The English Kingdoms

The Britons could not keep their land free for a long time. The Germanic tribes from Western Europe — the Angles, Saxons and Jutes — attacked the coasts of Britain and after long wars with the Britons settled on the British Isles. The Britons fought bravely against the enemies and defended their land. But the enemies were stronger. They took houses, fields and cattle from the Britons. The Angles got most of the land and became the strongest tribe. The Britons went to the mountains in the west of the Isles and settled there.

This part of Britain is called Wales now. As time went on, the two peoples — the Angles and the Saxons — grew into one and were called Anglo-Saxons. They called their speech English, and their country England — that is, the Land of the English.

The Anglo-Saxons formed many kingdoms — Kent, Essex, Wessex — which now are counties of Great Britain. These kingdoms were at war with one another. The stronger kings took the land from the smaller kingdoms.