After the departure of the Romans from Britain, the course will cover the 'Dark Ages' and the various theories of how the people we call the Anglo-Saxons arrived, gradually dominated England, and formed kingdoms. As the course progresses the written and archaeological evidence becomes more certain giving us a view of how the development of the powerful Kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia, and eventually the superpower of Wessex took place. The spread of Christianity is essential to the understanding of this period. We will meet the Kings that ruled these new great Kingdoms. The era of the Viking raids which developed from bloody seasonal raids into outright invasions, then to settlements and changed the character of England will also be covered. The course concludes with the Battle of Hastings, the death of King Harold, and the coronation of Duke William of Normandy as William I of England. Zoom lectures supported by PowerPoint. A precis of each session will be circulated by email after each session. Supplementary essays will also be circulated on specific topics.