---
title: "Anglo-Saxon Britain"
description: "Germanic peoples who settled in Britain, mainly after Roman rule ended; their villages and kingdoms in much of what became England, place names, and the spread of Christianity"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/anglo-saxon-britain-mt_26OJ9MetR9
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/anglo-saxon-britain-mt_26OJ9MetR9.md
retrieved: 2026-10-19
---

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# Anglo-Saxon Britain

Germanic peoples who settled in Britain, mainly after Roman rule ended; their villages and kingdoms in much of what became England, place names, and the spread of Christianity

Subject: History · Area: Medieval Times · Ages 7 to 9
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/anglo-saxon-britain-mt_26OJ9MetR9

## Ready when they can

- Explain who the Anglo-Saxons were and that their main period of settlement in Britain followed the end of Roman rule
- Name at least two Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (e.g. Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria)
- Recognise Anglo-Saxon words in English place names, such as -ton, -ham and -bury, without treating an ending alone as proof of when a place was founded

## Lesson: The Anglo-Saxons come to Britain

The Anglo-Saxons included peoples called the Angles and Saxons. They came from northern Europe, including lands now called Germany and Denmark. Their main settlement period in Britain began in the 400s, after Roman rule ended. People already lived in Britain. The newcomers built villages and farmed. Their kingdoms grew in much of what became England. Viking raids began centuries later.

*(drawing: The main Anglo-Saxon settlement period began before the Viking raids.)*

**Example.** Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria were Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Wessex was in the south, Mercia in the middle, and Northumbria further north. Each had its own king. They did not begin as one kingdom with one king.

Old English was the Anglo-Saxons' language. Some English place names keep its words. The ending -ton often means a farm or settlement. The ending -ham can mean a home or settlement. The ending -bury comes from a word for a fortified place. These endings are clues. An ending alone cannot tell us exactly when a place was founded.

*(drawing: Old words can survive in names. Other evidence helps historians study a place's past.)*

Christianity spread through the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms over time. Missionaries came from places including Rome and Ireland. Many kings became Christians. Monasteries were built, and monks copied books by hand.

**Recap.** The main Anglo-Saxon settlement period followed the end of Roman rule. Kingdoms included Wessex and Mercia. Some place names keep Old English words.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Village Life](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/village-life-mt_PThM5P7Umd)
- [The Vikings](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/the-vikings-mt_X5fdB4haHf)

## Opens up

- [Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/vikings-vs-anglo-saxons-mt_6XnezHOcM3)
- [Medieval Legacy in Modern Life](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/medieval-legacy-in-modern-life-mt_Ik-WC2ARPf)