Gildas was a 6th century British monk who wrote about the withdrawal of the Romans from Britain and the subsequent invasion by Anglo-Saxons. As one of the earliest British historians, his account provides information on the invitation of Saxon mercenaries to help fight tribes in northern Britain. However, as Gildas wrote long after the events, his negative portrayal of the Saxons as "wolves" may reflect his own biases rather than a fully reliable historical account.

1. L.I: TO INVESTIGATE
WHY THE ROMANS LEFT
BRITAIN AND WHY THE
ANGLO-SAXONS INVADED
Who is
this?
Gildas

2. WHO WAS GILDAS?
No one knows exactly what happened just after the Romans left
Britain but we have a source of written information from a monk
called Gildas.
• British monk – a Christian
• Considered the first British historian.
• Anglo –Saxons mercenaries were invited to come and help fight
alongside the King of Kent against the tribes who lived in the
north.
• Account written in 550AD, a long time after events were supposed
to have happened.

3. Gildas wrote:
‘They invited like wolves in a sheepfold the fierce
and ungodly Saxons., a race that both God and
men hated, to drive back the attacks of the
northern tribes’
Discuss with your partner:
What opinion do you think Gildas had about the Saxons?
Do you think that his account is reliable evidence? Explain
your reasons.

4. YOUR TASK:
• Use the information from the PowerPoint to write down information
on Gildas.
• Put the title: Invaders of Britain in your book. Then copy the map
showing who the invaders were – Source A on page 24 and label it.
• Using the text, add information around the map.