Why did anglo-saxons invade britain?

Historians are not sure why the Anglo-Saxons came to Britain. Some sources
say that the Saxon warriors were invited to come, to the area now know as
England, to help keep out invaders from Scotland and
Ireland. Another reason for coming may have been because their land often
flooded and it was difficult to grow crops, so they were looking for new places to
settle down and farm.

How long did they stay in england?

They ruled in England for about 500 years ( a hundred years longer than the
Romans). However, unlike the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons never 'went home';
many people living in Britain today have Anglo Saxon ancestors. The name
England even comes from the Saxon word 'Angle-Land'.

Who were the Anglo-Saxons?

The Angle, Saxon, and Jute are known as the Anglo-Saxons. The Angles
and the Saxon tribes were the largest of the three attacking tribes and
so we often know them as Anglo-Saxons. They shared the same
language but were each ruled by different strong warriors.

The Anglo-Saxons were warrior-farmers and came from north-western

Europe. They began to invade Britain while the Romans were still in
control.

The Anglo-Saxons were tall, fair-haired men, armed with swords and
spears and round shields. They loved fighting and were very fierce.

Their skills included hunting, farming, textile (cloth) production and

leather working.

What did the Anglo-Saxons do for entertainment

(leisure)?
The Anglo-Saxons enjoyed horse racing, hunting, feasting and
music-making. They played dice and board games such as
draughts and chess. Entertainment during feasts included
listening to a harp being played and juggling balls and knives.

Children played with balls, hoops and whipping tops (spinning

tops). They also played with carved wooden toys such as horses
and small wooden boats.

When did the Anglo-Saxons invade Britain?

 The first Anglo-Saxons raided the shores of south and east
England in the fourth century AD, but they were beaten back by
the Romans. At the beginning of the fifth century, the Romans left
Britain. They had not trained the British to defend themselves and
so the next time the Saxons tried to invade Britain they
succeeded.

It was during the second half of the fifth century that more and
more Anglo-Saxons arrived to take land for themselves. It is for
this reason that the time of the Anglo-Saxons is usually thought of
as beginning about AD 450.

Where did the Anglo-Saxons Settle in Britain?

The Anglo-Saxons took control of most of Britain, although they
never conquered Scotland, Wales and Cornwall. They settle in
England in places near to rivers or the sea, which could be easily
reached by boat. One of the places they settled in was Tonbridge,
in Kent. Tonbridge was an ideal place to settle as it was on the
main track from Hastings to London and has a river.

At the time when the Anglo-Saxons came to England much of the

country was covered in forest. Only about a few thousand people
in the whole land (today there are about 50 million people living in
England). It was an easy place for newcomers to find a place to
start a village and then chop down the surrounding forest to make
farmland.

The Anglo-Saxons divided England into kingdoms, each with its

own royal family. The five main Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were
Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex, Kent and Anglia.

Sutton Hoo Ship Burial

By about 600, England was divided into small Anglo-Saxon
kingdoms each ruled by a king.

Much of what we know about the Anglo-Saxons comes from graves

like the one discovered at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk.

Near the River Deben in Suffolk, at Sutton Hoo, are eleven mounds
or 'barrows' dating back to the 7th century. In 1939 archaelogists
explored the largest mound and discovered a ship buried in the
mound.

Who invaded England next?

 In the ninth century (Year 800), 400 hundred years after the
Anglo-Saxons invaded England, the country came under attack
from Viking raiders from Norway and northern Denmark. Like the
Anglo-Saxons, they made there home here. They drove the Saxons
out of part of the country and took it for themselves.

King Alfred, Saxon king of Wessex, fought them in a great battle,

but he could not drive them right away and had to let them have
part of the country, called Danelaw.

Parts of England were now ruled by the Vikings whilst others

were ruled by the Saxons.

Who was the last Saxon King and where did he die?

In 1066, the last Anglo Saxon king of England died at the Battle of
Hastings. His name was King Harold.

William from Normandy ( France) became the new King and

replaced all the Anglo Saxon lords with Norman ones and so
brought Anglo Saxon times to an end.