The Anglo-Saxons

What happened to the reputation of the Anglo-Saxons after the famous Battle of Hastings in 1066? How were they portrayed by historians, politicians and artists over the centuries? Not long after the Norman invasion William of Malmesbury viewed it as an unmitigated disaster, while Geoffrey of Monmouth cast the Anglo-Saxons as cruel invaders and resurrected the old Arthurian myths.

Later, Elizabethan historians saved Anglo-Saxon manuscripts for posterity and the English Civil War saw the overtly political use of a sense of Anglo-Saxonism. This was followed by an earnest attempt by scholars to understand the Old English language. It was an era which saw the rise of the first real histories of England, with mixed results for the Anglo-Saxons. The notions of Germanism and an Anglo-Saxon 'race' in both England and America preceded the Victorian age where politics, art and culture began to reflect gratitude towards the Anglo-Saxons. In conclusion the author asks how the Anglo- Saxons are viewed by the modern English people.