BM2-3 Anglophone Expansion:Timeline

Global anglophone culture

• Origin of English words

Prehistoric Times

• 700,000 years ago: human settlements on later British soil, the later British Islands still part of the continental shelf. Several several glacial and interglacial periods in which hunter-gatherers appear and reappear
• 70,000 and 10,000 years ago: last ice age, extreme cold snap between 22,000 and 13,000 years ago
• 7500 to 6000 years ago: Meltwater causes see level rise of 120 m, and separation of Ireland from Britsh mainland, and of British isles from continental shelf
• Stone age settlements by peoples who might have sopken an early version of modern Basque (genetic evidence, megalith culture)
• 3100-1600 BC Stonehenge in use. Similar constructs of megalith culture can be found all over western Europe
• Prehistoric hill figures like the Uffington White Horse (1400 and 600 BC)

Celts

• 500-50 BC predominance of Celtic culture. map, distribution till 50 BC. Different theories based on linguistic and genetic evidence:

• Invasions of early iron age tribes of the Hallstatt culture, or
• Gradual cultural development following western and central European developments

• 50 BC celitic language(s) spoken throughout the British isles
• 43-410 Romanisation of Celts in modern England
• 410-600 Retreat of Celts under pressure of Anglo-Saxon tribes to Wales and French Brittany, see Wikipedia article on Breton language (alternative theory: Brittany developed as part of the western Celtic culture).

Romans

• 51 BC Julius Caesar tries to invade Britsih isles
• 41 AD second Roman attempt to set foot on British isles
• 43 Roman 4-5 legions (40,000 soldiers) led by Aulus Plautius invade British mainland (called for military support by Britsih tribes against northern Picts. Londinium (London) founded that year
• Roman infrastructure, fortified towns connected by roads, exploitation of Gold and silver mines as lucrative target.
• 122 Hadrian’s wall begun, with 12 fortresses
• 142 Antonine's wall map
• 3rd century first Christian communities
• 360 period of instability begins with attacks of Picts, Scots and Saxons
• 408-410 Romans leave Great Britain, power vacuum

Angels, Saxons, Jutes

• Invasion theory according to Bede’s Chronicle (731)

• 360-410 Germanic mercenaries in Britain
• 449 Vortigern calls Saxon leaders to protect his kingdom against Picts
• Waves of Saxons, Angels and Jutes found kingdoms on British soil
• Celtic tribes retreat to Wales and settle in French Brittany
• 597 Begin of Christianisation under St. Augustin
• conflicts between Anglo-Saxon kingdoms over supremacy Heptarchy
• Wessex gains supremacy under Alfred the Great (871-899)

• Alternative theory: History of long standing contacts with presence of germanisc culture and (generally peaceful) mix of populations. Debate based on discussion of written sources, language analysis, archaeology , and (since the 1990s) genetics.
• See Wikipedia articles Anglo-Saxon, Old English

Vikings, Danes

• Viking raids of monestaries and towns that can be reached throgh rivers
• Viking settlements in northern England (cultural integration, so language evidence)
• 1014-1042 Danish Rule, Aethelred forced to flee to France, succession ends with son of Canute the Great
• 1042 Aethered‘s son – married into Franco-Norman family – seizes throne (hence later French claims on English crown)
• Vikings occupy Orkney and Shetland, strong ties between Scotland, Ireland and Scandinavia
• Words of Old Norse origin

Franco-Norman and French Influence

• English words of French origin