Database: Saxons

Originating from the coast of what is now northern Germany, Saxons invaded and settled Britannia at some point in the 5th century CE, replacing the outgoing Roman Empire as the island's occupying force.

Thereafter, they spread east to form Essex, south to form Sussex, west to form Wessex and north to form Middlesex. This laid the foundation for what would later become the seven kingdoms of the Heptarchy.

Seen today as archetypal Christians, Saxons only adopted Christianity in the 7th century by way of the Jutes, another Germanic tribe who had previously been converted.