Home Region: Western Europe (Europe)

Anglo-Saxon England I

410 CE 926 CE

D G SC

EQ 2020 gb_anglo_saxon_1 / gb_anglo_saxon

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

[cultural assimilation; Roman Britain] [absorption] Update here

Succeeding Entity: Add one more here.

927 CE 1065 CE Anglo-Saxon England II (gb_anglo_saxon_2) [continuity]

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General Description

Anglo-Saxon England existed between the fall of Roman Britain in 410 CE and the quickly subsequent mass migration into the region of the Germanic speaking Angle, Saxon, and Jute tribes from western Europe, until the Norman invasion and conquest of 1066.
“The most developed vision of a ‘big’ sub-Roman Britain, with control over its own political and military destiny for well over a century, is that of Kenneth Dark, who has argued that Britain should not be divided during the fifth, and even the bulk of the sixth, century into ‘British’ and ‘Anglo-Saxon’ cultural and/or political provinces, but should be thought of as a generally ‘British’ whole. His thesis, in brief, is to postulate not just survival but continuing cultural, political and military power for the sub-Roman elite, both in the far west (where this view is comparatively uncontroversial) but also in the east, where it has to be imagined alongside incoming settlements. He postulates the sub-Roman community to have been the dominant force in insular affairs right up to c.570. Then, over a sixty year period, but for no very obvious reason, Anglo-Saxon kingship begins to emerge, the English conversion began and, in this scenario, Anglo- Saxon leaders overthrew British power and set about establishing their own kingdoms.”^[1]
Anglo-Saxon ‘England’ after the migration of the Germanic tribes from the European mainland was in fact formed of several kingdoms known as the Heptarchy: Wessex, Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia and the minor kingdoms of Essex, Sussex, and Kent all ruled by different monarchs or dynasties (in the case of the minor kingdoms), and who all at one time or another were allies or enemies, looking to claim more power from the others.
The three major kingdoms all looked at one point that they would become the dominant power and unite the kingdoms under one rule; Northumbria in the seventh century and Mercia in the eighth century. But it was the House of Wessex that rose to the greatest power under King Egbert at the beginning of the ninth century. During his reign 802-839 CE Wessex expanded rapidly across the south. It benefitted from its strategic position and its growing wealth enabled the purchase of the best warriors and military technology. It also led the wars against the incoming Viking invasions, whose first raid on the island had taken place in 793 CE. ^[2]
Vikings, mainly from Denmark and Norway, raided and conquered territories in East Anglia, Essex and parts of Mercia and Northumbria between the 9th and 11th centuries. From 865 CE the Viking-settled region became known as Danelaw and was granted Danish self-rule in 884 CE under King Guthrum of Norway. Ongoing battles and attempts to expand territory on both sides resulted in the beginning of the breakup of Danelaw in 902 CE when the region of Essex submitted to the rule of King Æthelwald.^[3]
The region now known as England was not completely united as a country, the Kingdom of England, until 927 under King Æthelstan, after a drawn-out process of conflict and consolidation. Moreover, Northumbria, the northern most region of England and therefore the most susceptible to invasion by Scandinavian forces, continued to fall in and out of English and Danish rule until 954 when King Eadred brought it fully under English control, where it remained. At the same time, Lothian, the small area which bordered northern Northumbria, was ceded to Scotland as part of the deal.^[4]

[1]: (Higham 2004: 4) Higham, Nick. ‘From Sub-Roman Britain to Anglo-Saxon England: Debating the Insular Dark Ages’, History Compass 2, no. 1 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-0542.2004.00085.x. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/XZT7A79K

[2]: (Roberts et al 2014: 27) Roberts, Clayton, Roberts, F. David, and Bisson, Douglas. 2014. ‘Anglo-Saxon England: 450–1066’, in A History of England, Volume 1, 6th ed. Routledge. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/P2IHD9U3

[3]: (Roberts et al 2014: 27-28) Roberts, Clayton, Roberts, F. David, and Bisson, Douglas. 2014. ‘Anglo-Saxon England: 450–1066’, in A History of England, Volume 1, 6th ed. Routledge. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/P2IHD9U3

[4]: (Roberts et al 2014: 29-30) Roberts, Clayton, Roberts, F. David, and Bisson, Douglas. 2014. ‘Anglo-Saxon England: 450–1066’, in A History of England, Volume 1, 6th ed. Routledge. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/P2IHD9U3

