Anglo-Saxon history (AD 400–600)

The history of Anglo-Saxon England broadly covers early medieval England from the end of Roman rule and the establishment of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the 5th century until the Conquest by the Normans in 1066.

Migration of Germanic people to Britain from what is now northern Germany, the northern part of the Netherlands and southern Scandinavia is attested from the 5th century. Based on Bede’s Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, the intruding population is traditionally divided into Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, but their composition was likely less clear-cut and may also have included Frisians and Franks. Also, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle contains text that may be the first recorded indications of the movement of these Germanic tribes to Britain.

Viking Age (800–1066)

In the 9th century, the Viking challenge grew to serious proportions. Alfred the Great’s victory at Edington, Wiltshire, in 878 brought intermittent peace, but with their possession of Jorvik the Danes gained a solid foothold in England.

An important development in the 9th century was the rise of the Kingdom of Wessex; by the end of his reign Alfred was recognised as overlord by several southern kingdoms.

Æthelstan was the first king to achieve direct rule over what is considered “England”.

Near the end of the 10th century, there was renewed Scandinavian interest in England, with the conquests of Sweyn of Denmark and his son Cnut the Great. By 1066 there were three lords with claims to the English throne, resulting in two invasions and the battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings, the results of which established Anglo-Norman rule in England.

References from : Wikipedia