=294. The Britons.= There were already two groups of people in these
islands. Under the rule of the Romans one group, the Britons, had been
weakened as fighters.
[Sidenote: =Britons fight among themselves=]
Rome called her legions out of Britain to fight the Germans. This left
the Britons without good soldiers to keep order and the tribes began
fighting one another. One tribe, the Britons proper, invited bands of
Jutes from Denmark (449) to help them. After the Britons had forced
back their enemies the Jutes refused to go away. They took possession
of the land, making it their home.
[Sidenote: =Where the name England came from=]
=295. Coming of the Anglo-Saxons.= Other German tribes, chiefly the
wild Angles and Saxons, now came over from Europe. The new tribes soon
brought the Britons under their rule. They gave their names to the land
they had taken--Angle land or England. The Angles and Saxons are the
forefathers of the "English" people. The Britons who would not submit
were driven into the lands to the west known as Wales, and became the
"Welsh."
=296. Rome Brings Christianity to the Germans.= When the western Roman
Empire passed away in 476, the church remained the only strong central
government in all that vast territory. It acted as a steady light
when all about was dark and changing. Its priests came to be the only
educated class, giving it great influence.
[Sidenote: =Clovis, king of the Franks, converted=]
Even before the invasions began, missionaries went among the German
tribes on the frontiers to preach the religion of Christ. Many of the
Germans had accepted the new religion either before or soon after
entering Roman territory. Clovis, king of the Franks, was influenced by
his Christian wife to accept the new religion. His army followed, and
was baptized with its leader.
[Sidenote: =England becomes Christian=]
Missionaries under Augustine were sent from Rome to England. Through
their earnest preaching and noble living the king of Kent and his
followers accepted the new religion. A church was built at Canterbury.
Others carried on the work until all England had accepted Christianity.
Other missionaries went to the northern Germans, and many of these
people became Christians.
These early missionaries were mostly monks. Their homes (monasteries)
were like small settlements among the people. They not only preached
the new religion, but showed people better ways of farming and living.
In their schools, they taught people to read and write.
[Illustration: _After an engraving in Green's History of England_