Angles (tribe)

The Angles (Old English: Engle, Latin: Anglii) were one of the main Germanic peoples who moved to Great Britain after Rome left the area. They helped create several kingdoms known as the Heptarchy in what later became Anglo-Saxon England. Their name likely came from a place called the Angeln peninsula, and it is the source of the words “England” and “English” for both the land and its people and language.

Long ago, a writer named Tacitus, who wrote around 100 AD, told about a group called the Angles. He said they lived near other tribes, such as the Langobards and Semnones, close to the River Elbe. These early stories help us understand where the Angles came from before they settled in Britain.

Etymology

The name of the Angles might have first been written as Anglii in the work Germania by Tacitus. It likely comes from the place they lived called the Angeln peninsula, located on the coast of Schleswig-Holstein by the Baltic Sea.

There are two main ideas about where the name came from. One idea is that it means “the Narrow Water,” referring to a narrow part of the water called the Schlei estuary. Another idea is that it refers to the shape of the peninsula, which looks like a hook, and might also mean they were a fishing people.

In Old English, the Angles were called Engle. Because many of the people who moved to Britain were Angles, the land became known as England, meaning “Engla land,” or “the land of the Angles.” The word “English” comes from this name as well.

Greco-Roman historiography

The earliest mention of the Angles comes from Tacitus's book Germania, written around AD 98. Tacitus described the Angles as one of the tribes living near the lower Elbe river. He mentioned that they lived far away, grouped with other tribes like the Reudigni, Aviones, and Varini. These tribes were hard to reach because they were protected by rivers and forests.

Later, around AD 150, Ptolemy wrote about the Angles in his book Geography. His description is a bit confusing, placing them between the Rhine and Elbe rivers. Historians think some of the information might be mixed up.

In the 6th century, the historian Procopius wrote that the Angles were one of three groups who settled on an island called Brittia, separate from Britain. He told a story about a king named Hermegisclus who wanted his son to marry his stepmother, but the son chose to marry someone else instead. This led to a big battle.

Medieval historiography

Further information: Kings of the Angles

Bede, who lived until 735, wrote that the Angles came from a place called Angulus, between the lands of the Jutes and the Saxons. Later writers told similar stories.

King Alfred the Great, who lived until 899, shared a story from a Norwegian sailor named Ohthere of Hålogaland. Ohthere described a trip from Norway to a place called Hedeby. He said that before reaching Hedeby, he passed lands that the Angles once lived in, including Jutland and Zealand.

Other writers, like Æthelweard, also talked about where the Angles came from. They linked the Angles to places like Schleswig and Hedeby.

There are also old stories about kings named Wermund and Offa of Angel, whose families were important in England.

A famous story tells of Pope Gregory I, who saw Angle children being sold in Rome. When he heard they were called Angles, he made a playful remark linking their name to angels, which inspired efforts to bring Christianity to the Angles.

Archaeology

The area of Schleswig has many old objects from the fourth and fifth centuries. At a place called Borgstedt, between Rendsburg and Eckernförde, many urns and brooches were found that look like those in old graves in England. Even more important are the finds at Thorsberg moor and Nydam, where many items such as weapons, jewelry, clothes, farming tools, and even ships were discovered. These discoveries help us understand the way of life of the Angles before they moved to Britain.

Anglian kingdoms in England

See also: Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo-Saxons, and History of Anglo-Saxon England

After people from many places came to live in Britain, the Angles formed several important areas called kingdoms. These included places like Northumbria, East Anglia, and Mercia. Over time, these areas changed and joined together.

In the early years, there were two kingdoms in the north and two in the middle. By the seventh century, these had become just two big kingdoms: Northumbria and Mercia. Northumbria was very powerful at first but then Mercia grew stronger. Later, armies from Denmark attacked both kingdoms. After these attacks, the people who lived in these places were ruled by laws from the Danes.

Farther south, the kings from Wessex fought off the Danish attackers. They then helped bring the areas where Angles lived back together. They married into the old royal families and became the leaders of all these people. This helped create what we now call England. Even today, places like East Anglia and Northumbria still use their old names. Northumbria once reached up into what is now Scotland, including a place called Edinburgh.

Some Angles stayed behind in their original home, which is now part of Germany near a place called Schleswig-Holstein. A small area there is still named Angeln.