Period 449-1485 Essay

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Analyze the Legacy of the Period 449-1485 The Middle Age of England refers to the medieval period that started from 440 to 1485. The medieval period can ramify into the Anglo-Saxon Period and the Middle English Period (Middle). During approximately 1045 years, warriors from various countries invaded England, including the Anglo-Saxons, the Vikings and the Normans. These countries brought numerous effects to England during their invasions; they brought their styles of life, languages and literatures to fill the “blank” England. Their appearances were apparently significant to the development of England. Everything started with invasions. At AD 43, the Romans settled in England and started to invade and controlled England; the control of the …show more content…

These countries were very important contributors to the development of the English language. The two main types of English from 449 to 1485 were the “Old English” and “Middle English” (Middle English. 449). The Old English period that started from 449 to 1066 was introduced by the Anglo-Saxon and their descendants (Middle English. 449). Old English was an early form of English; therefore the future development of English grammar was highly connected to the Old English. People during this period also paid lots of attentions on manuscripts. As a result, a number of literatures were persisted in this period. Alfred the Great, who was the era’s most important political leader, was the first person to encourage the usage of English in England; he instigated people to write and speak in English instead of Latin (Middle English. 449). During the Old English period, words from Rome and the Viking’s were also “immigrated” into the English language in sequence. In 597, a priest called Augustine brought Christianity from Rome to England; he introduced a large number of Latin words to the English language while doing his missionary. Later on due to the the Viking’s invasion in England in 793, Scandinavian words from the Vikings also entered the English language . Eventually, more than a thousand Scandinavian words became part of the Standard English (History of …show more content…

During the Old English period, England began to encounter a number of literature works, including historical works, translations, poems, etc. The most remarkable works in this period were Cædmon's Hymn, Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and epic poems (English Literature). Cædmon's Hymn was the oldest surviving text that was written in Old English. Furthermore, Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was the earliest historical work that was also written in Old English. Epic poems were popular in the Anglo-Saxons, however, these kinds of poems were totally different from the modern poems; they were composed without rhyme, in a characteristic line, and sometimes verse, etc (History of Literature). Beowulf, which was written in the 8th century, was the most well known epic poem of all. When epic poems first entered England, they were not in the form of a written literature; they were passed down orally from generations to generations (History of

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