From the coming of the English into the Romanized province of Britain (traditionally dated to the year 449) to the Norman Conquest of 1066, it was the Anglo-Saxons who controlled the territory of England. In this book, the author draws on a range of evidence to offer an analysis of their way of life. She examines the basic structures of society - the hierarchy descending from the King, his court and the noblemen to the churls and slaves - the systems of administration and law and the role and organization of the Church. Britain may have been at the edge of the civilized world, yet the Anglo-Saxons produced a distinguished body of literature, Latin and vernacular, and many important works of art.