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Vortigern was a king of [[Britain]] who has entered into legend as a proud tyrant. Historically speaking, he seems to have been the first ruler of Britannia after the Romans left in 410 AD, though records from this period are very scanty as civilisation was collapsing everywhere, hence the name 'Dark Ages'. According to Nennius, Vortigern rose to power around 425 AD, prior to this Britain seems to have been run by a council of magistrates. Vortigern was a follower of [[Pelagianism]], a heresy that denied original sin and preached salvation by one's own efforts, rather than those of any outside agency. His opponents were the Roman Catholics, and it wasn't long before civil wat broke out in England between these two factions. Vortigern employed Saxon mercenaries under [[Hengist]] as his allies, but these turned against him and slaughtered all his men. Hengist is said to have then founded the [[Anglo-Saxon]] Kingdom of Kent, in the extreme South East of Britain. This, being the first Germanic Kingdom on the island of [[Great Britain]], is part of the founding mythology of the [[English]]. Vortigern himself fled to the mountains of [[Wales]]. The leader of the Roman Catholic faction [[Ambrosius Aurelianus]], became king in Vortigern's place.

Vortigern was a king of [[Britain]] who has entered into legend as a proud tyrant. Historically speaking, he seems to have been the first ruler of Britannia after the Romans left in 410 AD, though records from this period are very scanty as civilisation was collapsing everywhere, hence the name 'Dark Ages'. According to Nennius, Vortigern rose to power around 425 AD, prior to this Britain seems to have been run by a council of magistrates. Vortigern was a follower of [[Pelagianism]], a heresy that denied original sin and preached salvation by one's own efforts, rather than those of any outside agency. His opponents were the Roman Catholics, and it wasn't long before civil wat broke out in England between these two factions. Vortigern employed Saxon mercenaries under [[Hengist]] as his allies, but these turned against him and slaughtered all his men. Hengist is said to have then founded the [[Anglo-Saxon]] Kingdom of Kent, in the extreme South East of Britain. This, being the first Germanic Kingdom on the island of [[Great Britain]], is part of the founding mythology of the [[England|English]]. Vortigern himself fled to the mountains of [[Wales]]. The leader of the Roman Catholic faction [[Ambrosius Aurelianus]], became king in Vortigern's place.

[[Category:history]]

[[Category:history]]