Anglo-Saxon England during Norse Invasion

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After the Roman legions withdrew from Britain around 410 CE, the island fragmented into a patchwork of competing kingdoms. Indigenous Brittonic societies struggled to hold power, but waves of Germanic settlers—Angles, Saxons, and Jutes—established new realms, eventually forming the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. While Christianity spread and some kingdoms flourished, the region remained politically divided. This made Britain especially vulnerable when Viking raiders began attacking in the late 8th century, starting with Lindisfarne in 793. By the mid-9th century, these raids had evolved into full-scale invasions, with the Great Heathen Army overrunning major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and permanently altering the island’s political and cultural landscape.

### Peoples of the Isles – 9th Century Overview

Angles, Saxons, Jutes – Germanic settlers who had founded the Heptarchy after the Roman withdrawal, speaking Old English and practicing Christianity by the 9th century.
Britons – Descendants of the Romanized Celtic population, still holding territory in Wales, Cornwall, and parts of Cumbria.
Gaels (Scotti) – A Celtic people from Ireland who ruled Dal Riata and later formed the early Kingdom of Alba (Scotland).
Picts – Indigenous people of northeast Scotland, soon to merge with the Gaels into a unified Scottish identity.
Danes and Norse (Vikings) – Pagan raiders and settlers from Denmark and Norway who launched coastal attacks and deep inland campaigns, eventually establishing the Danelaw in eastern England.

### Topics for Discussion