By: Carolina SalinasEricka ThomasDiego Romero

Period 3

The Anglo-Saxon Invasion

“Anglo-Saxon” is the term applied to the English-speaking inhabitants of Britain from the middle of the fifth century until the time of the Norman Conquest.

In A.D. 410, the Roman troops were withdrawn and the Britons had to defend themselves from the Picts, the Scots, and the Germanic raiders. The Britons decided to hire one enemy to fight the other.

The mercenaries were from three Germanic nations: the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes.

The mercenaries defeated the Picts and Scots, sent word of the fertility of the island, and stated the cowardice of the Britons. They found a pretext to break with their employers, made an alliance with the Picts, and began to conquer the territory that would eventually be known as England.

Who were the Anglo-Saxons?

Settlers from the German regions of Angel and Saxony, made their way to Britain after the fall of the Roman Empire around AD 410.

The Romans withdrew from Britain early in the fifth century because they needed to defend the crumbling centre of the Empire. Britain was considered a far-flung outpost of little value.

Germans began invading Britain since 450 in large numbers. Since they were themselves illiterate, and Roman culture was collapsing, there are no contemporary written descriptions of these invasions. The best available account was written about a century later (c. 540) by a British monk, Gildas the Wise.

When the Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain

Where the Anglo-Saxons settledThe Anglo-Saxons took control of most of Britain whether they

settled peacefully, or drove the Britons from their lands.However, they never conquered Scotland, Wales or Cornwall. The historian Bede wrote that Angles settled in East Anglia,

the East Midlands and further north in Northumbria.

The Saxons moved in to Sussex (named after the 'South Saxons'), Essex (East Saxons), Middlesex (Middle Saxons) and Wessex (West Saxons).

The Jutes settled mainly in Kent, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

After the Roman soldiers left Britain, they no longer had a strong militia to defend their land. Some sources say warriors were invited to come to the area, now known as England, to assist in keeping out invaders from the north. Yet the Anglo-Saxons ended up driving the Britons from the land.

Also, the Anglo-Saxons’ lands flooded often, making it difficult to grow crops. They knew Britain was a rich land so they decided to set off across to create new settlements.

In conclusion, some came to fight while others just wanted to come peacefully to find land to farm.

Why the Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain

The Anglo-Saxons did little to keep the legacy of the Romans. They replaced the stone buildings with their own wood ones.

They spoke their own language which gave rise to the English spoken today

The new settlers also brought their own religious beliefs

The Anglo-Saxons kept to small tribal groups, dividing and forming kingdoms/sub-kingdoms

Settling In…

Due to the shortage of land, the Anglo-Saxons began to fight for land and waged war on the remaining Romano-Britons.

Natives in the north and the west regions of Briton were not affected by the Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo-Saxons settled in the eastern and southern regions of Briton.

Anglo-Saxon rule came to an end in 1066, after the death of Edward, who had no heir. William of Normandy conquered the Anglo-Saxon lands

What about the invasion (before and after)

"The Anglo-Saxons." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2013."Anglo-Saxons: Invasion and Settlement." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2013.Baker, Peter S. "The Anglo-Saxons and Their Language." E Intro to Old English. N.p., 2003. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.Barrow, Mandy. "Anglo-Saxons in Britain." Why Did Anglo Saxons Invade Britain? N.p., 2013. Web. 04 Nov. 2013.BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.Sommerville, J.P. "Anglo Saxon England." Anglo Saxon England. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2013.

Works Cited