Unit 2 the long period of wars (5th-11th centuries)

Ex.1 Translate and memorize the following words:

Departure, conquest, treaty, fleet, invasion, crown, branch, county, in the course of, brave, wise, to emerge, to prove.

Ex.2 Insert the words from exercise 1 in the gaps:

1. People always remember … warriors. 2. There are three … of power: the legislative, the executive, and judicial. 3. Alfred the Great built the English … . 4. Kent, Essex and Wessex are the English … . 5. He … to be a skilled craftsman. 6. William the Conqueror initiated the … of Britain. 7. They signed a … to settle all border disputes. 8. After the Romans’ … Britons had to defend themselves against the enemies. 9. The English … takes place in the middle of the 5^th century. 10. William the Conqueror took the English … . 11. … the struggle of the Celts against the Anglo-Saxons many legends …, of which most famous is the legend of the Court of King Arthur. 12. The council of the tribe consisted of … men.

Ex.3 Translate the following sentences from English into Russian:

1. After the departure of the Romans (407) the Celts kept their independence for a short period of time. 2. In more than a century the Anglo-Saxons occupied most of the British Isles and formed a number of kingdoms. 3. For a long time the English people were at war with the Danes. 4. In 871 the king of Wessex became Alfred who won important battles. 5. In the end of the 10^th century the Danes took the crown from the English for a short period of time. 6. William, Duke of Normandy, was crowned king of England, William I, and called William the Conqueror.

Ex.4 Read the text and give answers to the following questions:

1. Did the Celts keep their independence for a short period of time after the departure of the Romans? 2. Were the English people at war with the Danes? 3. Did Wessex become the leading kingdom at the beginning of the 9th century? 4. Did the Normans attack the coasts of England in the 10^th century?

Text

After the departure of the Romans (407) the Celts kept their independence for a short period of time. From the middle of the 5^th century they had been attacked by the Germanic tribes of the Jutes, the Saxons and the Angles. Historians name the historical event “The Anglo-Saxon Conquest”. In the course of the struggle of the Celts against the Anglo-Saxons many legends emerged of which most famous is the legend of the Court of King Arthur.

In more than a century the Anglo-Saxons occupied most of the British Isles. They settled down and formed a number of small kingdoms in the country, among them - Kent, Essex, Wessex, which now are counties of Great Britain. These kingdoms were at war with one another. The stronger kings took the land from the smaller kingdoms.

At first the invaders spoke different dialects but little by little the dialect of the Angles prevailed. Soon the people living in Britain were called the English after the Angles and the name England (the Land of the English) became widely used as the name of the whole country.

For a long time the English people were at war with the Danes who came from Denmark and the Northmen who came from Scandinavia. They are often called as the Vikings. At first the Danes raided in small bands but later they came in larger numbers conquering one territory after another.

At the beginning of the 9th century Wessex became the leading kingdom and united the rest of England in the fight against the Danes. Since 829 the greater part of the country was united under the name England.

In 871 the king of Wessex became Alfred (born in 849). He proved to be a talented strategist, brave warrior and a wise statesman. He united small kingdoms to fight against the invaders. He turned undefended villages into fortified towns. He won some important battles. As a result a treaty was signed between Alfred and the Danes in 886. According to this treaty England was divided into two parts: one part was under Danish rule and the other (Saxon England) remained under Alfred's rule.

Alfred saw that the best way to keep off the Danes was by fighting them at sea, and so he built ships bigger and faster than the Danish ships. King Alfred is considered to be the founder of the English fleet.

In the end of the 10th century the Danish invasions renewed. The invaders forced the English people to pay a huge tribute. The Danes wanted to rule over the country and after many battles took the crown from the English. They were able to hold it for a short period of time (1017-1042).

Now the Normans began to attack the coasts of England from Normandy (France). In 1066 the decisive battle took place at Hastings in which the Normans won the victory. William, Duke of Normandy¹, was crowned king of England, William I, and called William the Conqueror.

¹Normandy appeared in the 9th century when another branch of the Northmen of Scandinavia conquered some land from the French king, settled there and formed a territory called Normandy. They themselves were known as the Normans (нормандцы).

Ex.5 Look through the text again and translate the following words and word-combinations:

To keep independence, historical event, to settle, invader, little by little, widely used, small bands, to raid, talented strategist, wise statesman, fortified towns, to divide, important battles, to sign the treaty, rule, founder, decisive battle, conquer.

Ex.6 Find in the text the English equivalents for the following:

В период борьбы против; появилось много легенд; англосаксы захватили большую часть Британских островов; они поселились в этой стране; они образовали много мелких королевств; воевали друг с другом; но мало-помалу (постепенно); это название стало широко использоваться; он оказался талантливым стратегом, смелым воином и мудрым государственным деятелем; он превратил беззащитные деревни в укрепленные города; был подписан договор; в соответствии с этим договором; основатель английского флота; состоялось решающее сражение.

Ex.7 Correct the statements if necessary:

1. The stronger kings took the land from the bigger kingdoms. 2. Since 829 the greater part of the country was united under the name Britain. 3. In 871 the king of Wessex became Alfred. 4. Alfred lost some important battles.

Ex.8 Give questions to which the following sentences are the answers:

1. According to the treaty England was divided into two parts. 2. King Alfred is considered to be the founder of the English fleet. 3. In the end of the 10th century the Danish invasions renewed. 4. Now the Normans began to attack the coasts of England from Normandy (France).

Ex.9 Use the text to enlarge the given statements:

1. From the middle of the 5^th century they had been attacked … . 2. Historians name the historical event … . 3. Kent, Essex, Wessex, are now … . 4. At first the invaders spoke different dialects but … . 5. Soon the people living in Britain were called … . 6. For a long time the English people were at war with … . 7. At first the Danes raided in small bands but … . 8. At the beginning of the 9th century Wessex became … 9. Alfred proved to be a … . 10. In 1066 the decisive battle took place at … .

Ex.10 Answer the following questions:

l. With whom did the English have to fight after the departure of the Romans?

2. What have you learnt about Anglo-Saxon invasion?

3. Who were the Danes?

4. What did king Alfred do for his country?

5. When did the Norman invasion take place?

Ex.11 Reorder the items of the plan according to the logic of the text. Describe item 4 of the plan in detail.

1. For a long time the English people were at war with the Danes.

2. After the departure of the Romans the Celts kept their independence for a short period of time.

3. In 871 the king of Wesex became Alfred who won important battles.

4. In more than a century the Anglo-Saxons occupied most of the British Isles and formed a number of kingdoms.

5. William, Duke of Normandy, was crowned king of England.

Ex.12 Give a written summary of the text in 5-7 sentences.