Theme: Civilization

SO THE ANSWER TO WHO IS THE FIRST KING OF ENGLAND IS?
(and the history of what people called themselves)

Favoring Alfred as the first is understandable, although you know, it’s gradual process, and we should remember at least two if not three names:

Alfred (AEL-freyd) is only the king of Wessex, but he does set the foundations for the future by defending against the viking invasions.

Athelstan (Æthelstan) unified the Anglo Saxon kingdoms, and it was the first time the regions now known as England were unified under a single monarch, creating a centralized and unified political entity. Historical records from Athelstan’s time refer to him as “Rex Anglorum” (King of the English) and “Rex totius Britanniae” (King of the whole of Britain), highlighting his recognized authority over a unified realm.

Canute (Knut) brought stability and prosperity integrating the anglo saxon and danish people and regions. He also ruled over a north sea empire that included denmark and norway as well.

So that’s anglo-saxon-viking england.

William the Conqueror arrives and he brings mounded knights rather than just footsoldiers – because we’re all talking about the same rought gene pool from northern france to at least denmark. And he brought french, latin, roman administration to england, and converted anglo saxon england to norman england, the way anglo saxons converted the Celtic Britons speaking Common Brittonic – who did not have a unified identity, to anglo saxon england.

WHAT DID THESE PEOPLE CALL THEMSELVES?

Britain, Briton, are derived from the latin Britanni, and which is a latin derivation of greek Pretanoi or Priteni, but begins with the self identification of the people of the south of Britain as The *Pritani, (which I was taught was Pritanni, or Pretanni).

While the Celtic Britons were divided into various tribes and kingdoms, such as Iceni, Trinovantes, Catuvellauni, and Brigantes, they did share common cultural and linguistic roots, which would have provided a basis for a shared sense of identity, even if it wasn’t as strongly unified as the later English identity.

In Common Brittonic, the language spoken by these Celtic Britons, the word for “people” or “tribe” was likely similar to the Welsh word “gwerin,” which comes from the proto-Celtic “*weryom” or “*weryon-.” This term could have been used to refer to one’s own tribe or people. Today these terms survive as gwerin (folk, people) and “foirinn” (troop, band, company, crew, staff, team).

Another term that might have been used is the proto-Celtic “*toutā,” which is related to the Irish “tuath” and the Welsh “tud,” meaning “people,” “tribe,” or “nation.”

Which many of us recognize today as “Teuton” an “Teutonic” from german.

The term is also related to the Old English “þeod” (THEE-odd) and the Old High German “diot,” (DEE-oht) both meaning “people.”

Reply addressees: @MaxwellMianecki @whatifalthist