Saxon Invasion of Britain

450-800
Saxons — versus — Britons, Picts

Kent, 450-600 , Wessex, 530-800
Northumbria, 600-800 , Mercia, 600-800

The History of the Saxon Invasion of England is fairly obscure, but a few legendary battles and heroes are generally agreed to. The invasion took place over a several hundred year period from approximately 450 to 650 A.D., beginning shortly after the Roman legions permanently left Britain. Most of the recorded battles, however, are between kingdoms that had already been settled for some time, since there are few records of the battles that occurred between the pagan invaders and the Britons who were displaced from southern and central England.

THE DEPARTURE OF THE LEGIONS.

This era is often called dark ages of British history and it is precisely the era during which the legends of King Arthur arose, but these legends are not considered here. The primary source for much of Britain's history during this period is Venerable Bede so knowledge of what transpired in the seventh century in the region of Northumbria is better understood than that which occurred in the southern regions during that time period.

In order to understand the Saxon invasion of England, it is necessary to know the names of the Saxon kingdoms that arose. Kent, on the southeastern corner, south of the Thames was the first settled. Next were the Saxon kingdoms of Wessex, Essex, and Sussex (Western, Eastern and Southern Saxons), that settled the entire southern region of England, particularly surrounding the Thames. The Angles settled East Anglia, the eastern seaboard directly north of Kent and Essex. North of Anglia were the kingdoms of Deira, and Bernicia, that eventually untied to from Northumbria. Finally the kingdom of Mercia arose in the Central region, bordered by Northumbria to the north, Gwyenedd, or Wales to the East, Wessex to south, and Anglia to the West. The borders of these regions varied over time, but they were the main kingdoms during the early years of Saxon England. The Teutonic invaders of Britain were mainly Jutish, Saxon, and Angles, but they are frequently referred to simply as Saxons, for simplicity's sake.

The Rise of Kent : 450-600

ROWENA CAME INTO THE ROOM CARRYING A BEAUTIFUL GOLDEN CUP.

According to Legend, the first Teutonic invaders of England were Hengist and Horsa, two Jutish princes that were invited by Vortigern, a king of the Britons, as mercenaries to help him fight off Pictish invaders. They liked the region so much however, that they founded a kingdom in Kent, and drove the Britons out of the area. Fifty years later, after several waves of new invaders had populated the region, the Britons did succeed in holding back the invaders at the battle of Mons Badonicus, and the migration of the invaders was apparently halted for a short time. This legendary battle is often associated with the King Arthur Legends. Kent continued to be an important Saxon Kingdom and was especially prosperous due to its close proximity to the Continent. It was also one of the first Saxon kingdoms to become Christian, around 600 A.D.

Date	Battle Summary
456	Battle of Aylesford (Rise of Kent ) Jutes victory Fought 456,between the Jutes under Hengist and Horsa, and the Britons under Vortigern. Horsa was slain in the battle, but the Jutes were victorious.
456	Battle of Crayford (Rise of Kent ) Jutes victory Fought 456 between the Jutes under Hengest, and the Britons under Vortigern. The Britons were defeated, and driven out of Kent.
493	Battle of Mons Badonicus (Rise of Northumbria ) Britons victory Romano-British under Ambrosius Aurelianus decisively defeat the Anglo-Saxon invaders.

Commander	Short Biography
Hengist and Horsa	Two Jute princes were invited to Britain in order to help fight the Picts.
Vortigern	King of the Britons. Usurped the throne from rightful heir. Invited Hengist and Horsa to settle Britain.

Story Links	Book Links
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
Vortigern and King Constans  in	Our Island Story  by  H. E. Marshall
Coming of the Teutons to England  in	European Hero Stories  by  Eva March Tappan

Book Links
Count of the Saxon Shore  by  Alfred J. Church

The Rise of Wessex : 530-800

LANDING OF THE SAXONS

The founders of the Kingdom of Wessex were supposedly Cerdic and Cynric, who established a Saxon kingdom in the region south of the Thames in around 530 A.D. A generation later, Ceawlin, the Third King of Wessex, greatly expanded the area of Wessex, driving both the Welsh and Britons out of the region, and establishing Wessex as one of the primary kingdoms in England. The Saxon and Angle kingdoms of England remained independent until about 800 A.D., at which time Egbert, a king of Wessex, sought to unify the kingdoms under a single head. It was at this time that Britain became known as England (Angle-Land).

Date	Battle Summary
577	Battle of Deorham (Rise of Wessex ) Wessex victory Fought 577, when Ceawlin, King of Wessex, defeated the Welsh, and extended the borders of Wessex to the Bristol Channel, thus severing the Welsh nation into two parts.
584	Battle of Fethanleag (Rise of Wessex ) Wessex victory Fought 584, between the West Saxons, under Ceawlin, and the Britons under Cutha. The Britons were defeated.
823	Battle of Ellandune   Wessex victory In this battle, fought 823, the Mercians under Beorwulf, were totally routed by the West Saxons under Egbert.

