Everything about Medieval England totally explained
Great Britain during the
Middle Ages (from the
5th century withdrawal of Roman forces from the
province of
Britannia and the
Germanic invasions, until the
Early modern period) was fragmented into a number of independent kingdoms. By the
High Middle Ages, after the end of the
Viking Age and the
Norman Conquest, the kingdoms of
England and
Scotland emerge as the main poles of political power.
The medieval period in England can be dated from the arrival in
Kent of
Anglo-Saxon troops led by the legendary
Hengest and
Horsa. Subsequently the
Brythonic,
Celtic powers were conquered by
Jutes,
Angles and
Saxons Germanic tribes, from the contemporary
Angeln and
Jutland areas of northern
Germany and mainland
Denmark. Political takeover of other areas of England proceeded piecemeal and wasn't completed until the tenth century.
Similarly, the end of the medieval period is usually dated by the rise of what is often referred to as the "
English Renaissance" in the reign of
Henry VIII of England, and the Reformation in Scotland, or else to the establishment of a centralized, bureaucratic monarchy by
Henry VII of England. From a political point of view, the
Norman Conquest of England divides medieval Britain in two distinct phases of cultural and political history. From a linguistic point of view the Norman Conquest had only a limited effect,
Old English evolving into
Middle English, although the
Anglo Norman language would remain the language of those that ruled for two centuries at least, before mingling with Middle English.
At the height of pre-Norman medieval English power, a single English king ruled from the border with Scotland to the border with Wales to the border with
Cornwall. After the
Norman Conquest, English power intruded into Wales with increasing vigour, but the process of consolidation was continuous and isn't just a medieval feature. The other problem with suggesting such a unity is that the various
states had relations with
Scandinavia and
Continental Europe which are excluded by the concept. For example, northern Scotland often had closer ties with
Norway and
France (see
Auld Alliance) than England or Wales in the medieval period, with
Orkney and
Shetland only becoming part of Scotland in
1471. Southern England, due to its proximity to
Normandy,
Flanders and
Brittany, had closer relations with them than the other regions.
Periodisation
List of states
Britain was fragmented into numerous kingdoms during the
Early Middle Ages.
In the
High Middle Ages, the two kingdoms of
England (
Athelstan of England, 927) and
Scotland or
Alba (
Kenneth I of Scotland, 843) gained prominence, merged into the
United Kingdom in
1707.
Early Middle Ages
See:
Heptarchy
Southern Celtic states
Viking Age
High Middle Ages
post-
1066 states
Norman England (1066-1154)
House of Plantagenet (1154–1485)
Kingdom of Man (1079-1266)
Galloway (11th c.-1234)
House of Dunkeld (1058–1286)
House of Balliol (1292–1296)
Late Middle Ages
House of Lancaster (1399–1471)
House of York 1461–1485)
House of Tudor (1485–1603)
House of Bruce (1306–1371)
House of Stuart (1371–1707)
Further Information
Get more info on 'Medieval England'.
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