AD 410-1066 Early medieval

Official Roman rule came to an end in AD 410 and, left without an army, the British employed Germanic soldiers to defend them in return for land-grants. However, over the next 100 years successive waves of Germanic settlers entered and spread throughout much of England. Gradually tribal groups coalesced into kingdoms. Each was ruled by a warrior-king who led his followers to frequent battle in the struggle for power and wealth.

Although many of the British had been Christian since the Roman period, the Anglo-Saxons were pagan until the arrival of a Christian mission from Rome in 597. The acceptance of Christianity changed much in Anglo-Saxon society. With the political power and moral authority the new religion gave them, kings were able to consolidate and extend their kingdoms. By the end of the 8th century three kingdoms dominated England; Mercia, Northumbria and Wessex.

From about 780, Vikings made several attempts to invade England, with considerable success. In 878, the Anglo-Saxons were forced to divide England with the Danish invaders. The Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex survived the Viking invasions and in the 10th century was the base from which a single unified state of ‘England’ was created. However, England remained vulnerable to continued Viking attack. In the early 11th century it came under the control of Danish kings. In 1066 England was invaded by the Normans.