Commander	Short Biography
Cerdic	Early Saxon leader and first king of Wessex.
Cynric	Early Saxon leader and second King of Wessex.
Ceawlin	King of Wessex who fought the Welsh and greatly expanded the territory of the Western Saxons.
Egbert the Saxon	United the Saxon and Angle kingdoms in a federation to resist the Danes.

The Rise of Northumbria : 600-800

SAXON SPEARMAN

Northumbria was formed from the Union of the two kingdoms of Diera and Bernicia. The center of Diera was the British town of York, which was conquered by an Angle king in the early seventh century. The most famous king of Diera was Edwin, an Angle king who converted to Christianity, and joined Diera with the neighboring kingdom of Bernicia in order to created the united Kingdom Northumbria. When Edwin was killed at the Battle of Hatfield Chase however, the kingdoms briefly split again. The Britons at this time were united under Cadwallon and attacked the Northumbrian Angles. When Oswald defeated them at the battle of Heavenfield, he was recognized as the ruler of both regions, and from that time forward, the kingdoms remained united as Northumbria. The Northumbrian kingdom also came into contact with the always warlike Scots and Picts to the north, and met them in battle on various occasions.

Date	Battle Summary
603	Battle of Daegastan (Rise of Northumbria ) Northumbrians victory Fought 603 between the Northumbrians under Aethelfrith, and the Picts and Scots under Aidan, King of the Scots. Aethelfrith was victorious, and extended his dominions as far as Chester.
633	Battle of Hatfield Chase (Rise of Northumbria ) Mercia victory Fought 633, between the Mercians, under Penda, and the Northumbrians, under Edwin. The latter were defeated and Edwin slain.
634	Battle of Heavenfield (Rise of Northumbria ) Northumbrians victory Fought 634, between the Anglo-Saxons, under the Bretwalda, Oswald of Northumbria, and the Britons, under Cadwallon. The Britons were totally routed.
638	Battle of Glen Marreston (Rise of Northumbria ) Scots victory Fought 638, when the Scots under Donald Bree, King of Dalriada, utterly routed the invading Angles.
642	Battle of Maserfield (Rise of Northumbria ) Northumbrians victory Fought 642, between the Northumbrians, under Oswald, and the Mercians, under Penda. The latter were defeated, and Penda slain.
685	Battle of Nechtan's Mere (Rise of Wessex ) Scots victory Fought May 20, 685, between the Picts, under Brude, and the Northumbrians, under Ecgfrith. The latter was defeated, and the Picts by their victory freed themselves from the Northumbrian domination.

Commander	Short Biography
Edwin	King who united Diera and Bernicia into Northumbria, and converted to Christianity
Oswald	Venerated king of Northumbria who defeated the Britons in battle and helped spread Christianity.
Cadwallon	Welsh King who led the Britons in battle against the Northubrian Angles.

The Rise of Mercia : 600-800

KING OFFA OF MERCIA

The kingdom of Mercia was located in central England, around the river Trent, and it arose to prominence after several Saxon tribes migrated west from their original coastal settlements. One of the earliest kings of Mercia was Penda, a pagan who did battle with Northumbria. The most famous king of Mercia was Offa, who was one of the most prominent Saxon kings in the eighth century. By the age of Offa most Saxon Kingdoms had become Christian, and Offa was recognized by his contemporary, Charlemagne as the effective leader of the Saxon Christian Kings. Mercia retained its influence until the rise of Wessex under Egbert. It was then laid low by viking attacks in the following century.

Date	Battle Summary
633	Battle of Hatfield Chase (Rise of Northumbria ) Mercia victory Fought 633, between the Mercians, under Penda, and the Northumbrians, under Edwin. The latter were defeated and Edwin slain.
642	Battle of Maserfield (Rise of Northumbria ) Northumbrians victory Fought 642, between the Northumbrians, under Oswald, and the Mercians, under Penda. The latter were defeated, and Penda slain.
823	Battle of Ellandune   Wessex victory In this battle, fought 823, the Mercians under Beorwulf, were totally routed by the West Saxons under Egbert.

Commander	Short Biography
Penda	Early King of Mercia
Offa of Mercia	King of Mercia, the most influential of the Saxon Kingdoms in the era before Alfred the Great.

Story Links	Book Links
Dunstan the Friend of Kings  in	The Book of Saints and Heroes  by  Mrs. Lang

Image Links
The Burning of the Villa  in The Count of the Saxon Shore	The Panther and the Saxon Pirate  in The Count of the Saxon Shore	Cedric at the Forge  in The Count of the Saxon Shore
The Departure of the Legions  in The Count of the Saxon Shore	Cedric and the Pict  in The Count of the Saxon Shore	Carna on the Hillside  in The Count of the Saxon Shore
How Dunstan frightened King Edwy's armed men  in The Book of Saints and Heroes	Landing of the Saxons  in European Hero Stories