History

Who were they?

Invasions

The Anglo Saxons arrived after the Roman invasion AD 43, for 400 years Britain was under the Romans control. in Ad 410 new people in ships across the North Sea  started arriving. They were a mixture of people from Germany, Holland and Denmark. Some of them arrived fighting but others came peacefully to find land to farm. But the Romans only controlled southern Britain (they never conquered Scotland and Wales), which was organized by their system of roads and cities. the populations who lived in the North of Britain were called Barbaria. Their Empire was under attack in many territories and for this they had built forts along the coasts, but the area was so large that they couldn't arrest the new peoples. they also paid the new populations of Anglo Saxons to reject the other soldiers.
They established there and they were organized in villages near the sea or a river. Most of them were farmers and sailors.


Political Organization
Each group of Anglo Saxons settlers had a war-chief who was called king. The king controlled a kingdoma and led a small army. There were a lot of wars between kings to show who was the strongest that were called witan, ruler of all Britain.

By around AD600 there were five kingdoms: Northumbria, Kent, East Anglia, Wessex and Marcia.

The most important kings

King Arthur

After the Roman soldiers left in AD410 the invasions continued and who fought them was king Arthur.We do not know if there was a real Arthur. Most of the stories about him and his Knights of the Round Table come much later in history. Legend says Arthur won a great battle around AD500, but he could not stop more Anglo-Saxons coming.

Offa

Offa was king of Mercia which became the strongest kingdom. In fact in Britain he was treated almost like Charlemagne, and he was famous and respected in all the territory. Offa issued the first coin in silver, known as ‘Offa’s pennies’, and improved the defense system building Offa’s Dyke along the Wales’ line.

Edwin of Northumbria

He is remembered for having founded Edinburgh

Alfred the Great

He was the most important and the only one to be called “Great”. Alfred was born in AD849 and died in AD 899. His father was king of Wessex but he became king of all England.

He fought against the Vikings. The war lasted for years and it was hopeless for Alfred. Eventually he won the battle of Edington and the Vikings accepted to live peacefully togheter.

His capital was Winchester and the last success was captured London which was belonged to Marcia and then to the Vikings. Alfred became so important that he was on all the coins with the name of King of the English.


Other Information

Stories about Alfred the GreatIt is said that Alfred went to Rome to see the Pope at the age of four and when he came back his mother promised to the first of her child that could learn how to read it an awesome book. SO Alfred learned it by heart, re-told it to his mother and got the book.

Another story is about when he had to hide from Vikings in a lonely island. Alfred was guest of a farmer and he received a telling- off from the farmer’s wife because he let burn her bread.
The last one tells that he went to the Vikings’ camp as a minstrel to find out what they were planning.

Remainings

The most important Anglo Saxons’ remainings are the traces of a ship in Suffolk. Archeologists found in it a lot of precious objects and they understood that that was a grave. They supposed it was the East Anglia’s King’s grave and what was buried with him included coins (with date on), clothes and an armour with sword and a helmet.