Урок по истории Англии "The Last of the Saxon Kings"

The Anglo-Saxon line was interrupted for two decades by Viking conquerors, but was re-established by Edward the Confessor. The Confessor is said to have willed his throne to his brother-in-law, King Harold II Godwineson (r. January-October, 1066), who was killed at the Battle at Hastings, when the native Saxon House of Wessex was displaced by the Normans in the person of William I, thereafter known as the Conqueror.

King Alfred the Great	871	899
King Edward the Elder	899	924
King Athelstan	924	939
King Edmund the Magnificent	939	946
King Eadred	946	955
King Eadwig (Edwy) All Fair	955	959
King Edgar the Peacable	959	975
King Edward the Martyr	975	978
King Edward the Unready	978	1016
King Edmund Ironside	1016
THE DANES Wessex Restored	1042
King Edward the Confessor	1042	1066
King Harold II (Godwinesson)	1066

  2. Read the text. Match the headings with the paragraphs A-F. There is one heading you do not need.

1. Edward's death.

2. Edgar the Peaceful's reign.

3. Alfred's Danegeld.

4. King Edmund's birth.

5. A cruel pagan's reign.

6. Saint Edward's reign.

7. The most helpless king.

A	B	C	D	E	F

A.

Alfred's successes were continued by his son Edward and his three grandsons, until all England was once more ruled by English kings. Then there came a king in whose reign there was so little fighting that he was called Edgar the Peaceful. In his time people began to act as if they believed that there would be no more war against the Northman. The let the walls of the boroughs go to ruin. The thanes ceased to send supplies of food and soldiers. The houses that had once been soldier's homes fell into the hands of shopkeepers and merchants who couldn't fight.

B.

Then in the time of a king called Ethelred the Redeless ("Redeless" means " Lacking in counsel"), eighty years after Alfred's death, the Northmen came again with great conquering armies. Ethelred was almost helpless. He gathered many armies and fleets against his enemies, but owing to the treachery of his great men the English never won victories. Some very powerful nobles who had great lands of their own and great armies had arisen among thanes. These men would not join together to fight against the invaders, but quarreled among themselves. Sometimes, when a battle was about to begin, they deserted with all their soldiers or pretended to be sick and would not fight. And when the Northmen attacked the lands of one or two of these nobles, the others did nothing to help. They seemed pleased to see enemies doing harm to Englishmen. There were some true men among them. They fought well their country, but most of them were foul traitors not worthy to be called Englishmen. If a great man does wrong today, two policemen or even one are strong enough to arrest him. But King Ethelred was helpless,

For his nobles had armies, so the traitors were not punished as they should have been.

C.

So the Northmen again did as they pleased with English houses and cattle and churches, and murdered helpless country folk, until despare settled down upon the land and men said one Northman was worth ten Englishmen. The English armies sometimes did as much harm to the country as the Northmen, for they marched into the villagers and carried off cattle and corn for food, so that the villagers starved. Very often Ethelred gave the enemy money to go away. And this money was called Danegeld. "Geld" is the same word as "gold". "Dane" is another name for a Northman. The huge sums that England paid show rich it had become since Alfred's time. Far away in Denmark and Norway and Sweden men today sometimes find old English coins, which they think may have once been part of the Danegeld paid in Ethelred's time.

D.

For thirty years the Danes troubled the land, till at last one of them, Canute who was King of Denmark, became King of England also. Although he was a cruel pagan and had done much harm to England at first, Englishmen came to love him, for he was converted to Christianity, ruled England well and have it peace. In return many Englishmen went across the North Sea to help him to add Norway to his two other kingdoms.

E.

When he died in 1035, his sons, who succeeded one after the other, turned out to be horrid men. So Englishmen were glad when both died after short reigns.

In Normandy, across the Channel, a son of Ethelred the Redeless had lived for a long time. He was called Edward. Englishmen chose him to be a king. He reigned for twenty-four years, and was called Edward the Confessor, and Saint Edward because he was a very holy man. In his days the nobles were too strong for him to manage. Earl of Wessex was the most powerful among them, and King Edward had to do what he was told by wish that his cousin William Duke of Normandy should obtain the throne after his death. So Edward, with resignation, gave himself to hunting, praying and church building.

F.

With loving care he watched his masons at work on his abbey at Westminster. But when the church was finished and ready to be consecrated to the service of God, Edward was too ill to be present, and his wife had to take his place at the ceremony on December 28,1065. Eight days later he died on January 5,1066, and was buried in his own church.

A part of Edward the Confessor's abbey is still standing at Westminster.

After Edward's death Harrold of Wessex was chosen to be king, for the English disliked the Northmen. But before the year was over William of Normandy had brought an army to England and defeated and killed Harold at the battle of Hastings. Then on Christmas Day William was crowned king in the abbey church which Edward the Confessor had built. So England once was ruled by a king who was not an Englishman.

3. Choose the best answers.

A1. In the time of King Edgar :

1. people believed that there would be war again soon;
2. people believed that they must build new boroughs;
3. people believed that there would be no more wars.

A2. The men of Ethelred :

1. never won victories against Northmen;
2. always won victories against Northmen;
3. were not afraid to win Northmen.

A3. Danegeld is :

1. the name of the king;
2. the name of the country;
3. the name of the money .

A4. English people :

1. wanted Canute to help them;
2. came to love Canute;
3. hated Canute.

A5. King Edward :.

1. had to do what Earl of Wessex told him;
2. was as powerful as Earl of Wessex;
3. gave his throne to Earl of Wessex.

A6. Edward the Confessor :

1. was buried in Westminster Abbey;
2. was buried in his old village church;
3. was buried in a borough.

A7. William of Normandy was crowned:

1. in the church he built;
2. in the church Harold of Wessex built;
3. in Westminster Abbey.

4. Match the highlighted words in the text with the definitions below.

1. to put a crown on the head of a new king or a queen as a sign of royal power.
2. a special chair used by a king or a queen to sit on at ceremonies.
3. the male ruler of an independent state that has a royal family.
4. a country ruled by a king or a queen.
5. to rule as a king, a queen.
6. a person who hates somebody or acts or speaks against somebody.
7. people from a particular country or region, or who have a particular way of life.
8. cows and bulls that are kept as farm animals for their milk or meat.
9. to start doing something.
10. a building where Christians go to worship

Kings	What were they famous for?
Edgar
Ethelred
Edward Confessor
William of Normandy

1.Ethelred was most helpless.

2. Very often Ethelred gave the enemy money to go away.

3. William was crowned in the abbey church which Edward the Confessor had built.

4. Then there came a king in whose reign there was so little fighting that he was called Edgar the Peaceful.

5. For thirty years the Danes troubled the land, till at last one of them, Canute who was King of Denmark,became King of England also.

7. Speaking.

Choose a person from the text and present him to the class.

Be ready to answer the questions of your classmates.