For the year 449, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles* says:

“…..in their days, the Angles were invited here by King Vortigern, and they came to Britain in three longships landing at Ebbesfleet. King Vortigern gave them territory in the southeast of this land on the condition that they fight the Picts. This they did and had victory wherever they went. They then sent to Angel, commanded more aid, and commanded that they should be told of the Briton’s worthlessness and the choice nature of the land. They soon sent hither a greater host to help the others. Then came the men of three Germanic tribes; Old Saxons, Angles and Jutes…Of the Jutes come the people of Kent… Of the Old Saxons come the East Saxons (Essex), South Saxons (Sussex), and West Saxons (Wessex). Of the Angles… come the East Anglians, Middle Anglians, Mercians, and all the Northumbrians…“.

Although written about three hundred years after the event, and there is no way of verifying the details, the Anglo Saxon Chronicle does attempt to describe how a historical fact occurred, namely, that the English did arrive on these shores and did, over a period of years, eventually overcome any resistance, conquer and call the land England, driving any who still opposed them into the hills of Wales.

According to the Ordnance Survey Map, “Britain in the Dark Ages”, this whole area was known as “East Engle”, the district being eventually divided into Norfolk and Suffolk, (Nordvolk und Sudvolk), the North People and the South People.

Where did these people come from?

• The Jutes from Jutland; the main peninsula of Denmark.
• The Angels from Angeln, Germany south of Denmark, (Schleswig Holstein) and
• The Saxons from Lower Saxony on the North Sea coast between the River Elbe and The Netherlands,

However they also, probably, included Frisians from islands off the north coast of Europe and other tribes.

In the museum at Schleswig, a town in North Germany, there is a very well restored Long Ship of the type used by the Anglo Saxons to row across the North Sea.

Not only did the Anglo Saxons fight the Britons and Picts on this island, but they also fought each other in seemingly never ending wars of rivalry between the Kingdoms which they created.

*The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of manuscripts that chronicled the history of the Anglo-Saxons. Created during the reign of Alfred the Great many copies were made of which nine survived. None are exact copies, sometimes biased and having a different version of events. However it remains an important historical source for this period of English history.

By Peter Chapman 2000

References:

• The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. Translated and edited by Michael Swanton.
• Britain in the Dark Ages, published by Ordnance Survey