After the Romans left, new peoples arrived from northern Europe and reshaped Britain. The Anglo-Saxons and Vikings battled for control of the land, creating kingdoms, laws, and traditions that still echo in modern Britain. This is a period packed with exam-worthy facts.
Key facts
- After the Romans left, the Jutes, Angles, and Saxons invaded from northern Europe and established kingdoms across England.
- The Anglo-Saxons created several kingdoms including Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria, and East Anglia.
- The Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity, largely through the mission of St Augustine in AD 597.
- The Vikings (from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) first raided Britain in AD 789 and later settled, particularly in the north and east.
- King Alfred the Great of Wessex defeated the Vikings and agreed the boundary of the Danelaw - the area under Viking control.
- Alfred the Great is the only English monarch known as 'the Great'. He promoted education and the English language.
- The Anglo-Saxon period saw the development of English law, local government, and the English language.
- The last Anglo-Saxon king of England was Harold II, who was defeated at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
In depth
When Rome withdrew its legions, Britain was left vulnerable. Germanic tribes - the Jutes, Angles, and Saxons - crossed the North Sea and gradually took control of much of present-day England. They established rival kingdoms, and the name 'England' itself comes from 'Angle-land'. Christianity was re-established through St Augustine's mission in AD 597, sent by Pope Gregory the Great, and monasteries became centres of learning and culture.
From the late 8th century, the Vikings began raiding and then settling in Britain. They controlled a large area of eastern and northern England known as the Danelaw. King Alfred the Great of Wessex was the most important leader of resistance against the Vikings. He defeated them in battle, negotiated boundaries, and promoted English learning and law. His descendants eventually unified England as a single kingdom. The Anglo-Saxon era ended dramatically in 1066 when Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king, was killed at the Battle of Hastings.
Know the order of events: the Anglo-Saxons settled in England and brought their language and kingdoms; Christianity spread through missionaries such as St Augustine and St Columba; then Viking raids began in the 8th and 9th centuries. King Alfred the Great famously resisted the Vikings, and later kings unified England.