When was the saxon period

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The period used to be known as the Dark Ages, mainly because written sources for the early years of Saxon invasion are scarce. However, most historians now prefer the terms 'early middle ages' or 'early medieval period'. It was a time of war, of the breaking up of Roman Britannia into several separate kingdoms, of religious conversion and, after the s, of continual battles against a new set of invaders: the Vikings.

Warmer summers meant better crops and a rise in population in the countries of northern Europe. At the same time melting polar ice caused more flooding in low areas, particularly in what is now Denmark, Holland and Belgium. These people eventually began looking for lands to settle in that were not so likely to flood.

After the departure of the Roman legions, Britain was a defenceless and inviting prospect. Anglo-Saxon mercenaries had for many years fought in the Roman army in Britain, so they were not total strangers to the island.

Their invasions were slow and piecemeal, and began even before the Roman legions departed. There is even some evidence to suggest that, initially, some Saxons were invited to help protect the country from invasion. When the Roman legions left Britain, the Germanic-speaking Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians began to arrive — at first in small invading parties, but soon in increasing numbers.

Initially they met little firm resistance from the relatively defenceless inhabitants of Britannia. Around AD, however, the invaders were resisted fiercely by the Romano-British, who might have been led by King Arthur, if he existed — and there is no hard evidence that he did. However, the monk Gildas, writing in the mid-6th century, talks about a British Christian leader called Ambrosius who rallied the Romano-British against the invaders and won twelve battles.

The Anglo-Saxon period lasted for years, from to , and in that time Britain's political landscape underwent many changes.

The early settlers kept to small tribal groups, forming kingdoms and sub-kingdoms. By the ninth century, the country was divided into four kingdoms - Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia and Wessex.

Wessex was the only one of these kingdoms to survive the Viking invasions. Eric Bloodaxe, the Viking ruler of York, was killed by the Wessex army in and England was united under one king - Edred. Most of the information we have about the Anglo-Saxons comes from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a year-by-year account of all the major events of the time. Among other things it describes the rise and fall of the bishops and kings and the important battles of the period.

It begins with the story of Hengist and Horsa in AD Anglo-Saxon rule came to an end in , soon after the death of Edward the Confessor, who had no heir. He had supposedly willed the kingdom to William of Normandy, but also seemed to favour Harold Godwinson as his successor.