[image: The main Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms circa A.D. 600]

The Heptarchy (AD 600-800) is the name traditionally applied to the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England in the period prior to the Danish conquests of the 9th cent. The term was probably first used by 16th-century writers who believed that in those early years England was divided into seven kingdoms—Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia, Essex, Sussex, Wessex, and Kent. Actually the political and geographical divisions were neither so orderly nor permanent. At one time (c.600) there appear to have been as many as 12 independent states, but the number of kingdoms, their boundaries, and their political status shifted constantly throughout this period.

East Anglia is a region of eastern England, named after one of the ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, which was named after the homeland of the Angles, Angeln in northern Germany. The kingdom consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk ("North folk" and "South folk") but the region's boundaries are vague.

It includes the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, with part (or all of the pre-1974) Cambridgeshire. Some people include Essex—sometimes only the northern part—and a small part of southern Lincolnshire bordering The Wash. Some of the area is characterised by its flatness, consisting of fenland and reclaimed marshland, though much of Suffolk and parts of Norfolk are gently rolling hills. The perception of the area as flat is in Noel Cowards Private Lives "Very flat, Norfolk"

The principal East Anglian cities include Norwich (the nominal capital), Ipswich and Cambridge. Peterborough and Colchester are often classified as East Anglian cities though Colchester and Ipswich are technically towns.

East Anglia forms part of the East of England administrative region. In the European nomenclature of territorial units for statistics East Anglia is a region comprising Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. Cambridgeshire is to the west and Essex to the south.

Geography

Despite water playing a significant role in the Fen and Broads landscapes, some parts of the region are classified as semi-arid due to their exceptionally low rainfall. During the summer months, tinder-dry conditions are frequently experienced, resulting in many field and heath fires. Daily temperature maxima range from 5-10 degrees Celsius in the winter to 20-25 degrees Celsius in the summer, although temperatures have been known to reach 35 degrees Celsius in recent years. Sunshine totals tend to be higher towards the coastal areas.

Farming and horticulture have proven very successful in this fertile country. The landscape has been heavily influenced by Dutch technology, from the influx of clay pantiles to the draining of the fens. It has a wide range of small-scale holiday destinations ranging from traditional coastal resorts (Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft), through historic towns such as Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Ely and King's Lynn to the modern holiday villas of Center Parcs set in Thetford Forest. The Royal Air Force constructed many airfields during World War II and a few of these remain in use. One, near Norwich, has become Norwich International Airport, a civilian airfield to serve the city.

The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads form a network of waterways between Norwich and the coast and are popular for recreational boating. A recent bid to have them declared a National park failed, as it would have meant conservation becoming more important than navigation rights.

The University of East Anglia is located in Norwich. Norwich is the largest settlement in East Anglia. Ipswich is the largest town in East Anglia. The East of England regional assembly is based in Bury St. Edmunds.

Heraldry

Possibly the best candidate for arms of East Anglia are those of the Wuffingas dynasty: three crowns in a blue shield, the colour of the Swedish flag, superimposed on a St. George's cross. In fact, that device was created in homage to an old legend of the three crowns of East Anglia, and the blue colour represents the Anglo-Scandinavian heritage of much of East Anglia. The East Anglian flag as it is known today was invented by George Henry Langham and adopted by the London Society of East Anglians. It was first mentioned in print in 1900 and was flown locally in various places in Norfolk, but was not known widely even at the time it was invented. The crowns also appear in the arms of the borough of Bury St. Edmunds and the University of East Anglia.

History

The Kingdom of the East Angles, formed about the year 520 by the merging of the North and the South Folk (Angles who had settled in the former lands of the Iceni during the previous century) was one of the seven Anglo-Saxon heptarchy kingdoms (as defined in the 12th century writings of Henry of Huntingdon). For a brief period following a victory over the rival kingdom of Northumbria around the year 616, East Anglia was the most powerful of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England, and its king Raedwald was Bretwalda (overlord of the Anglo-Saxons kingdoms). But this did not last: over the next forty years, East Anglia was defeated by the Mercians twice, and it continued to weaken relative to the other kingdoms until in 794, Offa of Mercia had its king Æthelberht killed and took control of the kingdom himself.

The independence of the East Anglians was restored by a successful rebellion against Mercia (825–827), in course of which two Mercian kings were killed attempting to crush it. On November 20, 870 the Danes killed King Edmund and took the kingdom, which they named East Anglia (see Ivar the Boneless). The Saxons retook the area in 920, only to lose it again in 1015–1017, when it was conquered by Canute the Great and given as a fiefdom to Thorkell the Tall, who was made Jarl of East Anglia in 1017.

Much of East Anglia (including parts of Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, west Norfolk, and Suffolk), consisted of marshland and bogs until the 17th century despite the construction of early sea barriers by the Roman Empire. During the 17th century the alluvial land was converted into arable land by means of systematic drainage using a collection of drains and river diversions.

East Anglia was a rich area of the country up until the effects of the Industrial Revolution moved manufacturing to the Midlands and north - the earnings being based on wool and textiles.

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