There are several cultural groups in England. These cultural groups came and inhabited here from their native lands. The migrated communities built here many histories for centuries. Angles and Saxons are two of those communities that are addressed as Anglo-Saxons together. These two communities adhere to many similarities but some factors differentiate these two groups.
Angles vs Saxons
The main difference between Angles and Saxons is that Angles refer to the Germanic people who originated from Holstein and Schleswig (current some parts of northern Germany and southern Denmark) and settled in Great Britain During the early medieval period, on the other hand, Saxons refer to the Germanic group who originated to North sea coast of Northern Germania and later settled in Great Britain.
Angles invaded Britain’s island in the fifth century. Tacitus (first century) first mentioned Angles as the worshippers of Nerthus, a Germanic ancient goddess. According to Beda or Baeda, the continental homeland of Angles was in Angulus which is situated in the Schleswig district between the Flensburger Forde and the Schlei inlet.
Saxons lived in the modern Schleswig area and alongside the coast of the Baltic. The Saxons spread rapidly through Northern Germany and along the Britain coast and Gaul coast during the fifth century. Their homeland was situated very close to the Angles’ homeland. The British Saxons are now known as the Anglo-Saxons who became a single nation by bringing all migrant peoples together.
Comparison Table Between Angles and Saxons
What is Angles?
Angles are the main Germanic tribe that settled in Great Britain during the post-Roman era. They founded several Heptarchy kingdoms in Anglo-Saxon England. According to Tacitus, which was written before they migrated to Great Britain, they lived alongside Semnones and Langobards in ancient areas of Holstein and Schleswig (current Northern Germany and Southern Denmark).
The earliest mention of this group can be found in the Germania of Tacitus which is written around 98 AD. He describes the “Anglii” as one of the remote Suebic tribes who lived on the Elbe. In this region Angles were grouped with some other tribes- Varini, Suarines, Aviones, Nuithones, and Eudoses. All these groups lived behind ramparts of woods and rivers.
Most of the scholars believe that ‘Anglii’ lived on the Baltic Sea coast. This view is based on Danish and Old English traditions regarding events and people of the 4th Century.
According to Bede, the Anglii lived in a land named Angulus before they lived in Great Britain which was situated in between Saxons and Jutes provinces. According to Bede, after invading Great Britain, Angles split up and founded three kingdoms- Mercia, East Anglia, and Northumbria. H.R. Loyn observed that tribe-based kingdoms were predominant in Great Britain at this time.
What is Saxons?
The Saxons refer to a Germanic tribe whose homeland was the current Netherlands’ North Sea coast, Denmark, and Germany. One of the earliest records of Saxons is from the Roman writers who were dealing with several issues that affected the Roman Empire’s northern frontier during the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
Roman control in Britain was waning during the early 4th century. In 410 CE, the Roman army withdrew their control over Britain and the Roman-occupied land was controlled by the Romanized Britons. The left land was under control by several small warring groups, both invaders and indigenous groups. They were fighting for gaining political control over the land. In this scenario, more Saxons started to migrate to Great Britain.
Most of the information regarding Saxons came from the reports of a handful of writers, who were mostly monks and bishops since Saxons were illiterate. The Saxons were one of the barbarian nations that attacked Rome during antiquity and put an end to Western Rome’s dying imperial order. They reshaped the map of Europe and renamed many European nations.
The caste structure was prominent in the culture of Saxons. The society was divided into three castes- lazzi, frilingi, and edhilingui. According to traditions, Lazzi were the original inhabitants of the conquered territories of Saxons, who were forced to make a tribute to the edhilingui. Frilingi were the descendants of the manumissi, auxiliarii, and amicii of that caste. Edhilingui were the descendants of the Saxons who were a conquering warrior elite and led the tribe out of Holstein during the 6th century.
Main Difference Between Angles and Saxons
- Angles originated from the current Schleswig-Holstein, on the other hand, Saxons were native to northern and central Germany.
- The name “Angles” is probably derived from the Anglia peninsular, from where they originated, on the other hand, The name “Saxons” is derived probably from the Old English word Seax which means knife.
- Angles later settled in the kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia, and Middle and East Anglia, whereas Saxons later settled in the Southern part of England.
- The ancient language of the Angles was Old English with Anglic dialects, while the ancient language of the Saxons was Old Saxon and Old English.
- The name of Angles gave the name of English but the Saxons didn’t contribute to any country’s name.
Conclusion
Both the Angles and the Saxons are the Germanic tribe who later settled in Great Britain and established several kingdoms. After settling in Great Britain Angles and Saxons eventually developed a common cultural identity which is known as Anglo-Saxons. This process happened from the mid 5th to early 7th century.
Both these groups came to Great Britain at the almost same time but their place of origin was different and they have settled in Great Britain differently. These two tribal groups are now identified as one single group but earlier these two groups had their own identity. The Anglo-Saxons first formed the concept of kingdom in Great Britain.
References
- https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=who+are+angles&btnG=#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3DOa7QzogvbvwJ
- https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=who+are+saxons&btnG=#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3DScsSqX3aG3wJ