Anglo Saxon Influence On American Culture

1063 Words3 Pages

Cultures and languages have not always been the way they presently are. Nations and traditions evolve based on the events that happen and the people who cause them to occur. For example, the Angles, Jutes, and Saxons were a dynamic trio that integrated into England between A.D. 400 and A.D. 500. This triad, known as the Anglo-Saxons, established encampments in England reminiscent of their German dynasties (White). Like any other group of people, they bestowed elements of their heritage that impacted present-day’s culture and languages. The invasion and settlement of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes left a lasting impression on European culture, literature, and language. Initially, these German descendants arrived from various places and conquered …show more content…

The Anglo-Saxons altered medieval government systems with their implication of the shire court and the sheriff. Furthermore, they also created a tax system as a consequence of authoritative persecution (Morgan 95). Since war was began to expand, weapons became more sophisticated and expensive. In fact, the military employed the tax system to provide each soldier with military equipment much like today (99). Additionally, the Germanic tribes produced a special document known as a writ, which was essentially a message to the sheriff or bishop and the shire-earl. With this intention, the Anglo-Saxons would request them to witness the allocation of a new tract of land (95). Another governmental aspect of the Anglo-Saxons was the idea of feudalism, which was a network that gave control of the country to the determined landlord. All residents, including landlords, were required to follow the orders of the highest landlord, known as the king, who acted as a bellwether (Clark 34). Similarly, charters were used to allot tracts of land, much like writs; however, charters were issued by the king and were also used to grant requests. Ultimately, charters were formatted and standardized in order to avert disorder (33). There was some controversy concerning whether or not the Saxons were on a feudal system. Conversely, the large homes of the Anglo-Saxons imply aristocracy, which in itself suggests that they followed a hierarchy (Morgan

Show More
Related

  • The Writ Of Henry I On Local Courts

    500 Words  | 1 Pages

    The “writ of Henry I on local courts” is an administrative command issued around 1108 by Henry I, King of England during the Anglo-Norman period from 1100 till 1135. Henry addresses the writ to two individuals specifically in the country of Worcestershire, Samson and Urse of Abbetot, as well as to the barons of Worcestershire generally. Samson and Urse both held titles of prestige and power in Worcestershire County as the bishop and sheriff respectively at the time. The writ generally concerns the court systems, both royal and local, and more specifically delineates the jurisdictional spheres to be enjoyed by the particular courts concerning land disputes. Technically, the writ alludes to four distinct courts: the King’s Court, the Lord’s Court, and the County (or Shire) Court and the Hundred Court. Moreover, it refers to two types of people within Anglo-Norman society: the barons, or lords, and the vassals, or those who held the lands of, and at the pleasures of, the barons.

    Read More

  • A Comparison Between the World of Beowulf and Modern America

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    Despite numerous cultural and technological advancements, life in modern America continues to bear resemblance to the Anglo-Saxon world. Although it may take time and some loss of pride to admit it, since characteristics of human nature have stayed the same, from work place to personal relationships, the similarities between the two worlds are uncanny.

    Read More

  • Romans Influence On American Culture

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    American culture and most of the things that people do, see, and think wouldn’t be the way they are if it weren't for the Romans and what they created and accomplished as an ancient empire. In ancient Rome, in their time of expansion and flourish were able to create and build so much technology and ideas that helped build their empire and create a unique image of what they are. These in turn spread with some being so groundbreaking that it they are still used commonly and frequently and others becoming the inspiration and basis of even more achievements The Roman Empire is the most influential empire to have impacted U.S. culture due to their achievements such as spread of Christianity, the creation of the Latin language, and the ideas justice.

    Read More

  • Culture Influence On American Culture

    1189 Words  | 3 Pages

    Folklores are stories that have been through many time periods. Folklore include Legends, Myths, and Fairy Tales. Legends are traditional tales handed down from earlier times and believed to have a historical basis. Myths are ancient stories dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes. Fairy Tales are fantasy tales with legendary being and creators.

    Read More

  • What´s Processual Archaeology?

    2075 Words  | 5 Pages

    As an instance, in the field of paleolinguistics, Colin Renfrew, in re-examining Proto-Indo-European language and making a case for the spread of Indo-European languages through neolithic Europe in connection with the spread of farming,[11] outlined three basic, primary processes through which a language comes to be spoken in a specific area: initial colonization, replacement and continuous development. From some obvious reasoning he proceeded to some radically new conclusions.

    Read More

  • Economic and Social Changes in the Middle Ages

    636 Words  | 2 Pages

    Eventually, the Germanic kings could not effectively maintain law and defend from invaders. Thus, Feudalism developed. Feudalism is a system of government in which lords gave parts of their land, or fiefs, and gave it to their lesser lords, or vassals. The vassals pledged loyalty and service to the lord in return for his fief. This exchange of fiefs and loyalty was known as the feudal contract. Vassals were in charge of running their estates, or manor, and they used serfs, which were low-wealth peasants, to provide the manor and the higher lord with food. Serfs were not slaves, but they had very limited freedom. (Ellis & Esler 2012)

    Read More

  • How Did Medieval Rulers Restore Power

    61 Words  | 1 Pages

    Medieval rulers restored order and centralized political powers by creating their own form of government. These leaders expanded their territory and spread their authority by creating many micro-managed systems. They developed large bureaucracies, armies, judicial systems and created taxes in order to cause the common-folk pay for all of it.

