The Anglo-Saxons
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The Romans progressively abandoned Britannia in the 5th century as their Empire was falling apart and legions were needed to protect Rome. With the Romans gone, the Celtic tribes started fighting with each other again, and one of the local chieftains had the not so brilliant idea to request help from some Germanic tribes from the North of present-day Germany and South of Denmark. These were the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, who arrived in the 5th and 6th centuries. However, things did not happen as the Celts had expected. The Germanic tribes felt strong enough to seize the whole of the country for themselves, which they did, pushing back all the Celtic tribes to Wales and Cornwall, and founding their kingdoms.
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The Vikings
From the second half of the 9th century, the Norse from Scandinavia started invading Europe. The Danes invaded the North-East of England, from Northumerland to East Anglia, and founded a new kingdom known as the Danelaw. Another group of Danes managed to take Paris, and obtain a grant of land from the King of France in 911. This area became the Duchy of Normandy, and its inhabitants were the Normans (from 'North Men' or 'Norsemen', another term for 'Viking').
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The Normans
Another group of Danes managed to take Paris, and obtain a grant of land from the King of France in 911. This area became the Duchy of Normandy, and its inhabitants were the Normans (from 'North Men' or 'Norsemen', another term for 'Viking'). The Normans adopted the French feudal system and the French language.
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William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England in 1066 and killed King Harold at the battle of Hastings. Consequently, William the Conqueror became William I of England. French became the official language of England, and remained it until 1362. English was the language of the populace, and the fusion of English (a mixture of Anglo-Saxon and Norse languages) with French and Latin (used by the clergy) slowly evolved into modern English.