Anglo-Saxons

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The Anglo-Saxons, the English or Saxons of Britain, were a cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to Germanic settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. Although the details of migrations and early political development are not clear, a new English cultural identity developed out of the interaction of these settlers with the pre-existing Romano-British culture. Over time, most of the people of what is now southern, central, northern and eastern England came to identify as Anglo-Saxon and speak Old English.

Historically, the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain started by about 450 and is ends in 1066, with the Norman Conquest.^[1] Viking and Norman invasions later changed the politics and culture of England significantly, but the overarching Anglo-Saxon identity evolved and remained dominant even after the Norman Conquest of 1066.^[2] Late Anglo-Saxon political structures and language are the direct predecessors of the high medieval Kingdom of England and the Middle English language. Although the modern English language owes less than 26% of its words to Old English, this includes the vast majority of everyday words.^[3]

The earliest detailed account of the Anglo-Saxons given by Bede indicate that they were divided into smaller groups in regional kingdoms, with differing accounts of their continental origins. The collective term "Anglo-Saxons" is commonly used by modern historians, but they were originally collectively referred to by Latin authors as Saxons. Bede was one of the first writers to prefer "Angles" as the collective term, and the term "English" eventually became dominant. The compound term Anglo-Saxon first appears in the 8th century, but it was probably not widely used until modern times.^[4][a]

Anglo-Saxon material culture can be seen in architecture, dress styles, illuminated texts, metalwork and other art. Behind the symbolic nature of these cultural emblems, there are strong elements of tribal and lordship ties. The elite declared themselves kings who developed burhs (fortifications and fortified settlements), and identified their roles and peoples in Biblical terms. Above all, as archaeologist Helena Hamerow has observed, "local and extended kin groups remained...the essential unit of production throughout the Anglo-Saxon period."^[5]

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