In the BBC version of the history of these islands 'Before Roman times 'Britain' was just a geographical entity, and had no political meaning, and no single cultural identity. Arguably this remained generally true until the 17th century, when James I of England and VI of Scotland sought to establish a pan-British monarchy.'

In fact very little is known of the first several hundred years of the 'Anglo-Saxon' era, primarily because the invaders were described as 'an illiterate people'. Earliest records of them are usually little more than highly inventive lists of rulers.

They established separate kingdoms, the Saxons settling in the south and west, the Angles in the east and north, and the Jutes on the Isle of Wight and the mainland opposite.

One history site describes the 'Dark Ages' thus -

'One of these customs was fighting everyone in sight.
A king's power was not hereditary; it depended solely on his ability to win battles and so gain land, treasure, and slaves to give his supporters. He was obliged to fight and keep fighting. If not, he would find himself out of a job or deprived of his life, or both.

Succession from father to son was never a forgone conclusion. Any relative of the old king who could muster enough support could make a bid for the throne. This helps to explain why the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms came and went so quickly. The power of any kingdom over its neighbours was only as solid as the strength of its king in battle.


'gentler nature'? - maybe not!