In my abstract, I present the formation of early medieval England. From the failure of Roman power and the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain to the gradual unification of smaller Anglo-Saxon kingdoms under the West Saxons. The first part is dedicated to the life and works of Bede the Venerable and the fundamental source The Ecclesiastical History of the English People. The second part focuses on Roman Britain and the settlement of the Anglo-Saxons, the formation of their kingdoms and expansion of Christianity. Stronger kingdoms subjugated weaker kingdoms and in the 8th century, the kingdom of Mercia formed a hegemony. Their hegemony was weak however and the subjugated kingdoms had a lot of autonomy. This changed in the next century, when the West Saxons formed their own hegemony. They managed to withstand attacks from the Vikings from the end of the 9th century. After a successful defence, the West Saxons took control of lands south of the Humber, eventually taking over Northumbria. Battles in the north continued into the 10th century, but for the first time all of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were unified.
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