 The Anglo-Saxon invasion and migration into ancient England inhabited by Celts is a defining feature in the history of England and Britain in general. But what if this didn't happen, and there was no influx of Anglo-Saxons into ancient England? The vantage point of history allows us to look back on events after they happened, but this creates a problem. Reading these events after they happened gives the impression that they are a foregone conclusion, like what else could have happened? In Neil Ferguson's appearance on the Tim Ferriss podcast, he goes through the importance of asking the following question, what if things happened differently? In other words, history is not a foregone conclusion. So very briefly, the Anglo-Saxon migration or invasion into ancient Britain refers to the period just following the Roman withdrawal of Britannia in 410 AD. When groups of Angles and Saxons from places such as ancient Germany and ancient Denmark, this general region in the northwest of Europe, Denmark, Netherlands, parts of Germany began flooding across the channel into ancient England. Frisia was one region and parts of modern Germany and modern the Netherlands, where the Anglo-Saxons are thought to have came from. They were initially invited by the ancient Britons to defend them against attacks from the likes of the Picts and the Scoti, but they then began flooding into ancient England at an alarming rate. If there was no Anglo-Saxon settlement of ancient Britain, the greatest consequence would have been that the English language wouldn't have been formed. English itself is a West Germanic language and its name comes from the Angles themselves, although English itself over the years has been influenced by French, Latin and also Old Norse. English is a Germanic language or West Germanic language and Old English itself is actually very Germanic and in fact a synonym for Old English is Anglo-Saxon. Prior to the Anglo-Saxons settling in ancient Britain, the people of Britain called Britons spoke a Celtic language called Common Brythonic or variations of this language for the most part. If there was no Anglo-Saxon settlement of ancient Britain, Brythonic and other Celtic languages may still be the dominant languages in these lands. Of course Celtic languages are still spoken in many parts of Britain today, Welsh and Scottish Gaelic being two examples, but English is largely the dominant language on average. The genetic makeup of the English people would also be different today without the Anglo-Saxons migrating and invading into ancient England and in fact the term English of course wouldn't be used. The people of the British Isle study found at large parts of the eastern and central and southern parts of England form a single genetic group with between 10 and 40% Anglo-Saxon ancestry. However these people still retained the DNA of the ancient people of Britain. In certain geographical regions of England, the genetic legacy of the Anglo-Saxons was most pronounced. One study that looked at the East Anglian population found that 38% of those people's ancestry is derived from the Anglo-Saxon migrations. Another consequence if there was no Anglo-Saxon migration or invasion into ancient England is that there wouldn't be or probably wouldn't be a legacy, a Celtic legacy in Britain today. The only reason that Breton, one of the Celtic languages still spoken today, is spoken in Britain is because during the Anglo-Saxon migrations and invasions over centuries essentially, some people from ancient England and ancient Britain migrated into Brittany today, bringing their Celtic language common Brythonic with them. People migrating from Britain into Brittany is the reason why Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany today. What other consequences would there have been if the Anglo-Saxons hadn't settled in ancient England? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Obviously the Kingdom of England wouldn't have been formed with the same name but would the Kingdom and the geographical region that we call England today still have been formed? Like I say please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for watching and I'll speak to you next time.