Here, Myres looks anew at the dark centuries of English history between the collapse of Roman rule in the early fifth century and the emergence of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the seventh--the subject of the now-classic Roman Britain and the English Settlements by Collingwood and Myres--and reconsiders the period in light of abundant recent research in the field. New linguistic findings have led to a significant shift in emphasis, which is now reflected in this last volume of the Oxford History of England. The author illuminates some of the little-understood factors that link Roman Britain with Anglo-Saxon England, and suggests certain political and social continuities that help to clarify this complex and traumatic historical era.