![]() ![]() ![]() The departure of the Romans left a power vacuum that was filled by warlords with violence, foreign invasion, occupation and religious strife being endemic. But out of this turbulent period the foundation of what we now call England came into being. Dan is joined by Marc Morris one of the most distinguished medieval historians in the world and author of a new book called The Anglo-Saxons: A History of the Beginnings of England. Marc guides us through these difficult centuries separating truth from legend and illuminating this dark period in history. Wessex was an unstable, but fertile country that covered most of the south west of modern-day England. It was bordered by the Celtic kingdoms of Cornwall to its west, Mercia to its north and Kent to the east.ĭespite the growing power of its neighbour Mercia, Wessex largely maintained independence. Under King Egbert, in the 8th century, Wessex expanded its territory, conquering parts of Sussex, Surrey, Kent and Essex. Wessex’s most famous ruler is Alfred the Great: he successfully defended the kingdom against Viking invasion and was known for his attempts to improve the legal system, education, military and quality of life for his people.Įgbert also established overlordship of the king of Northumbria briefly. He was given the epithet ‘the Great’ in the 16th century and his achievements have led to him being remembered as possibly the most famous Anglo-Saxon king. East AngliaĮast Anglia was the smallest of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, but powerful during the reign of the Wuffingas dynasty. In the early 7th century, King Rædwald was baptised as a Christian, and the area has a lack of pagan settlement names, suggesting it was one of the earliest parts of England to adopt Christianity on a larger scale.īy the end of the 8th century however, it had been subdued by the more powerful Mercia. ![]() East Anglia briefly reclaimed its independence in the 9th century, but it was used as a landing point for the Great Heathen Army and swiftly conquered and settled by Danish Vikings in the mid 9th century, becoming part of the Danelaw. ![]()
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