Edward the Confessor (c.1003-66) - the king of England from 1042 to 1066, a son of Ethelred the Unready. He was considered a very holy man, and in 1161 the Pope made him a saint and gave him the title of 'Confessor'. However, he does not seem to have been very interested in government, and there was great confusion when he died over who had been promised the throne of England. His brother-in-law Harold Godwin became king, but was soon removed by William of Normandy in the Norman Conquest of 1066.
Ethelred the Unready (c.969-1016) - the king of England from 978-1016. His name 'the Unready' comes from an old English word and means that he received bad advice. During his rule the Danes attacked England repeatedly, and after his death the Dane Canute became king of England.
Canute (also Cnut) (c.994-1035) - a king of England (1017-35) who was born in Denmark and was also king of Denmark and Norway. He is best remembered for the story of how he proved to his companions that not everything in the world obeyed him. He took them to the sea and ordered it to stop rising, but it continued to rise. Canute's name is now sometimes used when describing somebody who foolishly tries to do something impossible: He is the King Canute of Parliament, trying to turn back the tide of reform.
Viking - a member of a people from Scandinavia who attacked parts of northern and western Europe, including Britain and Ireland, in the 8th-11th centuries. In Britain they were also known as Danes or Norsemen. They settled in the Scottish islands and in areas of eastern England, and the Danish king Canute (often also spelt Cnut) ruled England from 1016. The Vikings were feared as violent and cruel, but they were also noted for their skill in building ships and as sailors. They travelled in their long ships (= long narrow warships) to Iceland, Greenland and North America. They had an important influence on English culture and the English language, and their achievements are still celebrated in festivals such as Up-Helly-Aa.
Danegeld - a land tax that was introduced in Anglo-Saxon England in 991 in order to raise money to pay the Danes not to attack southern England. The payments of Danegeld only delayed the attack until 1013 when the Danish king Sweyn I brought England under Danish control. The tax was introduced again by the Normans in the 11th century to pay for national defence.
Danelaw - the part of north-eastern England that was ruled by the Danes from 878 until the whole of England came under Danish rule in 1013. The line between Danelaw and the rest of *Anglo-Saxon England ran roughly between London and *Chester. Many places in the north-east of England still have Danish names. For example, Denby means Dane Village.
Leif Ericsson (10th or 11th century) - a Norwegian who is thought to have sailed west from Greenland in around 1000 AD and landed in North America at a place he called *Vinland, and so to have been the first European there.
Vinland - a Viking name for an area on the east coast of North America which was visited by the Norwegian explorer Lief Ericsson around the year 1000, and possibly named by him. The exact area is not known, and it may have been named after the grape vines (= climbing plants) found growing there.
Lesson 17.
Test #2
Vikings.
1. A Viking is…
a) a pirate from Scandinavia b) a person who wins victories c) a Scottish farmer
2. Danegeld is…
a) gold of the Danes b) a land tax c) a king of Vikings
3. Danelaw is…
a) a law introduced in 878 b) the part of North-Eastern England ruled by the Danes from 878
c) the land in Denmark in 878
4. Leif Eriksson …
a) discovered America b) invented a new type of travelling by ship c) discovers Britain
5. The Danes appeared in Britain in because…
a) they needed land and gold b) wanted to be English c) wanted to become Christians
6. It was the year … that the Danes settled in Britain
a)800 b)845 c) 855
7. Poems about heroic adventures of the Vikings are …
a) legendary sagas b) novels c) short stories
8. Name the gods of the Vikings. Write how they remained in the English language
9. What were the great achievements of Alfred the Great? What are his titles?
10. How and when did the Vikings reach America?
11. Is there any connection between Leif Eriksson and Columbus?
Lesson 18 -20. The Norman Conquest. Documentary “ Battle of Hastings”
In 1066 William, the Duke of Normandy, began to gather an army to invade Britain. The pretext for the invasion was William’s claims to the English throne. He was related to the king who died in 1066. According to the English law it was the Witenagemot that chose the next king. If the late king left a grown up son he was almost sure to be chosen; if not, the King’s Council of wise men would offer the Crown to some other near relatives of the dead king. The king who died in 1066 had no children and Duke William cherished the hope that he would succed to the English throne. But the Witenagemot chose another relative of the deceased king, the Anglo-Saxon Earl, Harold. William of Normandy claimrd that England belonged to him and he began preparations for a war to fight for the crown.
William sent messangers far and wide to invite the fighting men of Western Europe to help him gain his rights to the English throne. No pay was offered, but William promised land to all who would support him. William also asked the Roman Pope for his support. He promised to strengthen the Pope’s power over the English Church. And the Church with the Pope at the head blessed his campaign and called it a holy war. There were many fighting men who were ready to join William’s army since it was understood that English lwends would be given to the victors.
William mastered a numerous army which consisted not only of the Norman barons and knights but of the knights from other parts of France. Many big sailing boats were builts to carry the army across the Channel. William landed in the South of England and the battle between the Normans and the Anglo-Saxons took placeon the 14th of October 1066 at a little village in the neighbourhood of the town now called Hastings.
