[Music] this period of britain's history is dominated by invasions the celts arrived from 700 bc they were hunters fishermen and metal workers they settled in clans in farming communities they worshipped nature and had influential priests called druids the celts were followed by the romans who conquered britain in 43-47 a.d the romans built roads towns and the first bridge in londinium today's london they also built hadrian's wall as a defensive barrier along the border with today's scotland when the romans left to defend rome germanic tribes invaded in the fifth and sixth centuries these tribes were known collectively as the anglo-saxons they were farmers and fishermen and used a runic alphabet they lived in family groups and created huge decorated communal halls their language was the basis of modern english the romans had brought christianity to britain but this disappeared under the anglo-saxons until the pope sent a monk augustine in 597 to bring christianity back many monasteries were then built the anglo-saxons divided the country into seven kingdoms the heptarchy of which wessex was the most important then in the eighth and ninth centuries the vikings attacked england they came from norway sweden and to denmark king alfred the great of wessex united the anglo-saxons against the vikings the last anglo-saxon king was harold who was killed at the battle of hastings in 1066 this battle was to defend britain from the norman invasion by william duke of normandy the normans were vikings who had settled in northern france their ruler william claimed that the english throne had been promised to him his successful invasion began the norman dynasty william the conqueror was crowned king in westminster abbey in 10 66