Beginning
in the middle of the fifth century, the Britons found themselves besieged by the Picts and
Scots. Unable to defend themselves or count on help from the crumbling Roman Empire, the Britons
asks the Saxons of Germany for aid. A modest but effective Saxon army came and was able to help
defend the Britons against these invasions. However, the Saxon leaders ended up in disputes over
their payment from the Britons and waged a rebellion against them.
The
rebellion was successful, and they ended up settling throughout much of England, merging with
other Germanic peoples, such as the Angles and Jutes, who settled there earlier as Roman
mercenaries. This was the opening of a flood-gate. More and more Germanic peoples arrived in
England over the next century. This led to periodic fighting between these peoples and the
Britons. In the end, the Germanic peoples were more successful in this struggle. By the end of
the sixth century, most of what is now England came under the control of various Anglo-Saxons
kingdoms.
The consequences of this series of Anglo-Saxon conquests were
significant. The language of the land changed from Latin and Celtic to Old English, a Germanic
language. Cultural practices changed, as is evidenced by an archeological record that shows new
types of dress, architecture, and burial practices. This also led to a modest boost in the size
of the region's population as more and more Germanic immigrants came. The most palpable result
was the steady erasure of Roman culture in Britain as it was replaced by Germanic
customs.
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