Vortigern - Early British Leader

This profile of Vortigern is part ofWhos Who in Medieval History   Vortigern was also known as: Guorthignirnus, Gurthrigern, Wyrtgeorn Vortigern was noted for: Inviting the Saxons to help him fight northern invaders, essentially opening the door to a significant Saxon presence in England. Occupations Roles in Society: KingMilitary Leader Places of Residence and Influence: England Important Dates: Declares himself High King of Britain: c. 425Dies: c. 450 About Vortigern: 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. This reportedly did not go over very well with most of the British, who disliked sharing their lands with Saxon interlopers, and things got worse when the Saxons rebelled and fought against Vortigern. According to the Historia Brittonum, the rebellion ended when the Saxons killed Vortigerns son Vortimer and massacred many British nobles. Vortigern subsequently granted the Saxons lands in Essex and Sussex, where they would build kingdoms in the coming decades. Vortigerns 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. More Vortigern Resources: Post-Roman Britain: An Introduction   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 HomepageAn initiative based in the Netherlands, dedicated to the study of the period between the Roman occupation of Britain and the Early Middle Ages Dark-Age Britain Whos Who Directories: Chronological Index Geographical Index Index by Profession, Achievement, or Role in Society The text of this document is copyright  ©2007-2016 Melissa Snell. You may download or print this document for personal or school use, as long as the URL below is included. Permission is  not  granted to reproduce this document on another website. For publication permission,  please  contact  Melissa Snell. The URL for this document is:http://historymedren.about.com/od/vwho/p/who_vortigern.htm