The Anglo-Saxons have been long thought to have invaded Britain after the fall of the Roman Empire in 410 AD. Francis Pryor argues that the huge political changes that took place in Britain at the time were caused by a shifting of allegiances within this country rather than a violent invasion from elsewhere. Finding new and previously unexplained evidence Francis overturns the idea that Britain was crushed under Roman rule, then reverted to a state of anarchy and disorder after the Romans left in 410 AD. Instead of doom and gloom Francis discovers a continuous culture that assimilated influences from as far a field as the Middle East and Constantinople.