What is anglo saxon referring to actually?

Answer 1

The Celtic Britons, now known as the Welsh, enlisted the help of some German tribes in defeating the last vestiges of the Roman Empire on the Island. They then proceeded to invade Britain themselves. There were four tribes; the Angles, the Saxons, the Jutes, and the Frisians. The Angles and the Saxons had the largest contingents. They pushed the Celts North and West, and ruled England, or Angle-land, until the Norman Conquest in 1066.

These days the term refers to the English, and Whites of English ancestry.

Answer 2

The term Anglo-Saxon , has a number of usages however, when applied to a people it is the Germanic people who dominated England before 1066 CE. The year of 1066 CE is when the Norman William concurred England.

Along with the Celtic peoples who were in England long before (at least as early as 3000 BCE) the Anglo-Saxons are the source of Early English Common Law and legal customs (before 1066). It is interesting to note that such law was formalized in the first Great Charter (Magna Carta) in 1215, 149 years "after" the Norman conquest. One might say that in the long run Common Law made final conquest of the Normans.

Answer 3

Anglo-Saxon is often used today to indicate things (or decent) that are English, rather than generically British; a way to distinguish between core-English and Britain's Celtic "fringe" (Cornish, Welsh, Scots, Gaelic, Manx and Irish).

This is the basis of such constructs as "WASP" (White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant), used (or formerly used, it's falling out of favour) in New England. The label-stacking progressively cuts out 1) not whites, 2) other Europeans as well as the British Celts, and 3) Catholics.

[So, contrary to the people who said anglo-saxon means "white" or "caucasian", using "anglo-saxon" in the is way is an increased level of discrimination. In the North-American context, it was usually used to cut out specifially the Irish (in New York, Massachusetts, etc.), the French (in Canada), and the Germans (during and after World War I), who are all just as white as those of Anglo-Saxon decent.]

Historically, as several people have mentioned, the Anglo-Saxons were the dominate culture in England before the Conquest. They were an amalgamation of the Teutonic tribes: Jutes, Angles and Saxon who came to Britian at Vortigern's request to fight another enemy.

Linguistically, "Anglo-Saxon" is synonomous with "Old English". This is the language "Beowulf" was written in.

So, Anglo-Saxon can refer to a few different things, depending on context.

Answer 4

Anglo-Saxon

1. A Saxon of Britain, that is, an English Saxon, or one the
Saxons who settled in England, as distinguished from a
continental (or ``Old'') Saxon.

2. pl. The Teutonic people (Angles, Saxons, Jutes) of
England, or the English people, collectively, before the
Norman Conquest.

It is quite correct to call [AE]thelstan ``King of
the Anglo-Saxons,'' but to call this or that subject
of [AE]thelstan ``an Anglo-Saxon'' is simply
nonsense. --E. A.
Freeman.

3. The language of the English people before the Conquest
(sometimes called Old English). See Saxon.

4. One of the race or people who claim descent from the
Saxons, Angles, or other Teutonic tribes who settled in
England; a person of English descent in its broadest
sense.

Answer 5

It is a general term. The Angles and the Saxons are tribes. Here's a good link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxons

Answer 6

anglo saxons are a mix between the angles in germany* (?) and the saxons in england. basically, anyone from english or european descent is considered anglo saxon

Answer 7

anglos and the saxons are two separate germanic tribes that inhabited britian.

Answer 8

A root language of English which is Germanic.

Answer 9

wight folks

Answer 10

whiteies