Fifth and Sixth Century Britain - The Age of Settlements

There is a significant diminution of written sources available in England after the Romans lefts. The period of time after 440 until around 600, known in British history as the "Age of Settlements" has its most credible source from a monk named Bede in a monastery in Northumbria. Northumbria is a kingdom of one of the Germanic tribes that settled Britain, the Angles. The kingdom of Northumbria was a region that blurs the borders between southern Scotland and northern England. The Venerable Bede, as he is sometimes called, completed a compilation of his history in a tome called Ecclesiastical History of the English People in 731.

Due to archeological evidence matching areas of northern Germany found in different areas of England, it has been determined that the invaders of Britain after the departure of the Romans came from Germanic tribes. Beginning in the late 430s AD, these Germanic peoples began to migrate in large quantities across the English Channel into Britain. The migrants came from three powerful Germanic tribes called the Angles, the Jutes, and the Saxons. Though other peoples from smaller tribes also migrated to England, such as the Kent, most of these migrants already associated themselves with one of the three more powerful tribes, the Kent being mainly from the kingdom of the Jutes.

Though these Germanic peoples were far less civilized than the Romans, they did have their own "codes of conduct." Like the Roman Empire before it, the Anglo-Saxons and the Jutes placed a high importance on military prowess. These institutions provided for a strong social bond between one's family and also with one's lord. In the Germanic tribes, the lord came before the kin, as a warrior was to defend his family against all but his lord. Loyalty to the kin was still one of the most important traits of a warrior, as it had been in their Germanic homeland. A man was expected to avenge the death of his kin, often resulting in bloody feuds. The Germanic kings emphasized tribute and payments as a form of victim retribution, hoping to encourage the non-violence in their kingdoms.

The impact the Germanic tribes had on life today is seen subtly in everyday vocabulary. Since the tribes were originally pagan tribes, they worshipped what would be come to known as the Norse gods. These gods, Woden, Thor, and Tiw would soon come to be known as the English language's days of the week (Wednesday, Thursday, and Tuesday respectively). Because kinship was such a high priority among the Anglo-Saxons, the characteristic of their settlements reflected their society. Hastings, or "Haesta with -ing" on the end, was the Germanic people's language for "people of Haesta" as well as "Mame-ceaster" referring to modern-day Manchester. Areas of modern-day England ending in -ing, -ingham, and -ington are attributed to the Anglo-Saxons. Though Christianity would soon come to bear in Britain, it was merely superficial as many kings retained alters for Christianity as well as shrines for their pagan gods.

Sources:

College-level lecture

The Oxford History Of Britain, edited by Kenneth O. Morgan