 What's the genetic map of the British Isles and what impacted the Romans, the Vikings, the Normans and the Anglo-Saxons having its genetic makeup? The people of the British Isles study led by researchers from the University of Oxford set out to answer this question. They took DNA samples from volunteers from the UK and Europe to identify key traces of population movement into the UK over the last 10,000 years. They found 17 clusters of individuals who had similarities in their genetics that matched remarkably well with their geographical location. Some other major findings of the study were that Anglo-Saxons made a significant impact on the genetics of much of England, although they did not wipe out all traces of the earlier settlers of Britain. Groups of Angles and Saxons migrated from places like Germany and ancient Denmark into Britain starting around the 5th century AD after the Romans left. The genetic map of Britain shows that large parts of eastern and central and southern England form a single genetic group with between 10 and 40% Anglo-Saxon ancestry. They did not completely wipe out the earlier settlers of Britain, however. This suggests that the Anglo-Saxons, instead of completely wiping out the indigenous people of Britain, intermarried and integrated with them. What impact did the Vikings make genetically on the British Isles? Although they made a significant impact militarily, politically, linguistically and culturally, there is no significant genetic signature in England from the Dane Law period. In Orkney, however, the Viking genetic legacy is quite remarkable. 25% of DNA from Orkney has Norwegian ancestry, a clear marker of the Viking period and their colonisation of Orkney and other islands in that region. They did not completely wipe out the indigenous people of Orkney prior to the Viking raids and occupation, however. As the indigenous resident population of Orkney prior to this, probably a Pictish population is still present in the genetic code. Norwegian markers were found in all Scottish and Northern Irish samples, but less so in England and even less so in Wales. In general, Orkney was the most genetically distinct of all the clusters in the study. The genetic evidence suggests that the people of Wales are the most genetically similar to the earliest settlers of the British Isles after the last Ice Age ended and the Ice receded. These early settlers of the British Isles spread across all regions into Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. However, these peoples of these ancient nations were more affected by migrations and invasions than the people of ancient Wales. Thus, the people of Wales are the most genetically similar to the earliest settlers of the British Isles. Interestingly, however, there is a clear genetic split between Northern Wales and Southern Wales. Although the Romans had a remarkably large impact on Britain in general, they left a remarkably small impact genetically on its people, perhaps because only a small number of Romans actually settled in Britain. A similar story is found when we look at the Normans. Although they had a notable impact on the language and government of Britain, they had a remarkably little impact genetically. Outside of a few small, powerful families that did settle in Britain. Other findings of the study were that the Celtic peoples of the British Isles are distinct genetically, reaffirming the fact that Celts are bound by language, culture and shared history as opposed to genetics. There is links, though, between Northern Ireland and many people in Western Scotland. With this in part explained by the history of the Gaels and the Gaelic Kingdom of Dalryada, which stretched from parts of Ireland to the western coast of Scotland. There was also a genetic split in Northern Ireland, however, with both groups linking to some parts of Scotland. The Ulster plantation is another potential explanation for this reality. The data also suggests a large movement of people from Northern France into the British Isles particularly Scotland and England between 6,000 and 3,000 years ago. This is obviously a massive subject, so please let me know your thoughts in the comments below and any studies or reports you come across on this subject. I am also going to make a separate video on Ireland and delve into each individual country in more detail in future videos. So like I say, any references please let me know in the comments below and I'll use them for future videos. As we have seen, the genetic map of the British Isles is as fascinating as it sounds although it does raise its own questions. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for watching. If you would like to support this work through Patreon, buy me a coffee dot com or make a donation through PayPal. Please do so via the links in the description below. Please remember to subscribe and hit the bell and I'll speak to you soon.