Who were the Anglo-Saxons?
Q: Who were the Anglo-Saxons?
A: The Anglo-Saxons were a dominant people living in England from the mid-5th century AD until the Norman conquest in 1066. They spoke Germanic languages and are identified by Bede as the descendants of three powerful tribes - Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.
Q: What language did they speak?
A: The Anglo-Saxons spoke a West Germanic dialect called Old English or Anglo-Saxon. It changed into Middle English from about the 11th century. Old English was divided into four main dialects - West Saxon, Mercian, Northumbrian and Kentish.
Q: How did they replace Celtic culture in England?
A: Modern historians do not think that the Anglo-Saxons drove away Celts but instead that they became an upper class to them in England and Celts then became part of the Anglo-Saxon culture.
Q: Did they conquer Wales?
A: No, some Anglo-Saxons came to Britain as warriors but others came peacefully to become farmers or raise families. The kings claimed overlordship from time to time but never conquered Wales.
Q: Where did their language come from?
A: Their language, Old English or Anglo-Saxon, came from West Germanic dialects. It changed into Middle English from about the 11th century and was divided into four main dialects - West Saxon, Mercian, Northumbrian and Kentish.
Q: Who identified them as descendants of three powerful tribes?
A: They were identified by Bede as descendants of three powerful tribes - Angles, Saxons and Jutes.
