Curs de Istorie a Regatului Unit si a Statelor Unite ale Americii Clasa a X-a Prof.

Diana Banu

Lesson 5

The Celtic Kingdoms

England has always played the most powerful part in the history of English. The stories of Wales, Ireland and Scotland are, nevertheless, of the same importance, their different history leading today to a situation in which Welsh, Irish and Scots feel different from the Anglo-Saxon English. I. Wales

By the 8th century, most of the Celts had been driven into the Welsh peninsula. They were kept out of England by Offas Dyke, the huge earth wall built in AD 779. They were called Welsh by the Saxons; nevertheless they called themselves cymry, i.e. fellow countrymen. Wales mountainous country with rocky and poor land; thus they mostly kept animals. For the same reasons the population remained small. Slavery was common and the society was based on family groupings, each of which owned one or several villages. One by one in each group a strong leader made himself king. Each of these kings tried to conquer the others, and the idea of a high, or senior, king developed. Life was dangerous and bloody. Villagers were killed hungry followers and soldiers of the king (who traveled to show his control). . Between 949 and 1066, 35 Welsh rulers died violently, killed by a fellow countryman. In 1039, Gruffyd ap (son of) Llewelyn was the first Welsh king strong enough to rule over all Wales.. He was also killed by a cymry. The kings that followed him could rule only after they had promised loyalty to Edward the Confessor.

Lesson 5 II. Ireland

Ireland was never invaded by either the romans or the Anglo-Saxons.It was a land of monasteries and flourishing Celtic culture. As in Wales, people were organized and protected within family groupings. They had only the name of their tribe and the leaders here were chosen by election. Five kingdoms grew up in Ireland: Ulster (in the north), Munster (southwest), Leister (southeast), Connaught (west) and Tara (seat of the high kings). Christianity came to Ireland in about AD 430. The history dates from that time, as then there were people who could write about events. The message of Christianity was spread in Ireland by a British slave, Patrick, who became the patron saint of Ireland. This period is often called Irelands golden age (no invaders, flourishing culture). Nevertheless the five kingdoms were seldom at war. This soon ended with the arrivals of the Vikings, who stole everything in monasteries. Through Viking raids, the Welsh were forced to unite. In 859 Ireland chose its first king. Brian Boru (1002-1014) is still regarded as the greatest leaders of Ireland, as he tried to unite all the territories. The Vikings traded with Constantinopole, Italy and central Russia, thus bringing fresh economic and political action into Irish life. This also led to the first towns and ports, which was revolutionary for the Irish. Dublin was founded by the Vikings. III. Scotland

As a result of its geography, it has two different societies. The centre and west are mountainous, south and east have gentle lowland hills. This last region was more easily influenced by the changes in England. Scotland was populated by four separate groups of people:

Lesson 5 the Picts (north, northeast, spoke Celtic, considered the earliest inhabitants of the land); they were different from the Celts as they inherited rights, names and property from their mothers. the Scots (Celtic settlers); in 843 the Pictish and Scottish kingdoms were united under a Scottish king the Britons (inhabited Lowlands, had been part of the British-Romano world) the Angles, from Northumbria (south)

Unity between Picts, Scots and Britons was very easy to accomplish as they shared the same culture, language and background. The sense of common culture was increased by economic system, marriage, landholding, the spread of Celtic Christianity. Columba, the Dove of the Church came from Ireland to bring them to Christianity. The Angles were very different from the Celts. They grew crops rather than kept animals. The land was held individually. Foreign invaders increased the speed for political change. Scots and Picts fought together against them. Nevertheless, they soon realized that the greatest danger came from the English, who attacked them. Fortunately, the Sassenachs, as they called the Saxons and still call the English today, could control with difficulty the north of England and Scotland and they were left alone. Scotland proved a very difficult country to rule (especially the Highlands and the islands) throughout history.