Land, genetics, language...?
A big problem in defining a starting point for England is a range of options. If we consider genetic heritage, there are many possible approaches, but in reality, those who live in what is now England have no single genetic heritage. Most modern research - using DNA - seems to argue that the for a large part, the indigenous people are substantially Brythonic - the original Britons who migrated North from Iberia about 13,000 years ago. There were much earlier human ancestors, but all died out during ice ages leaving the land to be repopulated when it was joined to mainland Europe after the last ice age.
Our Brythonic ancestors DNA remains the main element today despite the arrival of Romans and others over the last 2,000 years. In particular, it would appear that the Agles, Saxons and Jutes, who arrived when the Romans left assumed control but their migration did not replace the existing Britons. Vikings had a similar impact while the Normans were very much a ruling class - relatively little DNA remains. The same applies to later groups - in particular monarchs of French (Plantagenet), Welsh (Tudors), Scots (Stewarts), Dutch (William III) and Hanoverians (George I), the currenty dynasty.
However, the Angles and Saxons have defined us as 'English' - based on Anglo-Saxon rule - and in effect the concept of 'England' began alongside the rise of the House of Wessex, with Egbert and his descendents - grandson Alfred the Great, through to Great great grandson Athelstan.
To some extent this underlines the identify confusion between British - certainly a term applied by the Romans to our ancestors and English - more a defined territory, peoples and culture, etc.
Our Brythonic ancestors DNA remains the main element today despite the arrival of Romans and others over the last 2,000 years. In particular, it would appear that the Agles, Saxons and Jutes, who arrived when the Romans left assumed control but their migration did not replace the existing Britons. Vikings had a similar impact while the Normans were very much a ruling class - relatively little DNA remains. The same applies to later groups - in particular monarchs of French (Plantagenet), Welsh (Tudors), Scots (Stewarts), Dutch (William III) and Hanoverians (George I), the currenty dynasty.
However, the Angles and Saxons have defined us as 'English' - based on Anglo-Saxon rule - and in effect the concept of 'England' began alongside the rise of the House of Wessex, with Egbert and his descendents - grandson Alfred the Great, through to Great great grandson Athelstan.
To some extent this underlines the identify confusion between British - certainly a term applied by the Romans to our ancestors and English - more a defined territory, peoples and culture, etc.
