The First King of England

By AD 410, the Romans had left Britain. Around AD 430, a host of Germanic migrants arrived in east and southeast England. The settlers were North Germanic peoples such as the Saxons, Angles, Frisians, and Jutes, who had migrated from what are now present-day Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

To the west and north, various Brythonic kingdoms existed, consisting of Cornishmen, Welshmen, Picts, and Scots. The native Celtic Britons originally hired the Anglo-Saxons as mercenaries to defend their lands against invasions from the Picts and Scots of modern-day Scotland and Ireland, but eventually, the Anglo-Saxons turned against the Britons.

Numerous wars followed, and the lands of the Celtic Britons were divided into Saxon kingdoms. Most of these kingdoms survive to this day as English counties: Kent (Jutes), Sussex (South Saxons), *Wessex (West Saxons), Middlesex (Middle Saxons), East Anglia (Angles), and so on.

*The reference to "most" is in contrast to "all." Today, the territory that was once Wessex is part of several modern counties, including Hampshire, Dorset, Berkshire, and parts of Wiltshire and Somerset. The name "Wessex" is still used informally, often in cultural or historical contexts. It is also the title of a regional tourism brand that promotes the historical and scenic attractions in the area that was once Wessex. However, it is not an official administrative county in contemporary England.

The inhabitants mostly lived in relative harmony—converting to Christianity during this time—until the first Viking raids began with the attack on Lindisfarne in 793. By AD 793, a new prayer echoed across England: "Save us, Lord, from the fury of the Northmen!" The Northmen, or Vikings, came from Scandinavia, just as the Saxons had done hundreds of years before them.

The first Viking raids targeted unarmed monasteries, shocking the English with their viciousness. The knee-jerk reaction was to pay the Vikings to go away. Of course, that wasn’t very sustainable, as the Vikings continued to come in greater numbers, lured by the promise of silver.

It was only during the reign of Alfred the Great, the Saxon King of Wessex at the end of the 9th century, that the English began changing their tactics. Alfred implemented fortified burhs and local mercenary armies known as fyrds to meet the Viking threat. He established himself as King Overlord, adding southeast Mercia, London, and the Thames Valley to his territories while organizing Anglo-Saxon resistance against the Vikings.

King Athelstan, the grandson of Alfred the Great, is often credited with unifying England. He conquered the Viking kingdom of Northumbria, including York, in 927. Athelstan's victory at the Battle of Eamont Bridge in 937, against an alliance of Picts, Scots, and Vikings led by the Norse King Olaf Guthfrithson, marked a significant turning point in his campaign against the Vikings.

This victory led to the great Battle of Brunanburh in 937, which decisively defeated Olaf and his allies, including King Constantine II of Scotland. The Battle of Brunanburh defined the territories we now recognize as England, Scotland, and Wales—hence its title, "The battle that defined Britain."

Athelstan was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 until his death in 939. Modern historians regard him as the first King of England and one of the "greatest Anglo-Saxon kings."

My fun pictorial of the millenniums of England's rich history We have a Roman, Ancient Briton, a Saxon, and, far left...a.Spartan ) Or we could try and qualify her as a Viking or Norman...you never know ;) - Click to make bigger.