Beowulf is considered a classic piece of Anglo-Saxon literature. Very few manuscripts have survived from the Anglo-Saxon period, which lasted from the fifth century to the eleventh century. Usually, when students read Beowulf, they also receive some information about the Anglo-Saxon culture that produced it.
The island we call England was probably called Britannia when it was invaded by the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Frisians after the Romans left in the early 400s. Since...
Beowulf is considered a classic piece of Anglo-Saxon literature. Very few manuscripts have survived from the Anglo-Saxon period, which lasted from the fifth century to the eleventh century. Usually, when students read Beowulf, they also receive some information about the Anglo-Saxon culture that produced it.
The island we call England was probably called Britannia when it was invaded by the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Frisians after the Romans left in the early 400s. Since the Angles and the Saxons were the dominant groups, this period became known as the Anglo-Saxon era. Eventually, the island became known as England, a name that probably started out as “Angle-land.”
The Anglo-Saxon era lasted until the Norman Conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. This battle changed the course of English history when it opened up the island to Norman (basically what we would call French) culture and influences. The people who came to England from Normandy eventually became known as Anglo-Normans, although it's doubtful that they referred to themselves that way.
We long ago stopped thinking of England as a combination of Germanic and French influences, but for many centuries that was the case.
To sum up briefly, think of the Anglo-Saxons as the Germanic invaders, and the Anglo-Normans as the French invaders.
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