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

5 Capital

1 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

1 Supracultural Entity

1 Succeeding Entity

1 Relationship to preceding Entity

2 Polity Succession

1 Degree of Centralization

Language

Religion

2 Religious Tradition

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

1 Population of the Largest Settlement

1 Polity Population

1 Largest Communication Distance

Hierarchical Complexity

1 Settlement Hierarchy

1 Religious Level

1 Military Level

1 Administrative Level

Professions

1 Professional Soldier

1 Professional Priesthood

Bureaucracy Characteristics

1 Specialized Government Building

1 Full Time Bureaucrat

Law

1 Judge

1 Formal Legal Code

1 Court

Specialized Buildings: polity owned

1 Market

1 Food Storage Site

1 Symbolic Building

1 Knowledge Or Information Building

Transport Infrastructure

1 Road

1 Port

1 Canal

1 Bridge

Special-purpose Sites

1 Mines or Quarry

1 Trading Emporia

1 Special Purpose Site

1 Enclosure

1 Ceremonial Site

1 Burial Site

Information / Writing System

1 Written Record

1 Script

1 Nonwritten Record

1 Non Phonetic Writing

Information / Kinds of Written Documents

1 Scientific Literature

1 Sacred Text

1 Religious Literature

1 Philosophy

1 Lists Tables and Classification

1 History

1 Fiction

Information / Money

1 Precious Metal

1 Paper Currency

1 Indigenous Coin

1 Foreign Coin

1 Article

1 Store Of Wealth

1 Debt And Credit Structure

Information / Postal System

Information / Measurement System

1 Weight Measurement System

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications

Military use of Metals

Projectiles

Handheld weapons

Animals used in warfare

Armor

Naval technology

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.

Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

Crisis Consequence Cases Coding in Progress.

Power Transitions

1 Power Transition

Instability Events

30 Instability Event

General Variables

Identity and Location Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	29 N	410 CE 926 CE
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Original Name	Anglo-Saxon England	410 CE 926 CE
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Capital	Winchester	410 CE 926 CE
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Capital	Tamworth	410 CE 926 CE
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Capital	York	410 CE 926 CE
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Capital	Bamburgh	410 CE 926 CE
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Capital	Colchester	410 CE 926 CE
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Alternative Name	Sub-Roman Britain Post-Roman Britain Kingdom of England	410 CE 926 CE
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Temporal Bounds Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Duration	[410 CE ➜ 926 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Supracultural Entity	England	410 CE 926 CE
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Succeeding Entity	Kingdom of England	410 CE 926 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	cultural assimilation	410 CE 926 CE
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Succeeding Entity 927 CE 1065 CE	Anglo-Saxon England II (gb_anglo_saxon_2) [continuity] Undecided
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Preceding Entity	cultural assimilation; Roman Britain [absorption] Update here
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Degree of Centralization	quasi-polity	410 CE 926 CE
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Language Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Religion Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religious Tradition	Anglo-Saxon Paganism	410 CE 926 CE
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Religious Tradition	Christianity	410 CE 926 CE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	5,000 people	700 CE
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Polity Population	3,000,000 people	410 CE
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Largest Communication Distance	612	410 CE 926 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	6	410 CE 926 CE
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Religious Level	5	410 CE 926 CE
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Military Level	3	410 CE 926 CE
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Administrative Level	3	410 CE 926 CE
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Professions Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Professional Priesthood	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Present Inferred	410 CE 926 CE
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Law Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Judge	Absent Inferred	410 CE 926 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Court	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Food Storage Site	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Symbolic Building	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Knowledge Or Information Building	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Port	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Canal	Absent Inferred	410 CE 926 CE
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Bridge	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Absent Inferred	410 CE 926 CE
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Trading Emporia	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Special Purpose Site	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Enclosure	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Ceremonial Site	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Burial Site	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Information / Writing System Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Transitional (Absent -> Present)	410 CE 926 CE
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Script	Transitional (Absent -> Present)	410 CE 926 CE
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Nonwritten Record	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Transitional (Absent -> Present)	410 CE 926 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Transitional (Absent -> Present)	410 CE 926 CE
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Sacred Text	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Religious Literature	Transitional (Absent -> Present)	410 CE 926 CE
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Philosophy	Transitional (Absent -> Present)	410 CE 926 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Transitional (Absent -> Present)	410 CE 926 CE
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History	Transitional (Absent -> Present)	410 CE 926 CE
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Fiction	Transitional (Absent -> Present)	410 CE 926 CE
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Information / Money Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Precious Metal	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Paper Currency	Absent Inferred	410 CE 926 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Transitional (Absent -> Present)	410 CE 926 CE
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Foreign Coin	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Article	Present Inferred	410 CE 926 CE
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Store Of Wealth	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Debt And Credit Structure	Absent Inferred	410 CE 926 CE
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Information / Postal System Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Information / Measurement System Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Weight Measurement System	Present	410 CE 926 CE
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Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Military use of Metals Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Projectiles Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Handheld weapons Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Animals used in warfare Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Armor Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Naval technology Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Human Sacrifice Anglo-Saxon England I (gb_anglo_saxon_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More