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I. Read and translate the following text about the Anglo-Saxons. If you are using Yandex Browser, you can right-click on a word to see its Russian translation.

Historical background:

The Romans officially left Britannia in AD 410. This occurred when the Western Roman Emperor Honorius informed the cities of Britannia that they must look to their own defense, as the Roman Empire could no longer afford to send military support due to increasing pressures from barbarian invasions and internal instability. This marked the end of Roman rule in Britain, although Roman influence in the region continued to shape its culture, infrastructure, and governance for centuries.

Description of the image

Timeline of Arrival

Early 5th century: Initial migrations and settlement begin, often through agreements with local Britons.
Mid-to-late 5th century: Larger migrations take place as political and social instability grows in Britain.
6th century: Anglo-Saxon control expands, leading to the establishment of early kingdoms like Kent, Wessex, and Mercia.

Image by mbartelsm - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Anglo-Saxon Settlement and Expansion

The traditional date for the first settlement of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain is 449.
According to legend, this was not an invasion but a response to an invitation by a Celtic ruler named Vortigern, as small groups of mercenaries who had been hired by him to help defend the region but gradually expanded into larger migrations of peoples.
If this story has any grain of truth, it is probably an example of the late Roman policy of encouraging Germanic groups to settle and defend the land they settled on against other Germanics.
Legend also states that the first Anglo-Saxon leaders to arrive were named Hengist and Horsa.
The Anglo-Saxons were originally concentrated in the eastern parts of Britain, adjacent to the North Sea.
The indigenous people, the Britons, lost control over much of eastern and southern Britain in the second half of the fifth century, but they retained extensive areas elsewhere in Britain until around 600.
Anglo-Saxon society and culture were less influenced by Rome and the Mediterranean than those of other Germanic peoples, such as the Franks of France or the Ostrogoths of Italy, because they were from northern Germany and Denmark rather than the southern regions that had prolonged contact with the Roman Empire.
One Anglo-Saxon poem, “The Wanderer,” refers to cities, meaning Roman cities, as the work of giants.
The Anglo-Saxons were originally pagan in religion.
The main group that originated on the North Sea coast of Europe was divided into Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, but some also came from other Germanic groups, as tribal affiliations were loose at this time.
Britain was one of the few areas of the former Western Roman Empire where Germanic speakers entirely displaced Roman or Romanized culture.
The best evidence for this is language. Whereas France, Spain, and other areas speak Romance languages descended from Latin, English is largely a Germanic language.
The Anglo-Saxon takeover led to the creation of a new British society, “England,” spreading from the east and southeast of the island and closely integrated into a Germanic world.
The greatest classic of Anglo-Saxon literature, the epic poem Beowulf, which was probably composed in Northumbria in the first half of the eighth century, sets its story of heroic monster killing not among Anglo-Saxons but among the equally Germanic Danes.
On a demographic level, many Britons, particularly women, were assimilated into the Anglo-Saxon people by marriage, enslavement, or adoption of Anglo-Saxon culture.
Some of the earliest figures in Anglo-Saxon history are hard to place as either Anglo-Saxons or Britons.
Cerdic (r. 519–534), the founder of the royal house of Wessex—which would later develop into the Kingdom of England—had a British name but is described by Anglo-Saxon writers centuries later as an Anglo-Saxon invader.
The Anglo-Saxon takeover took two centuries, slowed by both British resistance and the limited numbers of Anglo-Saxons who could arrive by ship.
The Anglo-Saxon invasions were more a matter of small groups of settlers than vast armies.
Most battles in Britain during this period involved fewer than a thousand people on either side.
Battles were also fought on a low matériel level; the archaeological evidence shows that the principal weapon of ordinary Anglo-Saxon warriors was the spear, as only the elite could afford enough metal to make a sword.
Anglo-Saxon armies were mostly infantry, as few could afford expensive warhorses.
The early Anglo-Saxons were a warrior culture that valued men for their courage and skill in battle, as reflected in Anglo-Saxon literature.
They were organized—particularly in the early stages when they entered Britain as mercenary soldiers or pirates—into bands of warriors who followed chieftains.
One of the marks of a successful early Anglo-Saxon leader was his generosity to his warrior followers.
Great leaders were called ring-givers, after the gold rings they gave their followers.
The weapons of war—swords, spears, and shield—were highly valued, and the weapons of the elite were often richly decorated.
Anglo-Saxon wills frequently mention weapons and refer to their history and previous owners.
The earliest Anglo-Saxon leaders saw themselves as leaders of peoples rather than as territorial rulers.
The following of a successful war leader would increase as his military success and generosity attracted more and more warriors to his banner.
Some of the most successful would take the title of king, but none were powerful enough to rule Britain or England as a whole.
Celtic culture remained strong in several areas of the old Roman province of Britannia.
One was the far southwest, in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, where speakers of Cornish—fisherfolk and tin miners—retained cultural and some political independence.
Another was the mountainous region of Wales.
The term Welsh derives from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning “foreigner,” and the Welsh principalities retained their independence and a distinct Celtic culture and literature.
Their own term for themselves was Brythoniaid, “Britons,” which was gradually replaced by Cymry, “the people.”
Despite the persistence of a common identity, Wales’s poor internal communications meant that political authority remained fragmented.
A British state in the north of Strathclyde lasted until the 11th century, when it was absorbed by the rising Scottish monarchy.
Some Britons also fled to the far northwestern peninsula of modern France, which eventually became known as Brittany.

