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Timeline of conflict in Anglo-Saxon Britain facts for kids

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The Timeline of Conflict in Anglo-Saxon Britain tells the story of battles and changes in power in Britain. This period starts just before the Roman Army left in the 4th century and ends shortly after the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.

Most of the information comes from old records called "annals" and writings by a famous monk named Venerable Bede. It's important to know that dates, especially from the 4th to the late 6th centuries, are often guesses. This is because there weren't many written records back then. Historians like Diana Greenway have called some old writers "weavers" of history, meaning they put together stories from different places. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, for example, was written to make Alfred the Great's family look good. So, while these old writings are helpful, we need to be careful with the exact dates, especially for the earliest times.

Understanding the Timeline

It's tricky to figure out the exact order of events in early Anglo-Saxon times. This is when the Anglo-Saxons started taking over land in Britain from the Romano-Britons (people who spoke Celtic, Latin, or both). The old records we have aren't always perfect, so it's hard to be super accurate.

For example, historians don't agree on the date of the famous Battle of Badon. Some say it was in 516, others 493, and some even earlier.

Much of what we know about dates comes from Bede (who lived from 672/673 to 735). In his book, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Bede tried to figure out dates for early Anglo-Saxon events. Even though he mostly wrote about church history, Bede is seen as Britain's first true historian. He tried to list events by date and mentioned his sources. He used a lot of information from a 6th-century writer named Gildas, but Gildas wasn't always reliable with dates. Bede's work was very popular, and monks who wrote the different Anglo-Saxon Chronicles later used his dates.

Some stories say that Saxon warriors were invited to England to help fight off invaders from Scotland and Ireland. Another reason they might have come was that their own land often flooded, making it hard to grow food. So, they were looking for new places to live and farm.

The earliest dates in this timeline (from the 4th to the late 6th centuries) are the most debated. There are very few records from that time, so most of these dates were put together much later by people trying to write Anglo-Saxon history.

Here's a look at some events recorded in Bede's Ecclesiastical History, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Welsh Annals (Annales Cambriae), and Brut y Tywysogion. Remember, many dates from the 4th, 5th, and 6th centuries are still debated.

4th Century: Roman Britain and Early Raiders

  • 360 and after: Different Germanic peoples (like the Alemanni and Saxons) came to Roman Britain. Some were raiders, some were soldiers recruited by the Romans, and some were settlers. This led to the creation of the Saxon Shore, a defensive area.

5th Century: Romans Leave and Saxons Arrive

  • 410: The Roman Emperor Honorius tells the cities in Britain to defend themselves, as the Roman army won't be coming back to help.
  • 429: Germanus of Auxerre helps the Romano-Britons win a battle against Saxon raiders.
  • c. 430 to 520: This is the range of possible dates for the important Battle of Badon.
  • c. 446: The "Groans of the Britons" – a final plea for the Roman army to return to Britain, which didn't happen.
  • 449: Vortigern (possibly a title meaning "Great King") invites Saxons to help fight the Picts, who were raiding the east coast. He lets them settle in the "eastern side of the island."
  • 455: Battle of Aylesford. Hengest and Horsa fight against King Vortigern. Horsa is killed.
  • 457: Hengest and Æsc fight Britons at Crecganford, killing many. The Britons flee from Kent to London.
  • c. 460: The "Treachery of the Long Knives" – a story where many British kings are killed, leading to the Saxons violently taking more land.
  • 466: Battle of Wippedesfleot. Hengest and Æsc fight the Welsh (meaning 'foreigners' to the invaders). Many are killed on both sides.
  • 473: Hengest and Æsc fight the Welsh again, taking a lot of treasure. The Welsh flee.
  • 477 (?): Ælle and his three sons arrive in Britain with three ships at Cymenesora (likely near Selsey). They kill many Welsh and drive others into the forest called Andredesleag (The Weald).
  • 491: Ælle and Cissa surround Pevensey (Andredescester) and kill everyone inside. No Briton is left alive.
  • c. 497: The Anglo-Saxons are defeated in the Battle of Mons Badonicus by Britons led by King Arthur.

