2. Germanic Settlement of Britain

The 5^th century is the age of increased Germanic expansion. About the middle of the century several West Germanic tribes invaded Britain and colonized the island by the end of the century. This invasion lasted into the 6^th century. The English historian Bede (673-735) recorded those events in “Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum” (Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation). He wrote that England was colonized by three Germanic tribes: Angles, Saxons and Jutes. Bede reported that the Saxons were invited by the Romanised British to help them fight against their enemies from the north. Having settled in the east of England the newcomers invited others of their tribes to settle there. It happened in 450 A.D. While there may be some elements of truth in this, Saxons have been plundering the east coast of England for many years. When the Roman armies were withdrawn in 410, Britain became more exposed to the attacks.

Traditionally, it has been accepted that the Angles occupied the Midlands and north of the country. The Saxons settled all of Southern England except Kent and parts of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Their name survives in various county and regional names, such as Sussex “South Saxons”, Wessex “West Saxons” and so on. Kent and the Isle of Wight with parts of neighbouring Hampshire were settled by the Jutes, though the dialect of Kent is referred to as Kentish rather than Jutish.

Anglo-Saxons gradually settled the lands formerly occupied by the Celts. One can assume that after initial settlements in the south-east and East Anglia, the Anglo-Saxons pushed along rivers and the Roman roads. By the end of the 6^th c. they had apparently occupied most of England except for the western fringes like Cornwall. In some districts Anglo-Saxons probably settled down beside the Celts in more or less peaceful contact. In others, as in the West Saxon territory, the invaders met with stubborn resistance. Many of the Celts were driven into the west and sought refuge in Wales and Cornwall, and some emigrated across the Channel to Britanny. Civilization that had been attained under Roman influence was largely destroyed. The Roman towns were burnt and abandoned.

At about the middle of the 6^th c. it was possible to recognize several distinct regions which lead their own forms of government. This became recognized as the Heptarchy, or 7 kingdoms – Wessex, Sussex, Kent, Essex, East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria. It is these 7 kingdoms which provide the basic for most dialect study of this period, though written remains are not found until the beginning of the 8^th c. Politically, no one of these kingdoms was able to achieve supremacy over the others.

The Names of “England” and “English”

The Celts called their Germanic conquerors Saxons indiscriminately. The land was called Saxonia. But soon the terms Angli and Anglia occur besides Saxones and refer not to the Angles individually but to the West German tribes generally. From the beginning, however, writers in the vernacular never call their language anything but Englisc (English). The word is derived from the name of Angles (OE Engle). The land is called Angelcynn. From about the year 1000 Englaland (land of the Angles) begins to take its place.

The English language of today is the language that has resulted from the history of the dialects spoken by the Germanic tribes. It is impossible to say how much the speech of the Angles differed from that of the Saxons or that of the Jutes. The differences were certainly slight.