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I didn't realize it was a narrative that England at that time had a homogenous culture given: 1. This was only a few centuries after Roman occupation ended. As
by jmyeet 1y ago
I didn't realize it was a narrative that England at that time had a homogenous culture given:
1. This was only a few centuries after Roman occupation ended. As we know Roman influence on culture lingers but not evenly so I imagine even in the 10th century, you would find some people and areas where there was no Roman influence or culture at all and others far more recognizable as Roman influenced;
2. Great Britain was obviously divided by Hadrian's Wall culturally. There were various Celtic culture in Great Britain and Ireland prior to Roman occupation. Some of these are extinct now. Remnants of others have survived (ev Gaelic in Ireland). Celtic was subsumed by Roman culture in England to a large degree but not at all in Scotland; and
3. Viking invasions. You have to remember that Viking influence extended all the way to France with Rollo becoming the ruler of Normandy a century before. Raids extended to Paris. And of course you had the Viking ruler in Northumbria.
So I always assumed that the idea of a homoogenous English "culture" was a product of the unification of England politically.
- kspacewalk2 1y agoI think if you confine the argument to England itself, it's fairly easy to defend that England has been settled by various Germanic tribes which, other than in Cornwall, have supplanted the pre-existing Celtic populations so totally that, around the time of Æthelstan, it was indeed homogenous. Of course, people at the time would consider the concept of lumping the various Germanic tribes and peoples into a "homogenous" identity rather strange, some of them being mortal enemies for centuries. But England in those days was undoubtedly homogenous compared to today. Not sure why that's a virtue in any way, but there it is.
- wrp 1y agoNeed to add, the idea of cultural homogeneity is entirely relative. Japan is or isn't homogeneous depending on who and when you ask, and I'm not even counting the Ainu or other not-of-Japanese-race.
- adolph 1y ago> Viking influence extended all the way to France All the way to southern Italy and then some. Luna was in northern Italy but the story is too funny no not quote: The Viking force arrived at the town of Luna, whose walls were too heavily defended for an outright assault. The force devised a plan to trick the town’s bishop into converting Hastein to Christianity. Once converted, Hastein faked his death with the final wish to be buried in the town's church. Upon learning that the town was not Rome, the Viking force raided the surrounding countryside before ultimately sailing back to Frankia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_conquest_of_southern_Italy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_conquest_of_southern_It...