第二部分　英国历史

第1章　前封建社会

1.1　复习笔记

I. Early Settlement (—55 B. C.)

II. The Roman Occupation (55 B. C.—410)

III. Anglo-Saxon Times (410—871)

IV. The Invasion of Vikings and the Danish Rule

I. Early Settlement (—55 B. C.)早期统治（—公元前55年）

1. About 3000 B. C., Iberians from the Mediterranean lands settled in Britain.

2. From about 750 B. C. the Celtic tribes settled in the country.

1. 大约公元前3000年，来自地中海地区的伊比利亚人在不列颠登陆。

2. 公元前750年左右，凯尔特人来到不列颠。

II. The Roman Occupation(55 B. C.—410)罗马的统治（公元前55年—410年）

1. Between 55 and 54 B.C. Julius Caesar, a Roman general, invaded Britain twice.

2. The Roman occupation lasted for almost 350 years. The effect of its civilization was more obvious in urban areas than among the agricultural peasants and weakest in the resistant highland zone.

3. Roman power in Britain collapsed in 410.

1. 公元前55—54年，罗马大将凯撒率军入侵不列颠两次。

2. 罗马的统治持续了350年左右。罗马文明对城市周围地区的影响更显著，农村地区较弱，高山地区最小。

3. 公元410年左右，罗马人在不列颠的统治告终。

III. Anglo-Saxon Times (410—871) 盎格鲁-撒克逊时期（410—871）

1. The Germanic tribes: the Angles, Saxons and Jutes came to England from about the middle of the 5th century. They regarded themselves as “the nation of the English”.

2. In the late 6th century Christianity was introduced into England.

3. England was in the forefront of scholarship, including the most famous scholar Bede and the greatest Old English poem Beowulf.

1. 大约5世纪中期，日耳曼部落的盎格鲁人，撒克逊人和朱特人来到英国。他们可以说是“英国人”的真正始祖。

2. 6世纪晚期，基督教传入英国。

3. 英国的文化发展显著，最著名的学者是比得，最伟大的英国史诗是《贝奥武夫》。

IV. The Invasion of Vikings and the Danish Rule（北欧海盗的入侵和丹麦的统治）

1. Around the turn of the 8th century, warriors called the Vikings from Denmark and Norway invaded England.

2. The class polarization of Anglo-Saxons had appeared during Heptarchy.

3. Near the end of the 10th century, Danish fighters attacked the south. In 1013 the Danish king, Sweyen, became master of England, and Ethelred fled to Normandy in France.

1. 大约8世纪初，来自丹麦和挪威的北欧海盗入侵不列颠。

2. 盎格鲁-撒克逊在“七国争雄”时期阶级分化加速。

3. 10世纪末，丹麦人入侵不列颠。1013年，丹麦国王成为英格兰的主人，英格兰王逃往法国诺曼底。

1.2　课后习题详解

Exercise 1. Answer the following questions:

1. What do you know about the Roman influence on Britain?

Key: The Roman occupation lasted for almost 350 years. The resulting growth of its civilization was more obvious in urban areas than among the agricultural peasants and weakest in the resistant highland zone. In the southeastern part, the Romans influenced life and culture radically. The English upper classes were thoroughly Romanized and transformed into Roman landlords and officials. Yet the Romans came to govern and to trade, not to settle; and they were too few in number to change the language .and customs of the people as they did in France and Spain. Some of the native people become slaves of the Romans; true slave society was introduced into England.

2. How did the Heptarchy come into being during the Anglo-Saxon times?

Key: The three Germanic tribes came to England in the middle of the 5th century. They combined all the qualities that were necessary to develop and defend an independent island. Before long the distinction between these three tribes lost significance. By the end of 7th century, they regarded themselves as “the nation of the English”. But they lacked unity and England was divided into seven kingdoms and therefore called “heptarchy”.

3. Who were the Vikings and how did they invade Britain?

Key: They were northern warriors and some of them came from Norway but the main body came from Denmark, and they invaded Britain around the turn of the 8th century. They attacked the rocky coasts of Scotland and northern England. They sailed up the rivers of the east and south and seized one small Saxon kingdom after another.

Exercise 2. Explain the following terms:

1. Hadrian’s Wall

Key: About 122 A. D., in order to keep back the Picts and Scots, the Romans built a wall from the Solway to the Tyne, which was called Hadrian’s Wall.

2. Julius Caesar

Key: He was a Roman general, and between 55 and 54 B. C., he led his army to invade Britain twice.

3. Alfred

Key: He is the King of Wessex in Britain in the turn of 8th century who defeated the Danes. He was considered the first national hero in Britain.

4. Edmund

Key: He is son of the King Ethelred in Britain who fought heroically against the Danes.

5. Vikings

Key: They were the northern warriors, mainly from Norway and Denmark, who invaded Britain around the turn of the 8th century.