Anglo-Saxon helmet from the Sutton Hoo ship burial, 625 AD (replica)

After Rome, Everything Changed

When Roman rule broke down, Germanic groups began settling in Britain. Historians often treat this Anglo-Saxon era as the beginning of England and the English people.

Anglo-Saxon England

The epic poem Beowulf, set in 6th century Scandinavia, composed c. 700–1000 AD.

A New Language Took Over

The Anglo-Saxons brought Old English. It largely replaced the earlier Brittonic language and reshaped how people in much of England spoke.

Anglo-Saxon England