What if the Germanic Migrations into the British Isles continued? IOTL, the Angles and Jutes more or less disappeared on the Continent. What if the Migrations has continued until the Frisians and Saxons has largely relocated to the British Isles as well? Would they focus on other areas to set up petty kingdoms in Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Cornwall? Would a larger Heathen population result in the traditional Germanic polytheist beliefs lasting longer in the British Isles?
WI: Continued Migrations of Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and, Frisians into the British Isles
Given that Britain went mainly pagan OTL and was reconverted in the 6th Century, unlike to be any major religious impact. As to impact of greater migrations, it all depends on what is happening. OTL the modern consensus is that the migrations were mainly the warrior elite and their retainers. Based in part on the ability/will to move etc, it seems unlikely a greater migration would not just be more of the same ( indeed the later Norman conquest followed the same pattern ), more local elite replaced with migrants.
Remember the various Germanic groups would fight each other over the best land, one reason Wales and Scotland survived with native elites was that their land was not seen as worth the cost. Britain is not that populated in this period, population had been falling since the 4th Century and trade collapsing. Then in the mid 6th Century, Justinian's plague, together with volcano's causing harvests to fail for a decade or so, caused a Europe-wide population plummet. Roman Britain had possibly twice the population of Saxon so empty land was not an issue.
Remember the various Germanic groups would fight each other over the best land, one reason Wales and Scotland survived with native elites was that their land was not seen as worth the cost. Britain is not that populated in this period, population had been falling since the 4th Century and trade collapsing. Then in the mid 6th Century, Justinian's plague, together with volcano's causing harvests to fail for a decade or so, caused a Europe-wide population plummet. Roman Britain had possibly twice the population of Saxon so empty land was not an issue.
True but even IOTL the Anglo-Saxons attempted to invade Ireland in the 600s. I'd imagine even more Anglo-Saxons would allow for more and earlier attempts to establish an AS foothold in Ireland at the very least.
Continued migrations could alter the British language. Maybe it hast an even more ,Germanic' character. Interesting would be a Frisian part of England, which later is reffered as ,New West Frisia'.
Zen9
Banned
Currently the controversy in the Netherlands is that the evidence shows that what we call Frisian language is in fact the product of Anglo-Saxon 'Inguevonic' speakers moving into the territory and replacing the natives.
So strictly it would the name stayed but not the people.
As you can imagine this is a subject of considerable controversy.
So strictly it would the name stayed but not the people.
As you can imagine this is a subject of considerable controversy.
The Scottish lowlands did become Anglo-Saxon, as much as Scottish nationalists like to pretend otherwise.
For what i know, the "anglisization" of the Scottish Lowlands was made later, very after the original conquest. Originally only Edinburgh (a very germanic name) and the surrounding areas were anglo-saxon because they were part of Northumbria, but the anglo-saxon dialect of Northumbria (which would evolve into the Scottish English) began to spread.
You need available land. For this matter, the dark-age population of a third of Germany needs to find a place for living. Saxons settled the southern half of England.
Assuming Jutes settle in Kent and Wight, for the entire Jutish peninsula to be emptied, they would need to settle dunno the Cornish peninsula?
Scottish lowlands like Lothian were to be invaded by Angles already...
So maybe if we would give East Anglia to ankther tribe and move the Jutesinto Scotland it could work.
Okay so:
Angles: Northumbria, Mercia
Saxons: Essex, Sussex, Wessex
Frisians: East Anglia, Kent, Wigh
Jutes: Lothian, Fife,
Assuming Jutes settle in Kent and Wight, for the entire Jutish peninsula to be emptied, they would need to settle dunno the Cornish peninsula?
Scottish lowlands like Lothian were to be invaded by Angles already...
So maybe if we would give East Anglia to ankther tribe and move the Jutesinto Scotland it could work.
Okay so:
Angles: Northumbria, Mercia
Saxons: Essex, Sussex, Wessex
Frisians: East Anglia, Kent, Wigh
Jutes: Lothian, Fife,
Does Ireland or Wales not have land they can conquer and move into?
I believe conquering Ireland may be difficult, it took England way too long despite its proximity.
Highlands and Wales are hilly, rugged defensive terrain, not likely to be subdued easily
Highlands and Wales are hilly, rugged defensive terrain, not likely to be subdued easily