Editing Saxons (section)

==5th century==
In the 5th century, many records link Saxons with Britain and Gaul, although a rough description of the homeland of these Saxons was given by [[Hilarion]] who says the Frankish homeland lay between the Saxons and [[Alemanni]], placing them therefore north of the Franks.{{sfn|Springer|2004|page=39}} It is likely that the term Saxon was still mainly being used to describe northern raiders in general, and not a specific people. Writing in the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century, [[Procopius]] describes only three large nations living in "[[Brittia]]", Angles, Frisians, and Britons, and he does not mention Saxons at all.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Procopius/Wars/8D*.html | title=LacusCurtius • Procopius, Wars VIII.18‑20 }}</ref> The reputation for shocking coastal raids continued. In the late 5th century a dramatic description of Saxon raiding was written by [[Sidonius Apollinaris]] writing to a friend who was assigned to a coastal defensive post in [[County of Saintonge|Saintonge]] near [[Bordeaux]].

Early in this period it is believed that Roman general [[Stilicho]] campaigned in Britain and northern Gaul and reorganized the defences against the Saxons. Later in his career a series of crises in Italy, Gaul, Iberia and North Africa meant that military resources were not available for Britain. According to the ''[[Chronica Gallica of 452]]'', which was probably written in present day southern France, Britain was ravaged by Saxon invaders in 409 or 410. The Romano-British citizens reportedly expelled their Roman officials during this period and never again re-joined the Roman Empire.{{sfn|Halsall |2013|page=13}} Procopius states that after the overthrow of [[Constantine III (Western Roman emperor)|Constantine III]] in 411, "the Romans never succeeded in recovering Britain, but it remained from that time under tyrants."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dewing |first1=H B |title=Procopius: History of the Wars Books VII and VIII with an English Translation |date=1962 |publisher=Harvard University Press |pages=252–255 |url=https://eclass.uoa.gr/modules/document/file.php/SLAVSTUD182/Procopius%20Wars%20Books%20VII.36-VIII.pdf |access-date=1 March 2020 |archive-date=3 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303224542/https://eclass.uoa.gr/modules/document/file.php/SLAVSTUD182/Procopius%20Wars%20Books%20VII.36-VIII.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 441–442, Saxons are mentioned in the ''[[Chronica Gallica of 452]]'' which says that the "British provinces, which to this time had suffered various defeats and misfortunes, are reduced to Saxon rule".<ref name="Koch2006">{{cite book |author=Koch |first=John T. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f899xH_quaMC&pg=PA59 |title=Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-85109-440-0 |page=59 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>{{sfn|Springer|2004|page=48}} 6th-century British historian [[Gildas]] apparently knew of these same events from his grandparents' generation. According to Gildas a Saxon force based in the east of Britain ([[Bede]] writing in the 8th century believed they were based on the [[Isle of Thanet]]) were invited as ''[[foederati]]'' to Britain, in order to help defend against raids by Picts and Scots. They revolted over their pay and plundered the whole country, initiating a long war which the [[Romano-British]] eventually won. However, Britain was divided into corrupt "tyrannies". There are very few records of the period, but by the time of Bede most of England was ruled by Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.<ref>{{cite book |last=Halsall |first=Guy | author-link = Guy Halsall |title= Worlds of Arthur: Facts & Fictions of the Dark Ages|publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2013 |isbn=9780198700845 | url = https://archive.org/details/worldsofarthurfa0000hals/mode/2up | url-access=registration}}</ref>

In what is now France, during the 460s, an apparent fragment of a chronicle preserved in the [[Gregory of Tours#History of the Franks|''History of the Franks'']] of [[Gregory of Tours]], gives a confusing report about a number of battles involving one "[[Adovacrius]]", who led a group of Saxons based upon islands somewhere near the [[Loire]]. He took hostages at [[Anger]] in France, but his force was subsequently retaken by Roman and Frankish forces led by [[Childeric I]], a Frank. A "great war was waged between the Saxons and the Romans but the Saxons, turning their backs, with the Romans pursuing, lost many of their men to the sword. Their islands were captured and ravaged by the Franks, many people being killed." Though there is no consensus, many historians believe that this Adovacrius may be the same person as [[Odoacer]], the future king of Italy, who is mentioned in the same part of Gregory's text as a person who subsequently allied with Childeric to fight Alemanni in Italy.{{sfn|Reynolds|Lopez|1946|p=45}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gregory of Tours |author-link=Gregory of Tours |title=History of the Franks |date=1974 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=9780140442953 |location=Harmondsworth, Middlesex}}</ref><ref>{{harv|Springer|2004|page=54}} "In der Tat gewinnt seit zwanzig Jahren die Meinung an Boden, dass es sich um ein und deselbe Persönlichkeit gehandelt habe."</ref>