Around A.D. 410 the Roman Emperor Honorius recalled the British based legions to Rome to help counter the threat posed by Germanic tribes. Britain was left to revert to a way of life that was ruled by local Celtic and Romano-British cheiftains, although much of the Roman lifestyle survived for many years to come.

   Britain itself was under threat from both civil war and the raiders from continental Europe. To aid their wars some of the warlords paid mercenaries from the same Germanic tribes to fight for them, Vortigern being the most famous of those for hire. Before long however, these people began to settle the country themselves. Boat loads of up to 60 people arrived on the south and east of the country, along the stretch of coastline the Romans called 'The Saxon Shore', which ran from Portsmouth to Brancaster in North Norfolk. They came from many parts of Northern Europe and they were the Saxons, the Jutes and the Angles.

   It is the latter from whom we take the name 'East Anglia', although they also settled in the kingdom of Northumbria. So many came that their home-lands in the low countries were almost deserted. The native Britains were almost totally pushed out of the east to form strongholds in the North, West and South West. However the towns such as Walton, Walpole and Walsoken - taken from 'weala' the Saxon word for foreigner - tell us that some at least remained.

   By the end of the 5th century the ruling family of the Wuffingas held power over Norfolk, Suffolk and the fens. Their royal heartland was Suffolk where all known royal graves including Sutton Hoo are to be found. About this time Ipswich, then called 'Gipeswic' was founded as a major trading port with the rest of Europe, the Rhineland in particular. The town was also famed for its pottery which has been unearthed all over Saxon England. Norwich was founded as the first major port of the Wensum, probably in the 8th Century.

   In the 7th Century Christianity slowly spread to the pagan English, beginning in Kent. The East Anglian king Raedwald was converted as a young man there, but seems to have become pagan once more in his own territory, to keep all deities happy. He is also reported to have had both Christian and pagan altars in his church.

   Raedwald was the most powerful king in England, and at the time, known as the Bretwalda or 'over-king' of the English since his victory over the Northumbrian king Ethelfrith in 616, but his son Ragenhere was killed in this battle.

   Raedwald ruled over a people who were mainly farmers and traders although a constant threat of war is evidenced by the defensive dykes still visible in Norfolk today, so many men were capable of bearing arms. Raedwald died in 624 and was probably buried at Sutton Hoo in a pagan ceremony.

   Upon his death, his protegy Edwin rose to Bretwalda in Northumbria, and East Anglia was never again so powerful. By the late 6th early 7th century it was the Mercian kingdom which was all powerful and Eat Anglia was an unwilling ally of the hard pagan kings Penda and Offa. Indeed Offa felt the need to assert his authority over us in 794 when he had the East Anglian king Ethelbert beheaded for minting his own coins.

   These early East Anglians left their names to us thus:

   By the 8th century the threat had changed to that of the norseman. Many English areas had fallen to the vikings, when in 865 king Edmund paid tribute to Ubba and Ivar the Boneless for them to leave East Anglia. In 869 they returned with more demands but Edmund chose to fight. After losing the battle he was beheaded and later canonised.

   Following Alfreds defeat of Guthrum in 878, East Anglia became part of the Danelaw. The Danish gave us the names -thorpe and -by, as well as the word gata which can be seen in Pottergate and Colegate, etc., in Norwich. The Danelaw came to an end with the West Saxon king Edward the Elder in 917, the Danish East Anglians swearing allegiance at the old Roman town of Colchester. Sadly by the 970's the Vikings had returned to ravage the area. Ethelred the unready was unable to prevent the sacking of ipswich in 991, which led to the famous battle of Maldon in 993. That year £22,000 of silver was paid in Danegeld. By 1002 the situation was so bad that Ethelred ordered the massacre of Danes in England. Though this was not successful, Gunnhild, sister of King Svein of Denmark, was one killed. In revenge in 1004 he arrived with an army and sacked Norwich. They went on to attack Thetford, but were fought by Ulfketil Snilling, who although he lost the battle, never the less forced them to leave. By 1009 Svein returned and defeated the East Anglians at the Battle of Ringmere near Thetford. Ethelred had gone into exile in 1013 and King Cnut became king of England, Norway and Denmark.

   Thirkil the Tall was set to govern east Anglia in 1017. After the battle of Hastings in 1066, East Anglia had one more Dark Age related revolt. William the First had ordered Earl Ralph De Gael to hold East Anglia for him. But in 1075 he raised a peasant army and rebelled. This was put down by William de Warren and his Earldom passed to Roger Bigod of Framlingham castle fame.

   With this last act of defiance the Dark Ages ended.

 

© Rosie Monument 2001
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