The Sixth Age: A Medieval History Podcast
Jul 10, 2026 · 37 min · 12 segments
This episode traces the end of Roman rule in Britain, the withdrawal of imperial protection around 410 AD, and the rise of Germanic settlers (Angles, Saxons, Jutes) who mixed warfare, settlement, and…
It's safe to say that in 410 AD, the people of the Roman province called Britannia, that's what the Romans called Roman Britain, they were used to their position in the Roman world.
Britannia was the northernmost province of the Roman Empire, and it was also one of the empire's most troublesome provinces.
It took a really long time for Britain's native inhabitants to accept the idea of Roman rule.
But these revolts are ultimately crushed by the Roman army, and over time, the native Britons acclimated to Roman living.
They blended their Celtic gods with the Roman gods, and they produced these interesting hybrid cults that sometimes even came to be worshipped in the city of Rome itself.
We actually see some Celtic gods making their way to Rome and getting temples and shrines there.
In Britain, the Romans are building Roman-style cities, which we call civetases.
And the Britons actually, some of them came to live in villas modeled after those in the Italian countryside.
So there's a great degree of acclimation that's going on here.
It's safe to say that in 410 AD, the people of the Roman province called Britannia, that's what the Romans called Roman Britain, they were used to their position in the Roman world.
Britannia was the northernmost province of the Roman Empire, and it was also one of the empire's most troublesome provinces.
It took a really long time for Britain's native inhabitants to accept the idea of Roman rule.
But these revolts are ultimately crushed by the Roman army, and over time, the native Britons acclimated to Roman living.
They blended their Celtic gods with the Roman gods, and they produced these interesting hybrid cults that sometimes even came to be worshipped in the city of Rome itself.
We actually see some Celtic gods making their way to Rome and getting temples and shrines there.
In Britain, the Romans are building Roman-style cities, which we call civetases.
And the Britons actually, some of them came to live in villas modeled after those in the Italian countryside.
So there's a great degree of acclimation that's going on here.
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