AngloSaxon

The Anglo-Saxons were Germanic-speaking peoples who settled in Britain after the end of Roman rule, roughly from the mid-5th century. The term also refers to the Old English language and the distinctive cultural, legal, and political traditions that developed in what would become the Kingdom of England.

Origins and settlement: Migrants from what is now Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands—Angles, Saxons, and Jutes—established monarchies along the eastern and southern coast. They interacted with surviving Romano-Britons and Celts, forming a new ethnolinguistic group that defined early medieval England. The era is sometimes described as the Heptarchy, a loose collection of rival kingdoms such as Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria, East Anglia, Kent, Essex, and Sussex.

Society and institutions: Anglo-Saxon society was organized around kin groups, with kings, thegns, freemen, and slaves. The fyrd provided military service, and law codes issued by kings regulated compensation, property, and crime. Over time, power centered on the kings of Wessex, who laid foundations for a more consolidated English kingdom.

Religion and culture: Christianization began with Augustine's mission in 597, leading to monastic scholarship and church-based learning. The period produced a rich literary tradition, including Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and Bede's Ecclesiastical History. Material culture featured metalwork, manuscript illumination, and runic and Latin inscriptions.

End and legacy: Viking raids in the 9th century and the establishment of the Danelaw shaped politics and culture. The English monarchy was gradually unified under kings of Wessex, culminating before the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Anglo-Saxon language evolved into Middle English, leaving a lasting imprint on English vocabulary and legal and cultural concepts.