The Romans, The Saxons and The Vikings

In 55 BC Romans by julius Caesar landed on shoutheast England. but it was short lived. It was not until almost a century later that the Romans made serious attempt to cunquer Britain. In 43 AD a force of 40.000 Romann troops landed in Britain. The Romans spread out to establish their control over Britain. They built fortesses to station the soldiers, and established towns. Roman Empire in Britain and the spread of Christianity began.

As the Romans left Britain in about 407 AD, groups of people from northwest Europe mainly Denmark and nothren Germany arriived in Britain. They were the Angles, Saxons and Jutes-now known as the Anglo-Saxons were done by the remaining Celtic Britons, wich may have been led by a king callled Arthur. The Saxons settlements merged and grew into kingdom ruled by their leading.

The Saxons created institutions called the Witan. It was the King's Council. The Saxons also divided the land into new administrative areas, shires/counties. The Kings gave their most important followers (thanes or lords) land. Each thane then rented out land to chhurls (farmers) who paid him by working his land and giving him some of their crops. Thanes and Churls owned slaves. The Saxons laid the base of feudalism which reached its fullest development under the Normans. The Saxons invasion had driven mos Chistians west into Wales and Ireland, but from the 500s missinaries worked to convert the Saxons.

In the year 789 Vikings arrived in northern England. The were from Denmark using long ships. The Viking warriors were well-orgaanized soldiers and sailors. The Viking conquered Britain and in 1017 Cnut became the King of England.