England in the Middle Ages concerns the
history of England during the
medieval period, from the end of the 5th century through to the start of the
Early Modern period in 1485. When England emerged from the collapse of the
Roman Empire, the
economy was in tatters and many of the towns abandoned. After several centuries of Germanic immigration, new identities and cultures began to emerge, developing into predatory kingdoms that competed for power. A rich
artistic culture flourished under the
Anglo-Saxons, producing
epic poems such as
Beowulf and sophisticated
metalwork. The Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity in the 7th century and a network of
monasteries and
convents were built across England. In the 8th and 9th centuries England faced fierce
Viking attacks, and the fighting lasted for many decades, establishing
Wessex as the most powerful kingdom and promoting the growth of an English identity. Despite repeated crises of succession and a
Danish seizure of power at the start of the 11th century, by the 1060s England was a powerful, centralised state with a strong military and successful economy.