There were the inevitable clashed between these Germanic tribes - as there were amongst the Gallo-Celts further west - as they 'stretched their wings', bringing the Northumbrian Angles in conflict with the Mercian Angles at the time of Oswald and Penda in the 7th Century. Finally they settled the large island off the south coast they named Wiht, in modern terms Wight, cut off from their cousins in Kent by the South and West Saxons. They also settled a little further west in Suthrige or Southern kingdom, a Jutish wedge between the Middle Saxons north of the river Thames and the South Saxons along the sea-shore. The Jutes under their war leader Hengist after the death in battle against the southern Celts of his brother Horsa established themselves in Centland = Kent, taking the name of the Celtic tribe in the area, the Cantii, their capital being Cantuareburh or -byrig. The Saxons pushed up the Thames corridor and along the southern Saxon shoreline, establishing themselves in East Seaxe (Essex), Middil Seaxe (Middlesex), Suth Seaxe (Sussex) and West Seaxe (Wessex). These were the Aengle.Īnother, smaller number preceded these migrations from Jutland itself. 'Slesway', between the Elbe and the Jutland peninsula now known as Schleswig in North Germany, around where the Kiel Canal cuts through the base of the peninsula). However, the main bodies of Germanic groups came from the lower Saxon shore between the Rhine and the Weser - Seaxans - and a majority came from further north in Slesvig (pron. Some of these were Frisians, Vandals and Suevi. Amongst the so-called 'Saxons' were others from nearer or further away than the Saxons. Others, opportunists, freebooters sought to raid in the south-eastern corners of 'Britannia Major' and the Romans had built shore forts to counter these on the Saxon Shore' before they left in the first decade of the 5rh Century.
Some of the Germanic tribes friendly to Rome had been recruited as foederati, federated groups answerable to their own chieftains but ultimately to the emperor. The last legions had finally left by AD 410 for Rome, to defend the heartland of the empire against Barbarian invaders from the east - Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Huns and Lombards - who sought territory against default on their 'sold', or wages by Rome. The Romans slowly began to withdraw in the 4th Century AD.
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