The Anglo-Saxon period.

3.3.1. For a long time the tribes of Angles, Saxons al Jutes fought with one another for supreme power. As a result, Britain split up into seven kingdoms. At the beginning of the ninth century Wessex became the leading kingdom and united the rest of England in the fight against the new invaders (the Danes). Since 829 the greater part of the country was united under the name of “ England ”.

3.3.2 In the course of the struggle of the Celts against the Anglo-Saxons many legends emerged of which most famous is the legend of the Court of King Arthur. The Welsh historian Nennius first mentioned Arthur by name in the IX-century Historia Brittonum (History of the Britons), but a full account of his life did not appear until about 300 years later, in the Historia Regum Britanniae by Welsh writer Geoffrey of Monmouth. Romances were composed in the XIII century.

In English, one of the most important Arthurian achievements is The Death of Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory. This work draws together the full Arthurian story from a variety of sources. Arthurian themes again became popular in the 1800s. Whether such person really lived, whether there were several people whose histories came to be confused together under one name, or whether all about him was invention, no one knows.

3.3.3 Having become the most powerful kingdom of England, Wessex began to face a most dangerous enemy. They were the Danes from Denmark and the Norsemen from the Scandinavian Peninsula. They’re frequently called the Vikings. These two Scandinavian peoples were closely related with one another. In the very beginning the Vikings were pagans while the Anglo-Saxons had already accepted Christianity. During their first raids the Vikings burnt churches and monasteries. The Anglo-Saxons understood that their small kingdoms must unite in order to strug­gle against the Danes successfully. Egbert, king of Wessex, united several kingdoms under the name of England and became the first king of the united country.

3.3.4 Alfred, the grandson of Egbert, became king in the year 871, when England's danger was greatest. The Danes, who had settled on the eastern shores of Britain, continued robbing and killing the people of England and occupying more and more land. There were some years of peace during which Alfred built the first English navy. The kingdom that was in Alfred's possession was Wessex. Alfred is the only king of England who got the name Great. He is famous for having tried to enlighten his people. He worked out a code of laws. He translated the Church history and parts of the Bible from Lat­in into Anglo-Saxon. He started the famous Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which is the first history of Eng­land.

Anglo-Saxons gave the Danes a great bat­tle at Maldon in AD 991. The Danes were defeated in this battle, but still they remained very strong and dangerous.

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