Anglo-Saxons History and Facts

Anglo-Saxons History and Facts

Anglo-Saxons History and Facts

Who were the Saxons?

In the fifth century, a group of people known as the Saxons left northern Germany to settle on the island of Britain. The Saxons, Angles, and Jutes were the three primary groups of people. These people were referred to as Anglo-Saxons once they immigrated to Britain. Over time, their country came to be known as England, and the word “Angles” eventually became the “English”.

Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms

From 550 to 1066, the Anglo-Saxons dominated the island of Britain. The lands were first split up into numerous minor kingdoms, but over time, some of these kingdoms started to take center stage.

The first state to take control was Northumbria, an Angle-colonized kingdom to the north, in the early 600s. Then, in the 700s, the Kingdom of Mercia became powerful. Eventually, the Kingdom of Wessex subjugated the region in the 800s. It was believed that the King of Wessex ruled over all of England.

Dane Invasion

The Danes, or Danes from Denmark, started invading England in the mid-800s. They only raided the coasts at first, but soon they were occupying territory and building settlements. The kingdom of Wessex was attacked by the Danes in 870. At the Battle of Ashdown, a youthful prince by the name of Alfred led the Saxons in a decisive victory over the Danes.

Alfred the Great

Prince Alfred became king in 871. Alfred continued to battle the Danes. In 886, Alfred negotiated a treaty with the Danes. England was divided in half with the Danes getting the north and the east and the Saxons ruling the south and the west. The land of the Danes became known as the “Danelaw”.

King Alfred became known as Alfred the Great. He did a lot to establish the Kingdom of England. King Alfred built up the borders to protect his people from the Danes. He also established laws, education, a navy, and reformed the English economy.

Social Order

At the top of the Anglo-Saxon social order were the kings. Below them were the Thanes. Thanes were powerful men who owned land and reported to the king. They could have influence over who was king and what the king did. Below the Thanes were freemen called churls. At the bottom of the social order were slaves. Some slaves were people that were captured in battle, but other slaves were people who could not pay their debts. Slaves had no rights in Anglo-Saxon England.

Laws and Government

The Saxon king did not rule alone. He had a council of thanes and bishops who helped him rule. This council was called the Witan or Witenagermot. The Witan advised the king, kept the king from abusing his powers, and sometimes even elected the new king.

The laws of the Saxons were very primitive. For example, if you stole something you may have your hand chopped off. Murder or injury to another person was punished by a fine called the wergild. The wergild varied depending on the rank of the person. For example, if you killed an important person like a thane you would owe 1,200 shillings. If you killed a lower class person, like a churl, you may owe only 200 shillings. If you injured someone, different parts of the body were worth different amounts of money.

Legacy

Anglo-Saxon rule came to an end with the Norman Conquest of 1066, but the Saxons left their legacy on England. This includes the language, culture, and politics of the land. Many of the shires established by the Saxons are still used as boundaries today.

Facts about the Anglo-Saxons

• The Saxons got their name from their short sword called the scramasax.
• Alfred the Great is the only English king known as “the Great”.
• Saxon lands were divided into Shires which were further divided into “hundreds”.
• A peace officer of a Shire was called the Shire Reeve. This later became known as the “sheriff”.
• A lot of what we know about the early Saxons was recorded by a monk named Venerable Bede. He is sometimes called the “Father of English History”.

Read also: Kings and Courts in Middle Ages