AHC: Keep Kent a distinct nation

A lot of Jutish customs are fairly similar to Frankish ones post-Christianisation so I tend to subscribe to the idea that they were the Saxones Eucii who were Saxon tribes under Frankish suzerainty before the migration to Britain.
Mercia formed out of the West Angle tribes as they headed westward but soon incorporated various Saxons heading north. A more united post Roman state covering the midlands would impede this and stop the rise of Mercia. This could lead to Kent maintaining its control over most of the Germanic tribes south of the Humber.
Mercia itself was a bit of a melting pot and can be thought of one of the forces erasing the differences between those who called themselves Saxons and those who called themselves Angles.
Saxons themselves settled the southcoast and moved north and west, Angles settled the eastcoast and moved west and north/south (NB The Humber was a major division due to late control of Lindsey and Angles north of it called Northumbrians, those south called Southumbrians). This Wikipedia picture helps highlight current ideas for c600ce:
500px-Britain_peoples_circa_600.svg.png

You are an adherent of the 'Eucii' theory as opposed to the 'Eudoses' or the 'Gutes', then? Fair enough. The Venerable Bede seems to disagree with you, but I doubt he was a serious authority on ancient Germanic/Norse states or ethnic groups. I would ask, however, what is your explanation for the custom of gavelkind inheritance among the Cantware, as opposed to the popularity of primogeniture in Angle and Saxon states?

I assume butterflying the formation of Mercia would also impact on Wessex quite considerably. Perhaps more of the West Saxons would remain in Wessex rather than in heading north to Mercia, as you suggest? What impact could this have? How would the Angles being concentrated more on the east coast impact the states there, like Lindsey and East Anglia?

Would a midland 'Roman' state not compete with Kent's influence, much as Mercia did? Or would they, as Romanised Celts, not have the same level of prestige with the Germanic settlers Mercia did?

I'm afraid the image doesn't render for me. Could you post a link to the page instead please?
 
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