The Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy

The Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy refers to the collective term for the seven main early medieval kingdoms that dominated what is now England between the 5th and 9th centuries. These kingdoms—Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex, and Wessex—formed distinct political entities with their own rulers and systems. Over time, their relationships involved alliances, conflicts, and shifting borders, eventually leading to the unification of England under Wessex. The heptarchy provides a framework for understanding the early political landscape of Anglo-Saxon England before it became a unified kingdom.