Toni Sihvonen (order #92780) 62.142.248.1

Toni Sihvonen (order #92780) 6
Armorica (Brittany): Britons seek aid from
this Gaulish territory ruled by the sons of
Magnus Maximus, but its kings are too busy
fighting Alans, Burgundians, Attila, Aetius,
and other enemies. Instead, Armorica accepts
waves of British refugees in 410 and 460.
With Aetius and Attila dead, the refugees of
460 convince Aurelius and Uther to secure
Britain lest the Saxons cross the Channel
against them. After these leaders die, more
Britons pour into Armorica fleeing the
Saxons.
Fifth Century Britain: Economy
The departure of the Roman military and
civil service robs Britain of soldiers, educators,
jurists, scribes, clergy, and the tenders of
roads, forts, granaries, treasuries, mines,
aqueducts, levees, and sewers; moreover, the
loss of these salaried professionals means the
loss of their trade for merchants and artisans
who depend upon it. Even more devastating
is the loss of Roman currency. The Emperor’s
coins were honored from Strangorre to Syria,
enabling Britons to produce pottery, hardware,
and textiles on a large scale for overseas
trade. Post-Roman coins, issued by local
barons, have only their weight-worth outside
the barons’ domains. Even before the Saxon
invasion, Romano-British towns suffer a
depression severe enough to cause famine.
Caledonia (North of the Mall): British tribes, settled by
Rome between the Hadrianic and Antonine walls, will
become Strangorre, Corre, Lothian, and Carloth (from
which Vortigern removes Votadini warriors to the southwest).
The once-decimated Picts have recovered their former
strength. Allied under Drust mac Erp, they threaten
Britain until his death in 458. A minor Pictish tribe, the
Epidii, occupy coastlands that the Irish will seize as
Dalriada.
Hibernia (Ireland): From 400 to 440, the chieftains Niall
Nine-Hostages (north) and Conall Corc (south) gain loot
and prestige by raiding Britain. They then persecute
weaker tribes, forcing the northern Ulaidh and the southern
Deisi (“Mercenaries”) into Pictland and Cambria,
respectively.
But some Romano-Britons are glad to see the
Romans leave. The great landholders in the
countryside - a mixture of retired legionaries and
Romanized native chiefs - can recruit their own soldiers,
do not depend on international trade, and have always
resented the Roman bureaucracy. Their profits are now
safe from Roman taxes. Their workers are safe from
Roman conscription, and more workers will soon arrive
from the cash-starved cities. The landlords’ power grows
as the cities decline, putting Britain on the road to feudalism.
Fifth Century Britain: Religion
Romano-Celtic Paganism: Although Christianity has long
since become the official faith of the Empire, some Britons