Anglo-Saxon Migration to Britain

Timeline

1. 410–450Island of Britain · BritainAfter the Roman Empire withdrew its garrison from Britain, native polities faced pressure from Picts and Irish. Gildas records that British rulers hired Saxon mercenaries under Roman-style treaties; the date and details of this cannot be precisely reconstructed.
2. c. 450–550Kent and the eastern coast · EnglandBede states that Angles, Saxons and Jutes came from what is now northern Germany and Jutland, and records Hengist and Horsa landing in Kent with three ships. The two names mean 'stallion' and 'horse' and belong to legendary genealogy. Archaeological and genetic research supports substantial North Sea migration from the late Roman period, but not a single coordinated invasion.
3. c. 550–650South-central island of Britain · EnglandBy Bede's 8th century, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms already dominated most of present-day England. The formation of polities such as Kent, Wessex and Mercia occurred mainly in the 6th–7th centuries and should not be pushed back to the late 5th century. British Celtic-language culture continued in the west (present-day Wales, Cornwall, etc.).