3.3. The Anglo-Saxon period.

3.3.1. For a long time the tribes of Angles, Saxons al Jutes fought with one another for supreme power. As a result, Britain split up into seven kingdoms. At the beginning of the ninth century Wessex became the leading kingdom and united the rest of England in the fight against the new invaders (the Danes). Since 829 the greater part of the country was united under the name of “England”.

3.3.2 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. The Welsh historian Nennius first mentioned Arthur by name in the IX-century Historia Brittonum (History of the Britons), but a full account of his life did not appear until about 300 years later, in the Historia Regum Britanniae by Welsh writer Geoffrey of Monmouth. Romances were composed in the XIII century.

In English, one of the most important Arthurian achievements is The Death of Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory. This work draws together the full Arthurian story from a variety of sources. Arthurian themes again became popular in the 1800s. Whether such person really lived, whether there were several people whose histories came to be confused together under one name, or whether all about him was invention, no one knows.

3.3.3 Having become the most powerful kingdom of England, Wessex began to face a most dangerous enemy. They were the Danes from Denmark and the Norsemen from the Scandinavian Peninsula. They’re frequently called the Vikings. These two Scandinavian peoples were closely related with one another. In the very beginning the Vikings were pagans while the Anglo-Saxons had already accepted Christianity. During their first raids the Vikings burnt churches and monasteries. The Anglo-Saxons understood that their small kingdoms must unite in order to strug­gle against the Danes successfully. Egbert, king of Wessex, united several kingdoms under the name of England and became the first king of the united country.

3.3.4 Alfred, the grandson of Egbert, became king in the year 871, when England's danger was greatest. The Danes, who had settled on the eastern shores of Britain, continued robbing and killing the people of England and occupying more and more land. There were some years of peace during which Alfred built the first English navy. The kingdom that was in Alfred's possession was Wessex. Alfred is the only king of England who got the name Great. He is famous for having tried to enlighten his people. He worked out a code of laws. He translated the Church history and parts of the Bible from Lat­in into Anglo-Saxon. He started the famous Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which is the first history of Eng­land.

Anglo-Saxons gave the Danes a great bat­tle at Maldon in AD 991. The Danes were defeated in this battle, but still they remained very strong and dangerous.

3.4. Christianity in Britain.

3.4.1. Christianity was brought to Britain from Rome by Chris­tian refugees who were fiercely prosecuted for their faith at home. In the year 306, the Roman Emperor Constantine stopped the prosecution of the Christians and became a Christian himself. It became the official reli­gion in Britain, too. The Druids disappeared. The new religion was called the Catholic Church ("catholic" means "universal"). The Greek and Latin languages became the languages of the Church all over Europe. When the Anglo-Saxons, who were pagans, invad­ed Britain, most of the British Christians were killed. Towards the end of the VI century Christian monks began coming from Rome to Britain again. The first Catholic Church was built in the town of Саnterbury.

3.4.2. Curiously, the spread of Christianity is also associated with the activities of St Patrick, the national saint of Ireland. He was probably born in Wales, the son of a Roman father. Patrick became a monk in Gaul (= France) and went to Ireland in AD 432. He converted many people to Christianity, and there are many stories about his great powers, including one which explains why there are no snakes in Ireland. Patrick is said to have tricked them all so that they went into the sea and drowned. He is also said to have used the shamrock plant to explain the Christian idea of the Trinity, because it has three leaves on one stem. That is why it is traditional for Irish people to wear a shamrock on St Patrick’s Day, 17 March.

3.4.3. Nowadays, the United Kingdom guarantees its citizens religious freedom without interference from the state or the community, and most of the world’s religions have followers in Britain. As in many European countries today, the majority of the population in Britain does not regularly attend religious services, yet nearly all faiths have devoted congregations of active members. An increasing percentage of the population professes no religious faith and some organizations represent secular outlooks. The United Kingdom has two established churches: the Church of England and the Church of Scotland. Anglicans also speak of themselves as a catholic, or universal, church, with a lowercase c, meaning that their beliefs are intended for humankind as a whole.

3.4.4. The British monarch, who must be a member of the Anglican Church, holds the titles of Supreme Governor of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith. The monarch appoints archbishops and bishops upon the advice of the prime minister, who consults a commission that includes both lay people and clergy. Two archbishops and 24 senior bishops sit in the House of Lords. About 45 percent of the British population is Anglican. A third of the marriages in Britain are performed in the Anglican Church. Many members are merely baptized, married, and buried in the church, but do not otherwise attend services. More than a million people attend the Church of England on an average Sunday.