— Ch. 1 · Etymology And Origins —
Saxons.
~8 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
The name Saxon derives from a specific type of knife used during the early medieval period. Old English sources call this blade a seax, while Old High German texts refer to it with a similar term. Archaeological finds confirm the existence of these single-edged swords in northern Germany. The earliest written records using the word Saxon appear in the 4th century AD. These documents describe coastal raiders attacking the Roman Empire from regions north of the Rhine river. A text known as the Laterculus Veronensis lists Saxons among barbarian peoples under imperial power around 314 AD. Some scholars argue that Ptolemy's Geographia mentions a tribe called Saxones near the Elbe river mouth in the 2nd century AD. Other manuscript versions spell this name Axones instead. Mathias Springer suggests scribes may have corrected an original name meaning nothing to them. Schütte counters that loss of first letters occurs frequently in various copies of Ptolemy's work. He notes manuscripts containing Saxones are generally superior overall. Liccardo states scholarly consensus considers the passage genuine despite interpretive difficulties. For most historians accepting Ptolemy's record, the tribe lived close to the probable homeland of the Angles. This area later became known as Nordalbingia within what is now northern Germany.
Roman Era Raids And Settlements
Saxon raiders attacked the North Sea coast near Boulogne-sur-Mer around 285 AD during Carausius's posting there. Eutropius claimed these attacks involved both Saxon and Frankish groups, though he likely used the term anachronistically. The Panegyrici Latini written soon after those events mention Franks, Chamavi, and Frisians but not Saxons. Constantius Chlorus brought the area under Roman governance by settling conquered people in underpopulated parts of Gaul. Julian the Apostate mentioned Saxons as allies of rebel emperor Magnentius in 350 AD. He described them living beyond the Rhine on western sea shores. In 357 or 358 Julian campaigned against Alemanni, Franks, and Saxons in the Rhine regions. Zosimus reported that Saxons exceeded all barbarians in courage, strength, and hardiness. They sent Quadi forces against Roman lands but were blocked by nearby Franks. These Quadi used boats to reach Batavia in the Rhine delta. Ammianus Marcellinus recorded Britain troubled by Saxons alongside Scoti and Picts in books 26 and 27. An inscription in Stobi describes Count Theodosius as terror of Saxony. This is the earliest known reference to a country of Saxons apart from disputed Ptolemy mentions. Claudian wrote poetic accounts of battles with Saxons near Orkney islands off Scotland. In 370 AD Saxons advanced rapidly toward the Roman frontier in Gaul according to Ammianus. Emperor Valentinian's forces tricked and overwhelmed them using treacherous devices. They stripped robbers of booty they had taken. In 373 Saxons were defeated at Deuso in Frankish territory. Not long before Magnus Maximus died in 388, Bishop Ambrose said he was attacked by Franks and Saxons as divine retribution for burning a synagogue in Rome. In 393 Saxons died as gladiators in Rome. Special mentions of 4th-century Saxon coastal surprise attacks appear in works by both Ammianus and Claudian.