II. Read the text again and find English equivalents for the Russian words and phrases below.

крупица правды = a of

примыкающий к = to

язычник = a

племенная принадлежность = a

происходить от = to be from

смешаться с кем-то = to be into smn

материальные средства/военная техника =

наемный солдат = a soldier

рыбаки =

полуостров = a

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Incorrect Answers: 0

II. Read the text from exercise I again. Answer the questions below.

The Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain is the example of what practice peculiar to the Germanic groups? (sentence 3)
Why wasn't the Anglo-Saxon culture influenced by Rome and Mediterranean as much as other Germanic groups'? (sentence 7)
How can we tell that the Roman culture was fully displaced in Britain? (sentence 12)
How did the Anglo-Saxons assimilate the Britons in their culture on a demographic level? (sentence 15)
Name two reasons why the Anglo-Saxon takeover was slowed. (sentence 18)
Describe the appearance and the weapon of a typical Anglo-Saxon soldier and explain why they looked like that. (sentences 21-28)
What were the cultural differences between the Welsh and the rest of the British Isles? (sentence 35)
Try to guess and explain the differences between Angles, Saxons and Jutes (mentioned in sentence 10). To find out exactly, you can watch the video in exercise 4.

III. Rephrase the following sentences from the text using Participles, Infinitival phrases and Gerunds.

Examples:

The Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain in 449 and took over after 200 years. --> Having invaded Britain in 449, the Anglo-Saxons took over after 200 years.
According to the article, the Anglo-Saxons valued men for their courage. --> The Anglo-Saxons are said to have valued men for their courage.
Sometimes it's hard for historians to differentiate between the Anglo-Saxons and the Britains. --> Sometimes differentiating between the Anglo-Saxons and the Britons is hard for historians.

Use Participles:

The indigenous people, the Britons, lost control over much of eastern and southern Britain in the second half of the fifth century, but they retained extensive areas elsewhere in Britain until around 600.
Anglo-Saxon society and culture were less influenced by Rome and the Mediterranean than those of other Germanic peoples, because they were from northern Germany and Denmark rather than the southern regions that had prolonged contact with the Roman Empire.
The main group that originated on the North Sea coast of Europe was divided into Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, but some tribes also came from other Germanic groups, as tribal affiliations were loose at this time.
Whereas France, Spain, and other areas speak Romance languages descended from Latin, English is largely a Germanic language.
The greatest classic of Anglo-Saxon literature, the epic poem Beowulf, which was probably composed in Northumbria in the first half of the eighth century, sets its story of heroic monster killing not among Anglo-Saxons but among the equally Germanic Danes.
Cerdic, the founder of the royal house of Wessex, had a British name but is described by Anglo-Saxon writers centuries later as an Anglo-Saxon invader.
Most battles in Britain during this period involved fewer than a thousand people on either side. Battles were also fought on a low matériel level.
Some of the most successful would take the title of king, but none were powerful enough to rule Britain or England as a whole.
Their own term for themselves was Brythoniaid, which was gradually replaced by Cymry.

Use Infinitival phrases:

According to legend, this was not an invasion but a response to an invitation by a Celtic ruler named Vortigern.
One Anglo-Saxon poem, “The Wanderer,” refers to cities, meaning Roman cities, as the work of giants.
The archaeological evidence shows that the principal weapon of ordinary Anglo-Saxon warriors was the spear.
The early Anglo-Saxons were a warrior culture that valued men for their courage and skill in battle, as reflected in Anglo-Saxon literature.

Use Gerunds:

On a demographic level, many Britons, particularly women, were assimilated into the Anglo-Saxon people by marriage, enslavement, or adoption of Anglo-Saxon culture.
Some of the earliest figures in Anglo-Saxon history are hard to place as either Anglo-Saxons or Britons.
The weapons of the elite were often richly decorated.
Celtic culture remained strong in several areas of the old Roman province of Britannia. [USE: There was no... + Gerund]
Wales’s poor internal communications meant that political authority remained fragmented.

IV. Watch the video and do the following tasks.

or watch it in the VK video! It'll be appreciated if you give your likes and subscribe)

V. Watch the video until 00:45 again and fill in the gaps with the words from it.

Britain today is a multicultural island, with a native population a rich heritage of Anglo-Norman, Celtic, Latin and French tradition, in addition to a more recent extremely and equally British culture from the various that now call this island home, namely Indian, Caribbean, Polish, Slovakian and Nigerian to name but a few. The past of course was no different. While the names of these groups may have differed, and their geographic was somewhat nearer to the island than the of modernity, nevertheless the British have a proud heritage of being made up from people. This video will look into the history of the migrations of perhaps the most important group in the English history - The Anglo-Saxons.

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Incorrect Answers: 0