This is part of the
Medieval European History mtanode.
Dear old England was abandoned. The
Roman legions had pulled out by the year 412, leaving the
Celts defenseless.
Angles,
Saxons, and
Jutes invaded from mainland Europe fairly continuously from 450 to 600 (with a break in the invasions from 500-550, when some theorize that
King Arthur held the invaders at bay). Eventually, the raids became settlements, and the old Roman towns disappeared.
Seven Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms resulted from the invasions:
1. East Anglia (Angles)
2. Mercia (Angles)
3. Northumbria (Angles)
4. Essex (Saxons)
5. Sussex (Saxons)
6. Wessex (Saxons)
7. Kent (Jutes)
Usually, these kingdoms were split, but sometimes an aggressive king could become
Bretwalda, or High King. Ethelbert of Kent was a Bretwalda, who was converted to Christianity in 897 by Augustine of Canterbury (see
The Rise of Christianity). His people also converted.
Alfred (the Great) (871-899) was the greatest of the Anglo-Saxon monarchs. He defended his kingdom from the
Danish invaders by building up the
navy, reorganizing the
fyrd (army), and instituting the
burg system (fortifications for local villages). He instituted a new
law code in an attempt to prevent blood feuds. He also had a great interest in learning; he imported teachers, founded schools for the
clergy and
nobles, and had many books translated into Anglo-Saxon (Early English).
England had strong rulers for 75 years after Alfred's death. Then, in 978, Ethelred the Unready became king. He could not organize a strong defense against Danish invaders. After a strong wave of invasions in 980, Ethelred decided to
massacre all of the Danes living in his kingdom. After he killed the Danish King Swein's sister, Swein decided he'd had enough. A decade of
warfare followed, and both Ethelred and his only son died in 1016. The
witan (council of nobles) elected a Danish King, Cnut, in 1017.
Cnut was a very good king. He married Ethelred's young widow, adopted English customs, and had a fairly uneventful reign until his death in 1035. Both of his sons died within a year of each other, and the witan elected Edward the Confessor, son of Ethelred the Unready, to be king in 1042.
Edward's reign was characterized by conflicts with the four earls. He had grown up on the continent, and thus had no natural power base. Godwin, the
Earl of
Wessex, was the most powerful of the earls. He aspired to be king, and after he refused to obey a direct order from Edward, he and his sons were
exiled to
Flanders. Meanwhile, Edward invited an influx of
Normans; he appointed a Norman Archbishop of Canterbury and gave Normans positions in the royal
court. There was much
grumbling and
resentment among the locals, and Godwin took adavantage of this to return in 1052. There was such a backlash that Edward granted Godwin titles and land and dismissed the Normans. When Edward died in 1066, the witan elected Harold Godwinson (son of Godwin Earl of Wessex) king. However, William Duke of Normandy also claimed the throne.
William had the support of the
Pope, who was angry at Harold for ousting a Bishop without approval. While Harold was busy fighting the
Danes in the north, William crossed the
English Channel with an army and landed unopposed. Harold and his army marched down to meet him without rest, and they met at
the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066. The English army had only an
infantry, while William's army had
archers and
horsemen. The battle raged on until nightfall, and it appeared to be a
draw until a stray
arrow happened to hit Harold in the eye, killing him. William won and was crowned on
Christmas Day in 1066. He introduced new organization to the
government, and compiled
the Domesday Book.