    Read More

  • Middle Ages Dbq

    471 Words  | 1 Pages

    In this declaration made in 1166, King Henry II stated that all justice in England would happen under his own royal justices rather than those of the vassals and that everybody, even the vassals, were subject to the law and could be arrested by the royal justices. This took power from the king’s nobles because they could no longer enforce the laws they wanted the way they wanted to enforce them. Instead, the laws were enforced by the sheriffs that the king had appointed to each county, which further increased the power of the king because he could have a more direct effect on the lives of all of the population. This was not the only way the Assize of Clarendon benefited the king, however. In section 5 of the document, the king described how any property or money seized by the court goes directly to the king. Because of this statement, the king was able to gain more power in the form of money to use to his own advantage. He also allowed sheriffs to stop people from leaving their county if they were accused of breaking the law, which even further increased the amount of control he had over the entire population of

    Read More

  • Heroes of Celtic and Germanic Mythology

    3690 Words  | 8 Pages

    Throughout the myths of the Celtic and Germanic peoples of northern Europe tales of epic heroes and their extraordinary deeds abound. These tales depict heroes performing a variety of incredible feats; many of which appear to be magical, superhuman, and, quite honestly, utterly impossible (e.g., wading across oceans, defeating armies virtually single-handedly, and other astounding exploits). Since the Celtic and Germanic tribes of antiquity inhabited neighboring lands and lived in close proximity to one another (as many of their modern descendants continue to do: i.e., in Great Britain), it is not surprising that they often established intimate relationships with each other via commerce, conquest, and the spread of religious beliefs. In light of this intimate association, it is not astonishing that the cultural and consequent poetic traditions of these ethnic groups were often remarkably analogous.

    Read More

  • Middle Ages

    609 Words  | 2 Pages

    The most import of all Middle Age political contributions was feudalism. This form of government linked the landlords who were able to fight due to resources they possessed such as iron. They were aided by the help of vassals. These vassals were often paid by inheriting land when the government could not afford to pay each person individually. The feudal system was also used by leaders to gain power. For example, French leaders normally had a background as a landlord. Through marriage, they would gain more. Eventually, once they came into power, a leader would be able to specialize minutely in a trade learned from his officials. In other kingdoms such as England, the feudal government was introduced more forcefully. Under William the Conqueror, the landlords were bound in loyalty to him. He used sheriffs to enforce his rule throughout the empire. William unitized a combined feudal and central govern...

    Read More

  • Anglo Saxon Values And Beliefs

    364 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Anglo-Saxons had many different values and beliefs that were of value to them. The Anglo-Saxons were pagan people from different cultures. Their different beliefs and culrtures brought forth a more diverse culture in this region. The Anglo-Saxons had a strong belief in loyalty to their king, they believed that weapons and armour show the might of a warrior, and

    Read More

  • William The Conqueror Research Paper

    942 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Middle Ages brought about the rise of a governmental system known as feudalism. Feudalism is the name given to the system of government William I introduced to England after he defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Although feudalism was a highly decentralized system of authority, it was most successful in meeting the needs of the medieval period nobles. The primary political authority rested in local dukedoms and baronies and established a political system, which had never been conceived before. Feudalism was an exchange of land for protection in which discipline; order and a different type of currency set a new course in style of government. Here was a type of government where no coin currency would have to change hands. Feudalism

    Read More

  • Welsh Language Case Study

    829 Words  | 2 Pages

    This is not the case with all more dominant languages that come into contact with the minority language, for example the Norman Invasion of Great Britain, which necessitated extensive contact between French and Welsh, Wales remained predominantly Welsh speaking throughout the Middle Ages (Davies 2014). It may in fact be the case, that these oppressive policies merely codify the separation of domains each language is used in, and that the oppression of minority languages is a long, drawn out process, as seems to have been the case in Wales. This section will focus on the legal system, religion and education, three key areas which came into contact with English over a long period of time, and which are likely to have had widespread

    Read More

  • Anglo Saxon Influence

    1454 Words  | 3 Pages

    To many people, the Anglo-Saxons may seem brutish, uncultured, and primitive. After all, they were essentially the Viking’s counterpart during the Middle Ages. However, this belief is merely a misconception—the Anglo-Saxons were a complex, advanced society with rigid social structures, customs, and most important, individual rights, an idea that is conventionally thought of as a modern invention. Since then, these unprecedented ideas and traditions have become the basis of the current English society and continue to influence and govern people’s lives today.

    Read More

  • Development of the English Language

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    The settlement of the British Isles by north Europeans followed by Norman French paints the backdrop to this essay which will focus on the period between the early 15th and 17th centuries, when a'standard' English language evolved. It will show that modern-day English is very different to that first introduced to the British Isles, but by identifying changes through time, its continuity can be demonstrated. Finally, it will suggest that present day English is in a position analogous to that which existed before the Norman invasion, when there were many varieties and dialects, and that this may lead to its decline as a global language, due to decreasing intelligibility. The beginnings of English can be found in the occupation of England from the 5th century by north and west German ethnic groups who brought their 'indigenous dialects' (Seargeant, P. 2012, p. 1). The Oxford English Dictionary defines English as 'Of or related to the West Germanic language spoken in England and used in many varieties throughout the world' (Seargeant, P. 2012, p. 7).

    Read More

More about Anglo Saxon Influence On American Culture

Open Document