Vortigern

King
Military Leader

England

Declares himself High King of Britain: c. 425
Dies: c. 450

Although many legends have sprung up concerning Vortigern, he was probably an actual historical figure. He is mentioned in On The Ruin of Britain, History of the Britons and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

In the uncertain decades following the withdrawal of Roman troops from Britain, Vortigern emerged as a strong leader of the Britons, and dared to declare himself "High King." When he faced attacks by Picts and Scots in the north, he followed a common Roman imperial practice: he invited Saxons to come to England to fight the northern invaders in return for a grant of land.

Vortigern's role in facilitating Saxon access to England was remembered with bitterness by British chroniclers. Scholars using British sources to understand Vortigern must take great care in evaluating them, especially when those sources were created several centuries after the events in question.

Encyclopedia Article About Vortigern

On the Ruin of Britain
History of the Britons
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Dark-Age Britain

Vortigern on the Web

A Clerical Portrait of Vortigern?
An examination of the "recorded view" of Vortigern by Michael Veprauskas at the Early British Kingdoms website.

The Vortigern Studies Homepage
An initiative based in the Netherlands, dedicated to the study of the period between the Roman occupation of Britain and the Early Middle Ages

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