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Medieval Europe: The Anglo - Saxons

Who were the Anglo-Saxons?

The last Roman soldiers left Britain in 410. New people came in ships across the North Sea – the Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo-Saxon age in Britain was from around AD410 to 1066. They were a mix of tribes from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. The three biggest were the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. The land they settled in was 'Angle-land', or England. If we use the modern names for the countries they came from, the Saxons were German-Dutch, the Angles were southern Danish, and the Jutes were northern Danish.

The following questions are answered here:

  • When did the Anglo-Saxons come to Britain?
  • How was Anglo-Saxon Britain ruled?
  • What were the five main Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms?
  • What happened when the Vikings invaded?

The Anglo-Saxons

After Alfred the Great, English kings gradually recaptured more and more land from the Vikings. Alfred's son Edward fought for control of the Danelaw and Alfred's grandson, Athelstan, pushed English power north as far as Scotland.  In 954, the Anglo-Saxons drove out Eric Bloodaxe, the last Viking king of Jorvik. Later, when Eric was killed in battle, the Vikings agreed to be ruled by England's king. The most powerful Anglo-Saxon king was Edgar. Welsh and Scottish rulers obeyed him as well as the English, and his court at Winchester was one of the most splendid in Europe. Anglo-Saxon England reached its peak during Edgar's reign. More

The Anglo-Saxon Period

The Anglo Saxons - Series: Horrible Histories

Who were the Anglo-Saxons?

Anglo-Saxon Invasion

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