How Britain changed after the Romans

Without the Roman legions to defend it, Germanic tribes invaded and quickly settled across Britain. They established seven great Anglo-Saxon kingdoms that rivalled one another. By the late 8th century Mercia was the most powerful kingdom following the rule of Offa and Cynethryth. Christianity withered away, but returned in the 6th and 7th centuries, eventually spreading across Britain. In Scotland, the Picts were joined by Irish Scots who brought Gaelic culture with them.