The ancestors of the British people were the Anglo-Saxons. European writers first used the term Anglo-Saxon in the late 8th century AD to distinguish the Saxons of Britain from those of the European continent. The Anglo-Saxons had migrated to Britain from what is now Germany in the 5th century AD. They spoke a language that is now known as Old English.

Settlement

The Anglo-Saxons were descendants of three different races. The Angles and Saxons came from different parts of Germany, and the Jutes came from Jutland, a part of Denmark. The Saxons spread along the coast of Gaul (modern France) and occupied the area of England south of the River Thames along with modern Middlesex and Essex. The first Jutes came in AD 449 and settled in Kent, southern Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight. The Angles eventually occupied the northern part of Britain, including present-day Edinburgh and the Scottish Lowlands.

The Angles gave their name to England. It is believed that after Britain was abandoned by its Roman rulers, the Celtic Britons employed the Angles and the Saxons to protect them from the fierce Pictish tribes of the north. In return for their services they were given land. Gradually they became more powerful and pushed the Britons aside.

When the Angles and Saxons settled down, the land they had conquered was divided into small kingdoms, each ruled by a separate royal family. Saxons ruled Essex, Sussex, and Wessex; Angles ruled East Anglia, Middle Anglia, Mercia, and Northumbria; and Jutes ruled Kent.

Culture and society

The Anglo-Saxons lived in houses made of wood, thatch, wattle, and daub. Wattle is made with twigs woven together and daubed with mud or clay, which when hardened makes a solid roof or wall. Commoners lived in one-room, oblong houses with a fireplace positioned below a hole in the roof that functioned as a chimney. They used earthenware pots and pans. Noblemen lived in larger houses, often with separate buildings for the lady, servants, cooking, and storage. Their homes included artistic objects and utensils made of silver.

When the Anglo-Saxons arrived in Britain, they brought their own religion with them. In AD 597 the pope sent 40 missionaries from Rome, led by St. Augustine, to spread Christianity in England. More missionaries came from the west coast of Scotland. Gradually Christianity spread throughout England.

Villagers harvested grains, fruits, and vegetables, raised cattle, and milled grain. Beekeeping was a major industry as honey was the only sweetener available. Barter was the mode of trade transactions, and rents were paid with either goods or animals.

History

The Anglo-Saxons experienced many changes between AD 400 and 1066, such as the coming of the Christian missionaries in the 6th century. During the 8th century King Offa of Mercia took control of southern England. The Vikings, or Danes, initially raided the coasts and later came as long-term settlers. In the 9th century Alfred the Great repelled the Danes and established a navy. The Danish king Canute held power in England in 1016–35, but Anglo-Saxon rule was not fully brought to a close until 1066. In that year England was conquered by the French forces of William, duke of Normandy (see Norman Conquest).