Could You Survive as an Anglo-Saxon Warrior in England?
257,114
Published 2023-05-08
They explore various aspects of life in Anglo-Saxon England. Covering topics such as society, diet, hygiene, crafts and jewellery-making, cultural changes, medicine and music. The video discusses how the Anglo-Saxon period in England spanned six centuries and marked the arrival of Germanic speaking tribes that formed warlike kingdoms and pushed the native Britons further west. The video explores the different classes of society, from the king and his ealdormen to the thralls who could be bought and sold as property. While wealthier people enjoyed a better standard of living and had better weapons and armour, the risks of disease and infection were a great leveller. The video also discusses remedies and cures used in Anglo-Saxon England for illnesses and injuries, and the importance of music in everyday life. Finally, the video discusses Saxon funeral practices and ritual gatherings called "symbel" where toasts were made drinking mead from a cow's horn.
The Anglo-Saxon period in England spanned six centuries, beginning with the Roman withdrawal from Britain in 410, and ending with William the Conqueror’s victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It was an era that used to be known as the Dark Ages, due to the lack of written sources and remaining physical traces. But more evidence is slowly coming to light.
At first, Germanic-speaking tribes like the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians began to arrive from the continent in small groups, but they would eventually form warlike kingdoms like East Anglia, Kent, Wessex and Mercia, pushing the native Britons further west. This violent phase of history was also a time of competing religions and cultures; new languages and a new hierarchical system were introduced by the invaders.
Life in Anglo-Saxon England was tough for everyone - famine and disease, not to mention your neighbours, were an ever-present danger, even for the rich and powerful. And it was even harder for those at the very bottom of society - who scratched a living from the land and served at the beck and call of their local lord.
They explore how your place in society would determine how you lived…and how you died… finding out if this really was one of the harshest periods in history. How advanced was Anglo-Saxon medicine? Were Saxon blood feuds real?
The question is, could you survive, as an Anglo-Saxon warrior? Watch this video and comment below! 👇
Thumbnail photo credit: @jmephotoart
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00:00 Introduction
03:56 Anglo-Saxon Food
07:31 Saxon Weapons and Armour
11:13 Blood Feuds
12:24 Combat Training
15:01 Anglo-Saxon Crafting and Jewellery
23:15 Saxon Medicine and Remedies
28:07 Saxon Instruments and Music
33:27 Medieval Battle
35:11 Anglo-Saxon Funeral
37:33 Saxon Feast and Ritua
All Comments (21)
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Comment below what your Anglo-Saxon ritual boast be! 👇
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Life in saxon times was hard. Especially if you were a Dane and kept bumping into this Uthred chap
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The Anglo-Saxon period, and the Sub-Roman period in the British isles as a whole, is incredibly fascinating to me. The fact that so much happened but so little was written down, adds so much mystery. Seeing how tough it was makes me proud of my Anglo Saxon and Celtic ancestors for surviving through it all.
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Love to our anglo-saxon brothers! Greets from a frisian/saxon guy from northern Germany. 🤝💯
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I am a native Saxon from Westphalia northwest Germany and I've been many times in England.... Indeed we are very much connected with our common ancestors..... old english which was spoken in England till 1066 (when Sadly the Norman's conquered England) was very similar to our old Saxon language here in the west of Germany.... People from here founded Westsachsen/Kingdom of Wessex.....
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Another cracking educational, enlightening and entertaining video of what life could have been like during the dark ages. Well done everyone. The continuation of the trade lines following the Roman withdrawal was interesting along with the 'locals' shunning the Roman constructions. Many thanks for sharing.
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Love this series. These guys are the best. Keep producing amazing content. The channel will keep growing 😊
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Thanks for so much information packed in and presented in an entertaining way. Hail to the Swords of Penda for keeping the period alive!
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The Ivory was in fact traded from the northerners from Walrus tusk. This would've been much more common than Ethiopia within this period.
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I adore the little comedy skits you guys have in these sometimes. The zoom in on Louee's face, "THE WAR HORN...." hahaha brilliant.
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Saxon life was hard, but with such beautiful apothetrixes it was worth getting injured.
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Not so easy to survive, in northern Germany and in Denmark you can try it in stone age, iron age, viking centers. The way alone from now Germany and Denmark to to English coast isn' t a Sunday sailing trip. Greets from Anglia/ Angeln in Germany!
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The Angles and Saxons shunned Roman buildings because the Romans had built for a much warmer climate, called the Roman Climatic Optimum (250BC to AD 400.) When climatic temperatures took a downturn, the Romans didn't like living in their Britannic buildings either. They left for warmer regions by AD 410. The Roman empire relied on the agricultural production of a warmer climate, and when warmer climate ended, the empire collapsed. It would not warm up again until AD 750. Its likely that the drop in temperatures after AD 400 caused migrations from northern europe to Britain, and also put pressure on Roman imperial borders on the Continent.
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Im from Turkey. I learned so much informations about anglo-saxons. Thanks for it.
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I have always been an avid fan of history, predominantly European and Mediterranean from classic Greek times through the Victorian age. I appreciate the work put into this series and if this is how you make a living, where do I sign up?!
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My ancestors must have survived - I’m here, aren’t I?
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Yay! Another awesome Luke and Louee video! (Loukee?) Anyway, thanks so much for another 40 minutes of 'awesomeness'.
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Enjoyed this so much. Thank you! ♥
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Gent in the Blue at the beginning is epic.
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Absolutely amazing. Massively inspiring and entertaining! I'll never want to stop learning
