The Celtic Heartland Before Rome

Long before it became England, the island known as Britannia was home to vibrant Celtic tribes who called their land “Prydain” – a name echoing with pride. By the time Julius Caesar’s legions landed in 55 BCE, these Britons had emerged as the most powerful Celtic civilization, their culture flourishing untouched until Rome’s iron grip closed around them.

The Roman conquest, completed by 84 CE after brutal campaigns, left only Caledonia’s northern highlands (modern Scotland) unconquered. For four centuries, Latin inscriptions replaced Ogham carvings, and military towns like “Chester” (from Latin castrum) dotted the landscape. But Rome’s interest was purely extractive – British mines, which had attracted Carthaginian traders six centuries earlier, now fueled imperial greed. Celtic tribesmen were forced into deadly mine shafts, their suffering foreshadowing the colonial exploitation Britain would later inflict globally.

The Collapse of Roman Order

As the 5th century dawned, Rome’s crumbling frontiers forced troop withdrawals. By 410 CE, the last legion departed, plunging Britannia into chaos. This power vacuum coincided with the Germanic migrations reshaping Europe – Vandals, Suebi, and Alans pushed west, displacing Angles and Saxons from Jutland. Starving and land-hungry, these seafaring warriors saw opportunity in Britain’s undefended shores.

The pivotal moment came when King Vortigern, a Celtic ruler who had seized power through regicide, invited Saxon mercenaries led by Hengist and Horsa to repel Pictish raids. This fateful decision in c. 428 CE would alter history. The Saxons’ three ships carried not just warriors but destiny – their arrival marked England’s conception.

Betrayal and the Birth of England

Vortigern’s disastrous alliance unfolded like a Shakespearean tragedy. Seduced by Hengist’s daughter Rowena (legend claims he traded Kent for her hand), the king alienated his son Vortimer. Poisoned goblets, massacred banquets, and broken oaths followed. At the Battle of Aylesford (c. 440 CE), though Horsa fell, Anglo-Saxon forces crushed British resistance, seizing London, York, and the future “Angle-land.”

Vortigern’s retreat to Wales (from Germanic walha, meaning “foreigner” – an ironic label for natives) became the stuff of legend. The wizard Merlin’s prophecy of battling red and white dragons symbolized Celtic resilience, with the red dragon surviving to adorn Wales’ flag today. Meanwhile, displaced Britons fled to Armorica, renaming it Brittany – “Little Britain.”

Arthur: Myth and Man

From this chaos emerged the Arthurian legends. Whether based on Aurelius Ambrosius (Vortigern’s rival) or a Sarmatian-descended cavalry commander (Roman auxiliaries from 175 CE brought dragon standards and egalitarian traditions), Arthur represented Celtic resistance. His Round Table – possibly inspired by Sarmatian warrior circles – created an enduring chivalric ideal.

Yet historical Arthur likely controlled only Wales and Cornwall. The real power shift came as Germanic tribes established seven kingdoms:

1. Saxon realms: Wessex, Essex, Sussex
2. Angle territories: East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria
3. Jutish Kent

The Enduring Legacy

The Anglo-Saxon conquest failed to erase Celtic identity. Wales preserved its language, while Scotland resisted assimilation. England’s DNA still bears Frisian markers, and Arthurian romances inspired Europe’s literary traditions. The red dragon remains Wales’ defiant symbol, just as Cornwall’s independence movements echo ancient divisions.

This turbulent birth shaped Britain’s psyche – from imperial ambitions mirroring Rome’s extractive cruelty to the unresolved tensions between its constituent nations. The echoes of Vortigern’s fatal invitation and Arthur’s doomed resistance still resonate in Brexit debates and devolution crises, proving that the 5th century’s shadows stretch long into modern Britain’s identity.