ннро (tyhh)The Anglo-Saxons
Originally hailing from regions in modern-day Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands, the Anglo-Saxons were a Germanic people who inhabited Britain from the 5th century AD, following the collapse of Roman rule. Their history is characterised by migrations, conflicts, and the establishment of various kingdoms across the land. They arrived in several waves, with groups such as the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes establishing their own territories.
The period of Anglo-Saxon rule in England is often split into several periods, including the Heptarchy, which was a time when the land was divided into seven kingdoms: Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex, and Wessex. These kingdoms often vied for dominance, leading to frequent conflicts and power struggles.
Anglo-Saxon society was hierarchical, with kings and nobles at the top, followed by freemen (who were landowners), and then the unfree, which included serfs and slaves. Social status was largely determined by birth right and wealth. They typically lived in village communities and relied on farming for sustenance, cultivating crops like wheat, barley, and oats, as well as raising livestock such as sheep, cattle, and pigs.
The Anglo-Saxons used a legal system known as “wergild” (Old English for man payment/price). This was compensation paid as a fine for crimes in which someone was injured or killed. Wergild varied depending on the social status of the victim, with higher amounts required for the killing or injuring of a person with high social rank. This was a way to avoid further bloodshed and vendettas between families or clans, due to the various different groups settling in Britain. If the perpetrator could not pay the wergild, they might face other forms of punishment, such as exile.