we're-just-trying-to-get-through-the-millennium farmers and herders who were probably more closely related to the Beaker people and even-more-previous British inhabitants than they were to the Celts.
"So, at about 500 CE, the ethnic makeup of the British Isles consisted of a predominantly Celtic peoples, flavored in the south with Roman culture, built on the remains of older civilizations. Into this mix came a new ingredient: Germans. Specifically, several tribes of Germanic people, who were getting cramped in the Rhineland and wanted to do some exploring. The three predominant Germanic groups who began settling in Britain were the Saxons, the Jutes and the Angles. Guess which one was the smallest? Of course, the one that the country eventually got named for. Makes sense, right?
"I think that's enough information for now. Thursday is our discussion session, where you get to ask me questions and discuss amongst yourselves the implications of what I've said today. Readings of interest can be found here and here. ETA:These are purely for your own interest. You will get assigned reading and homework on Thursday.
"One last thing: You have a term paper due at the end of this semester. I would like you all to pick topics before the second exam. You must clear your topics with me. Please see me if you are having trouble thinking of a topic, and I'll help you."
[[OCD Comment threads are up. Comment away!]]
"First of all, I would like to dispel some myths that may or may not be present in your mind regarding the period we are going to discuss. When the word "medieval" is used, it conjures up associations of two widely divergent worlds: one of knights and ladies and tall castles and what all, and of peasants mucking around in the dirt, of ignorance and poverty and abject despair.
"The truth, as is usual, falls somewhere in between. What can be said is that it was an incredibly *active* age, with energy and passion. People weren't afraid to try things. It was the most technologically adventurous time until the Industrial Revolution.
"In England, it shaped the future of the nation. The very idea of "nation" was born in this period, taking over from the concept of loyalty to a specific person. The founding blocks of law and government that would enable England to rule one of the largest empires ever known -- and then to preside over the mostly peaceful disassembly of said empire.
"However, that's about a millenniumin the future from where -- or when -- we're talking." Methos stops his lean against the desk and begins pacing in front of the class.
"Now, then, who was actually *living* there? The Celts can be roughly spoken of as being the last pre-historic culture to dominate Britain. When the Romans began spreading north into modern-day Germany and Great Britain, they already knew of the Celts, also called the Gauls.
"The Celts were, however, distinct political tribal units loosely linked by a similar language and culture. Against a united front, there was no possible way to withstand an invading Roman force. In addition, the Romans were offering attractive things like a more comfortable and civilized lifestyle, trade perks, and other enticements -- such as Roman citizenship -- to keep the peoples whose lands they had claimed for the Empire from indulging in costly rebellions.
"This didn't of course stop all rebellions. Boadicea is famous for leading one that is mostly notable for being of sufficient extent and success that the Romans actually had to expend some effort to put it down. It was started by a Roman administrator being very stupid and overestimating his control and underestimating how subjugated the British were. This would also be a continuing thread in British history (not to mention the history of every political power that has ever conquered an area).
"Rome's hold on Britain did not last more than a handful of generations. Britain was made part of the Roman empire in about 30 CE. Control never extended over the entire island, and mostly focused on civic centers that the Romans either created or appropriated. But by the early 400's, Britain was cut loose from Rome's administrative and military control as the Western Empire continued the slow implosion that had been building since pretty much it had become an empire. So we had an island of mixed-bag Romanized Celts, non-Romanized Celts, really-hate-the-Romans Celts, and please-sir-we're-just-trying-to-get-through-the-millennium farmers and herders who were probably more closely related to the Beaker people and even-more-previous British inhabitants than they were to the Celts.
"So, at about 500 CE, the ethnic makeup of the British Isles consisted of a predominantly Celtic peoples, flavored in the south with Roman culture, built on the remains of older civilizations. Into this mix came a new ingredient: Germans. Specifically, several tribes of Germanic people, who were getting cramped in the Rhineland and wanted to do some exploring. The three predominant Germanic groups who began settling in Britain were the Saxons, the Jutes and the Angles. Guess which one was the smallest? Of course, the one that the country eventually got named for. Makes sense, right?
"I think that's enough information for now. Thursday is our discussion session, where you get to ask me questions and discuss amongst yourselves the implications of what I've said today. Readings of interest can be found here and here. ETA:These are purely for your own interest. You will get assigned reading and homework on Thursday.
"One last thing: You have a term paper due at the end of this semester. I would like you all to pick topics before the second exam. You must clear your topics with me. Please see me if you are having trouble thinking of a topic, and I'll help you."
[[OCD Comment threads are up. Comment away!]]
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