6th Century: Saxon Kingdoms Grow

  • c. 500: The average of the suggested dates for the Battle of Badon.
  • c. 500: The Angles start settling along the North Sea and Humber coasts, especially around Holderness.
  • 508: Cerdic and Cynric kill a British king named Natanleod and 5,000 men. The land is later named Natanleag.
  • c. 520: Saxons take control of Sussex, Kent, East Anglia, and parts of Yorkshire. The West Saxons start a kingdom in Hampshire under Cerdic.
  • 535 & 536: Very bad weather likely causes a huge famine, leading to many deaths.
  • Before 547: Bernicia is formed by Angles taking over part of a British area called Bryneich.
  • Around 549: A major plague causes many people to die.
  • 556: Battle of Beran Byrig. The West Saxons reportedly defeat the Britons at Barbury Castle Hill Fort near Swindon.
  • About 560: Saxons conquer all of east Yorkshire and the British kingdom of Ebrauc, establishing Deira.
  • 571: Battle of Bedcanford. Cuthwulf fights Britons at Bedcanford and takes four settlements: Limbury, Aylesbury, Benson, and Eynsham.
  • 577: Battle of Dyrham. Saxons from Wessex led by Ceawlin capture Gloucester, Cirencester, and Bath. This battle seems to have broken the British defenses in the English Midlands.
  • 584: Battle of Fethanleag. Ceawlin and Cutha fight Britons. Cutha is killed, but Ceawlin takes many settlements and a lot of treasure.
  • 597: St. Augustine of Canterbury, a monk sent by Pope Gregory I, arrives in the Kingdom of Kent. He comes to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, supported by King Æthelberht of Kent.

7th Century: Major Kingdom Changes

8th Century: Offa's Power Grows

  • 710: Ealdorman Beorhtfrith fights the Picts. Also, Ine and his relative Nunna fight against Geraint, king of the Welsh.
  • 722: According to the Annales Cambriae, the Britons win three battles against the Cornish and South Britons: the battle of Hehil, Garth Maelog, and Pencon.
  • Before 730: Northumbria takes over the kingdom of Rheged.
  • 760: A battle between Britons and Saxons, the Battle of Hereford, where Dyfnwal son of Tewdwr dies. AC
  • 778: Offa devastates the South Britons. AC
  • 779: Cynewulf and Offa fight at Bensington, and Offa takes the town. ASC
  • 784: Offa devastates Britain in the summer. AC
  • 798: Caradog, king of Gwynedd, is killed by the Saxons. AC

9th Century: Wessex and Vikings

  • 813 (corrected to 815): King Ecgbryht raids Cornwall from east to west.
  • 816: Saxons invade the mountains of Eryri and the kingdom of Rhufoniog. AC
  • 818: Cenwulf devastates the Dyfed region. AC
  • 822: The fortress of Degannwy is destroyed by the Saxons. They take control of the kingdom of Powys. AC
  • 825: The Battle of Ellendun is fought in Wiltshire between Ecgberht of Wessex and Beornwulf of Mercia. This battle ends Mercian control over the southern kingdoms and establishes West Saxon power in southern England.
  • 835 (corrected to 838): A large Viking fleet comes to Cornwall. The Cornish join them to fight against King Ecgbryht of the West Saxons. Ecgbryht defeats both the Cornish and the Danes at Hengestdun.
  • 877: Rhodri Mawr, a Welsh leader who fought the Vikings, and his son Gwriad are killed by Mercian forces. This happens even though Mercia is mostly controlled by Vikings at the time. AC
  • 878: Alfred the Great defeats the remaining parts of the Great Heathen Army at The Battle of Edington. A
  • 893: A combined force from Mercia, Wessex, and Wales surrounds the Vikings at Buttington for weeks. The Vikings are starved out and defeated by the English and Welsh. The surviving Vikings flee back to Essex. A

10th Century: English Unification

  • August 4 and 5, 910: Battle of Wednesfield near Wolverhampton. The Mercians and their allies defeat the Danes, greatly weakening Danish power.
  • 927: Athelstan forces the Cornish out of Exeter and strengthens the city's defenses.
  • 936: King Athelstan sets the River Tamar as the border between England and Cornwall.
  • 937: Athelstan wins a major victory at the Battle of Brunanburh.
  • 946: Strathclyde is laid waste by the Saxons. AC

11th Century: Norman Conquest

  • 1016: Battle of Assandun, fought in Essex on October 18. The armies of Edmund Ironside (King of England) and Canute (King of Denmark) clash.
  • 1059: Macht, son of Harold, comes to Wales with a large army. Prince Gruffudd and Macht join forces against the Saxons, devastating parts of England. They return to Wales with much treasure. ByT
  • 1060: Caradoc, son of Rhydderch, hires Harold to come with an army to South Wales. They fight against Grufudd. After Grufudd, son of Llywelyn, is killed, his head is brought to Harold, who then sets up another king. (The ASC dates this as 1063). ByT
  • 1063: Earl Harold and his brother Earl Tostig go into Wales with both land and sea armies. They conquer the land, and the people give hostages and surrender. They then kill their king Gruffudd and bring his head to Harold, who sets up a new king. ASC
  • 1066: Battle of Hastings. William, Duke of Normandy, invades Britain. A fierce battle takes place between him and Harold, where Harold is killed. ByT
  • 1068: Some Saxons seek protection from the Normans in Powys. Later, with Saxon help, Bleddyn, son of Cynvyn, becomes the sole king of Gwynedd and Powys. Meredydd, son of Owain, becomes prince of South Wales with Saxon help. ByT


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