I was all right with the first few chapters of 'The Last Kingdom' where his main character blurts out, "We are all Saxons" I nearly sprayed my coffee across the room! The Saxons comprised a third of what is now England, largely south of the Thames aside from Middlesex and Essex (as they are now). The rest were Aengle, Angles originally from north of Lower Saxony on the North Sea coast. The Angles had warred amongst themselves in their new territories, and united against a third kingdom, the growing Mercia first under Penda and then Offa. They were united, however, in warding off advances into their territory by the Saxons under Cerdic and several other kings to Alfred's time. They also warded off the Saxons' incursions into East Anglia. Aethelstan it was, grandson of Alfred but raised by Mercians although his mother Aethelfleda was Alfred's daughter. He chose not to marry, thus enabling his Saxon cousin to succeed him. All the same, resistance to Saxon rule over the other kingdoms continued.
No, we are NOT all Saxons!
