Hengist and Horsa
(Hengest and Horsa)
d. 488
Hengist and Horsa were brother chieftains from Jutland, who led the first Saxon bands which settled in England. They were called in by the British king Vortigern to defend him against the Picts and other enemies. The place of their landing is said to have been Ebbsfleet in Kent, probably sometime around 450 A.D.. Hengist and Horsa were at first given the island of Thanet as a home, but they soon quarrelled with their British allies, and gradually possessed themselves of what became the kingdom of Kent. In 455 the Saxon Chronicle records a battle between Hengist and Horsa and Vortigern at a place called Aegaels threp, in which Horsa was slain. Thenceforward Hengist reigned in Kent, together with his son Aesc. There later followed three subsequent battles, which resulted in the expulsion of the Britons from Kent.
There are several legends associated with Hengist and Horsa. It is said that Hengist married off his beautiful daughter Rowena to Vortigern, which gave him great power over the British king, but angered the sons of Vortigern. There are stories of several more battles and incidents of treachery between the Saxon invaders and the Britons, and other stories which tie the early Saxon invaders to the legend of King Arthur. The truth is that the arrival of the Saxon hoards led to a long period of chaos, anarchy, and civil war in Britain, and the specifics of the matter are not known with any reliability. The first few centuries after the Saxon invasion are known as the 'dark ages' in British history, because the Saxon invaders were largely illiterate and kept few permanent records until they were converted to Christianity in the seventh century.
Key events during the life of :
| Hengist and Horsa arrive in England and help repel a Pictish invasion. | |
| Island of Thanet granted to Hengist and Horsa for their services. | |
| Vortigern marries Rowena, the beautiful daughter of Hengist. | |
| Horsa slain in battle with Vortigern. | |
| Hengist drives the Britons out of Kent and founds the first Saxon kingdom in Britain. | |
| Death of Hengist | |
| Dark ages of British History |
Other Resources
| Anglo-Saxons in | Alfred the Great by Jacob Abbott |
| Wulf, the Saxon Boy in | Ten Boys Who Lived on the Road from Long Ago to No by Jane Andrews |
| Story of Vortigern in | Stories from English History by Alfred J. Church |
| Coming of the English in | The Story of England by Samuel B. Harding |
| Story of the Coming of Hengist and Horsa in | Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall |
| Coming of the Teutons to England in | European Hero Stories by Eva March Tappan |
Image Links | ||
|---|---|---|
 Hengist and Horsa landing in England in Famous Men of the Middle Ages |
 Rowena came into the room carrying a beautiful golden cup. in Our Island Story |
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| King of the Britons. Usurped the throne from rightful heir. Invited Hengist and Horsa to settle Britain. | |
| Rowena | Daugher of Hengist who marries Vortigern. |
| Vortimer | Son of Vortigern who tried to reclaim Kent for the Britons. |