The Heptarchy

The Heptarchy is a collective name applied to the seven kingdoms of Anglo-

Saxon England (sometimes referred to as petty kingdoms) from the Anglo-Saxon
settlement of Britain in the 5th century until their unification into the Kingdom of
England in the early 10th century.
The term ‘Heptarchy’ alludes to the tradition that there were seven Anglo-Saxon
kingdoms, usually enumerated as: East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Mercia,
Northumbria, Sussex and Wessex. The term Heptarchy dates to the 16th century.
By convention, the Heptarchy lasted from the end of Roman rule in Britain in the
5th century, until most of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms came under the overlordship
of Egbert of Wessex in 829. This approximately 400-year period of European
history is often referred to as the Early Middle Ages or, more controversially, as
the Dark Ages. Although heptarchy suggests the existence of seven kingdoms, the
term is just used as a label of convenience and does not imply the existence of a
clear-cut or stable group of seven kingdoms. The number of kingdoms and sub-
kingdoms fluctuated rapidly as kings contended for supremacy.
Roman Invasion

The Roman Empire had invaded England three times in the 1st Century B.C. and
the 1st Century A.D. Julius Caesar led two of those invasions but took his troops
home both times. Claudius sent a much larger force and began what eventually
became a transition from Britain into Roman Britain.

Roman troops left Britain for good in the early 5th Century. Before they left,
though, their numbers included soldiers from various part of the Empire and from
non-Empire lands as well. Of relevance to the story of the advancement of
settlements in Britain was the fact that some Roman soldiers hailing from Germany
were in Britain as early as the 4th Century.

In fact, Rome had built a series of forts along the southeastern edge of the Island,
to protect against seaborne invasions from Germany. These became known as
the Saxon Shore forts.
Facts
1. The Anglo-Saxons were immigrants
The people we call Anglo-Saxons were actually immigrants from northern
Germany and southern Scandinavia. Bede, a monk from Northumbria writing some
centuries later, says that they were from some of the most powerful and warlike
tribes in Germany. Bede names three of these tribes: the Angles, Saxons and Jutes.

When the Romans left England around 410 AD, the people that lived north of
Hadrian’s Wall (the Picts, Scotti, and Caledonians) began to push themselves into
the fertile southern plains of the island. In order to defend themselves from attacks,
the Britons sought help from the Germanic tribes of Europe (the Jutes, Saxons, and
Angles). Within a few years, several Germanic kingdoms were created: Kent,
Sussex, Wessex, Essex, Northumbria, and East Anglia. The Britons created a
myriad of kingdoms and defended themselves tenaciously.

2. Anglo-Saxons and Christianity

The Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England began around 600, due to the

influence of both Celtic Christianity and Roman Christianity.

The first archbishop of Canterbury, Augustine, assumed his office in 597, and in
601 he baptised the first Anglo-Saxon ruler, Ethelbert of Kent. The complete
Christianisation of the island took place during the VII century thanks to the Celtic
monks of Lindisfarne. The last great pagan ruler of the Anglo-Saxons was King
Penda of Mercia, who died in 655. Also in the second half of the VII century, the
date of the celebration of Easter was the object of conflict between Roman
Catholicism and Celtic Christianity, an issue which had divided the country in
Northumbria. The Christian Celts wanted a precise date to be set, while the church
of Rome wanted to keep the use of the variable date. In 644 the dispute was
resolved in favour of the church of Rome.
 3. The Vikings and the rise of the kingdom of Wessex (IX century)

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (793) reports the first Viking attack on Britain against
the Lindisfarne monastery. In 794 the first attack on Iona took place. The arrival of
the new invaders, in particular of their Great Army, profoundly upset the
geographical, political and social structure of England. It is thanks to the Vikings
that the kingdom of Alba was born. Today such kingdom corresponds to Scotland.
After a period of raids, the Vikings settled in England. Their settlement had a
strong impact on English culture and language.

An important event of the IX century was the expansion of the Anglo-Saxon

kingdom of Wessex, which, thanks to Alfred the Great, extended its dominion over
other Anglo-Saxon realms and over Cornwall.

4. Danes and Normans (978-1066)

At the end of the X century, the Scandinavians renewed their interest in England.
Aethelred lost his reign to Sweyn of Denmark but reconquered it after his death.
Aethelred’s son, Edmund II, died shortly thereafter, thus allowing Sweyn’s son
Canute to ascend the throne of England.

In 1066, Harold Godwinson ascended to the throne. He was subsequently defeated

and killed by William the Conqueror in Hastings. William was crowned on
Christmas day in 1066. His reign, however, was conditioned by many problems. In
fact, after the battle of Hastings, many Saxons ended up enlisting in the army of the
Byzantine Empire in order to fight against the Normans of Sicily and avenge what
had happened in England.