Britannia Saxonica
After the Romans left much of Europe in 410 AD, the civilization quickly deteriorated.
Raids were a frequent problem because of groups such as pirates, and groups
such as the Vikings and Scots took steps to protect themselves from their enemies.
Many European towns would begin hiring mercenaries from other parts of Europe
to protect their towns against these raiders. The primary group that was used
for this task was the Saxons and Angles who came from Germany. In return for
their mercenary services, the Saxons and the Angles were given land that they
could use for the purpose of farming.
However, it appears that this tactic backfired after a certain period of time.
The Angles and the Saxons eventually became known as the Anglo Saxons, and they
would eventually gain control over the entire area. While the Anglo Saxons made
powerful mercenaries, they were not as skilled as the Romans when it came to
administrative issues. They would eventually colonize most of the country, and
the Celts, who were the natives of Britain, would be forced to move to other
parts of the region. It is at this point that Britain became known as being
a Anglo Saxon controlled region. The Celts went on to live in places such as
Wales, Scotland, and Cornwall.
The Anglo Saxons would merge the areas they controlled into kingdoms, and by
850 AD, Britain had three kingdoms that were rivals of each other. The names
for these three kingdoms are Wessex, Northumbria, and Mercia. They were constantly
being attacked by raiders such as the Vikings. While most of the raids were
small in scale, a massive attack carried out in East Anglia around 865 AD allowed
the Vikings to gain a substantial amount of control over the region. In the
year 875 AD, the Vikings had successfully captured both Northumbria and Mercia.
At this time, only Wessex was still under the control of the Anglo Saxons.
However, the Vikings were not satisfied with their conquests of Mercia and
Northumbria, and they decided to attack Wessex as well. Their attack on Wessex
forced Alfred, the Saxon king, to leave the region for Somerset. Once he arrived
in Somerset, Alfred put together his military force and responded against the
Vikings with a counter attack. Both he and his descendants finally managed to
push the Vikings out of the region after many years of war. By 955 AD, Eadred,
the grandson of Alfred, was the ruler of an England that was finally unified.
The government consolidated its power, and Eadred has the resourced to rule
the country efficiently.
Unfortunately, the Vikings continued to attack the country. Their campaigns
were successful, and the country was once again under the control of the Vikings
by 1016. During this time, Cnut ruled the country, and he was a member of the
Vikings. While the country was remained stable during his rule, it deteriorated
shortly after his death. The country was split into a number of rival regions,
and though Edward the Confessor was the ruler, he did not display a large amount
of courage and resolve. Of all the rulers of the various regions, Harold of
East Anglia was the strongest. He was eventually able to gain control of Wessex
through various means, and he gained the thrown in 1066 when Edward the Confessor
died.
However, William of Normandy didn't feel that Harold had the right to rule.
He to had the right to become king. The two most important influences on England
during this time were Christianity and the Vikings. It was the Vikings who led
to William being able to gain the entire country. Once Edward the confessor
died, the Vikings took advantage of the opportunity to recapture Britain. They
brought and army to Yorkshire after his death, and they prepared for battle
with Harold. Though Harold successfully defeated the Viking army, his celebration
for short lived when he realized that William had appeared in southern England.
After a bloody battle with the Vikings, Harold was now forced to march his
already tired army to Hasting where they would meet William and his men in yet
another battle. The Normans had large amounts of energy, and both their archers
and horsemen were highly skilled, allowing them to earn a landslide victory
when Harold was killed by an arrow. William I then became king of London in
1066.
Original Authors:
Stephen Palmer
Edit Update Authors: None
Updated On: 03/10/2006
