The Saxons are Coming ...
In this post I am going to be giving you a snap shot of the Saxons. The first kings of England were Saxons, which is why I believe it is important to have a basic understanding of the Saxons before we look at their kings.
Who are the Saxons?
The Saxons were a Germanic tribe that originally occupied the region which today is the North Sea coast of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.
The Saxon period in Britian dates from 450AD until 1066AD, until the Norman Conquest.
The Saxons attempted to raid English shores in 350AD but was pushed back by the Romans, then when the Romans left Britain in 410AD, it left the English shores unprotected and allowed the Saxons to settle in 450AD in Kent.
In 556AD, the Saxons created the 7 Kingdoms. These are crucial to remember, as they will be mentioned a lot when we start looking at the Saxon kings.
The Seven Kingdoms
The Seven Kingdoms were created by the Saxons in 556AD. The seven kingdom were, Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex. I will post a picture of the map on instagram and Twitter so you can get an idea of the areas covered.
As previously mentioned these are important to know because when we start to talk about the Saxon kings, you will have a good idea of the amount of power they held.
The beginning of Christianity in Britain.
When the Saxons first arrived in Britain they was pagans. Many of the customs we have in England today come from the Saxons. Over time the Saxons converted to Christianity with help from the pope and a monk called Augustine, who later was made a bishop.
I will be doing a separate post on Augustine, so I am not going to talk much about him in this post. Although, not a king, he is very much a key figure in history, as this was the birth of Christianity in Britian.
Certain days of the week are named after Saxon/pagan gods.
Monandæg (Monday) - Moon’s Day (the day of the moon.
Tiwesdæg (Tuesday) - tiw’s-day, the day of the Scandinavian sky god Tiw, Tiu, or Tig.
Wodnesdæg (Wednesday) - Woden’s day, the day of the god Woden.
Dunresdæg (Thursday) - Thor’s Day, the day of the god Dunor or Thunor.
Frigedæg (Friday) - the day of the goddess Freyja or Frigg, wife to Woden.
Sætemesdæg (Saturday) - Saturn’s Day, the day of the Roman God, Saturn.
Sunnandæg (Sunday) - Sun’s day- the day of the sun.
Why invade Britian?
I have read various reports to why the Saxons invaded Britian and it seems no-one is sure on why however there are two popular theories.
The first theory is they was invited over, to help the area known now as England to keep invaders out from Scotland and Ireland.
The second theory is their land was often flooded and not very successful to grow crop on, so they moved somewhere less likely to flood and more productive when it come to growing crops.
A Saxon’s Diet
Saxons loved a feast, you would often find Saxons having a feast in a hall. After the feast a minstrel would play a harp and sing songs of battles and heroes.
Saxons were often vegetarians as they didn’t always have access to meat. Wild animals were common but could only be killed by the people who owned the land. Only a few Saxons were wealthy enough to pay for a slaughter of an animal.
Exotic fruit such as potatoes, bananas and pineapple were unknown in the Saxons era. However they did grow rye, barley and oats. As well as, carrots, parsnips, cabbages, peas, beans and onions.
The fruit they grew was apples, cherries and plums.
A Saxon village
Saxon villages were small, the largest known village had a population of no more than a few hundred people.
Villages were built close to natural resources, that way the villagers didn’t have to travel far to get what they needed. Villages were protected by a high wooden fence to keep enemies and wild animals out.
Saxon’s homes were made out of wood with a thatched roof. There was only one room where everyone eat, slept and entertained. The houses were built facing the sun to make the most of the sun’s heat and light.
The largest house in the village was the chief’s house, called “The Hall”. The chief, his family and his warriors would live here.
That brings us to the end of my first post. As previously mentioned I wanted to give you a snap shot and basic knowledge of the seven kingdoms and Saxons, as I am going to be talking a lot about their kings over the next few posts.
Look out for!
I am going to be posting some pictures on my Instagram and Twitter following this post. I am going to be posting:
- Map of the 7 kingdoms.
- Saxon Huts
- Saxon villages
- Saxon outfits
Sneek peak!
My next post, I am going to start looking at kings and queens. Starting with Egbert, the first king of England (in my and others opinion). A Saxon king who was the first monarch to establish a stable and extensive rule over all of Saxon England.
Contact Me
If you wish to contact me for any reason, should it be feedback or requests you can email me tellershistory@gmail.com
Twitter @tellers_history
Instagram @history_tellers_uk
Until next time,
The History Teller
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