Anglo-Saxon settlement in the Netherlands facts for kids

The Anglo-Saxon settlement in the Netherlands was when groups of people, like the Angles, Saxons, and Franks, moved into areas of the Netherlands. These areas were once home to older tribes like the Frisii. This happened between the 5th and 7th centuries. Many of the original people had left or died out. The new people came from northwestern Germany. Later, the Franks called these new settlers "Frisians". During this time, most people living along the Dutch coast were replaced by these new groups.

Why Did People Move to the Netherlands?

The new tribes, except for the Franks, spoke a language similar to Old English. This language is called North Sea Germanic. At first, these groups might have had different identities. A single "Frisian" identity grew later because of outside influences.

These new settlers were culturally and linguistically similar to each other. They were also closer to each other than to their southern Frankish neighbors. They even fought several wars with the Franks.

The similar cultures of the North Sea Germanic people helped trade. People traded goods and possibly even moved between Anglo-Saxon England and Frisia.

What Caused the Original Population to Decline?

The original Frisii population decreased for several reasons. These included floods, diseases, and the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

The new people moving in likely happened peacefully. It was not violent like the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. The newcomers even adopted the name "Frisian." This suggests a calm mixing of the larger new groups with the smaller remaining population. This remaining population included old Frisii, plus people from the Batavians and Cananefates.

How Do We Know About This Settlement?

We know about this settlement from different types of evidence. This includes things found by archaeologists, old written records, and studies of languages.

What Did Archaeology Show?

In the early 1900s, archaeologists made important discoveries. They compared pottery, brooches, and burial styles from before and after the 5th century. They looked at areas like Groningen, Friesland, Holland, and Zeeland.

These finds showed that the old belief was wrong. People used to think the Frisii were the direct ancestors of modern Frisians. But the new pottery and burials clearly showed Anglo-Saxon styles.

These discoveries were debated at the time. However, later archaeological studies supported them. Research after the 1990s especially confirmed these findings. Dating old place names, pottery, metal objects, and settlement styles showed a clear change in the population. This was true for Friesland and Holland. Some old place names and finds from the 4th century suggest that Holland's population was not fully replaced. A small number of people from the old Frisii, Cananefates, and Batavians might have remained.

What Do Written Records Say?

Old written accounts also provide evidence. One example is the "Rijmkroniek van Holland." This was a history book from Holland written around 1280-1282. The author wrote that Saxons lived in Holland. The Romans called them Frisians because they thought the land was frozen.

The author mentioned an older book from the 5th century. This book, called "Historiae adversus paganos," also placed Saxons along the North Sea coast. Because Saxons and Frisians were not always distinguished, Anglo-Saxons in Britain could be seen as Frisian. This might explain why, in a book from 1290, Hengist was called a Frisian. Even Willibrord, an Anglo-Saxon missionary to Frisia, was called a Frisian by historians.

What Does Language Tell Us?

Languages also offer clues. Old Frisian, spoken in Friesland, Groningen, Holland, and Zeeland, was very similar to Old English. They both belong to the Anglo-Frisian language family. This is part of the larger North Sea Germanic family.

In Holland, Old Frisian slowly mixed with Low Franconian. This created a new Hollandic dialect that was part Frisian and part Frankish. This mixture influenced the development of the Dutch language. It gave Dutch some "Ingvaeonic" features. Some linguists even think Old Low Franconian or later Hollandic came from North Sea Germanic.

It's not clear if the tribes before the migration spoke a different Germanic language. But the similarities between Old English and Old Frisian languages point to a common origin. This suggests a shared background for the old English and old Frisian populations, and partly for the western Dutch population.

What is the Legacy of This Settlement?

Today, modern Frisian people still live in the Dutch province of Friesland. They also live in East Frisia and North Frisia in Germany.

The Frisians in Holland eventually mixed with the expanding Franks. This created a new Hollandic identity. This identity became very important in the late Middle Ages. It helped form the Dutch ethnicity, spreading north from South Holland. This change became official in 1101. That's when count Floris II changed his title. He went from "count of West Frisia" to "count of Holland."