During the last days of the Roman Empire, Britain was raided by Picts from Scotland in the north, by the Irish in the west and by Angles, Saxons and Jutes in the south and east. 

When Rome itself was attacked in 410, the Roman army was withdrawn from Britain to defend the homeland and the Ancient Britons were left to defend themselves. 

The British leaders now had no Roman army to protect them and they had no army of their own. So they did what the Romans often did - they paid barbarian warriors (mercenaries) from other countries to defend the south-east coast of Britain. 

A bad move

The story goes that Vortigern, the High Chief of Britain invited a group of warriors from Jutland (Denmark), led by Hengist and Horsa, to protect their lands against Pictish raiders.

In return for their help, they were given land to settle in Kent. However, the mercenaries mutinied. Instead of protecting the land from invaders, they became invaders themselves and took over the land they were supposed to protect. 

More and more warriors came across the North Sea: Angles, Saxons and Jutes from Denmark and northern Germany. Later they brought their families with them and began to settle in Britain.

The Roman era had ended

and the Anglo-Saxon era had begun.

To find out about the Anglo-Saxons, click here.