Vortigern
5th-century British warlord who invited Saxons to Britain.
Vortigern—also recorded as Vortiger, Vortigan, Voertigern, or Vortigen—was a 5th-century British warlord. Bede’s writings present him as a king of the Britons, or at least imply that status, but scholars dispute whether he actually existed, and what is known about him remains unclear. He appears in some copies of Gildas’s *De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae*, though experts disagree on whether the name Vortigern was part of Gildas’s original text. Bede links Vortigern to the “proud tyrant” described by Gildas—the leader who invited the Saxons to help fight the Picts and Scots. According to Bede, those Saxons later rebelled, killed Vortigern’s son, and established the Kingdom of Kent.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Matter of Britain
- First Major
- Historia Brittonum
- First Minor
- De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae
- First Date
- 6th–9th century traditions
- Last Major
- Historia Regum Britanniae
- Last Date
- 12th century
- Creator
- Early British chroniclers
- Based On
- Possible historical British ruler
- Portrayer
- Jude Law (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword)
- Occupation
- King, warlord, ruler of Britain
- Family
- Vortimer (son) / Catigern (son, in some traditions)
- Spouse
- Rowena (in later legends)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Historia Brittonum, compiled in the early 9th century, provides additional traditions: Vortigern's ancestry (father Vitalis, grandfather Vitalinus, great-grandfather Gloui), his four sons (Vortimer, Pascent, Catigern, and Faustus), and his incest (possibly confused with the Welsh king Vortiporius). It recounts Vortigern granting land to the Saxons—first Thanet, then Kent, then Essex and Sussex—after a treacherous banquet. The tale of Ambrosius Aurelianus and the two dragons beneath Dinas Emrys also appears. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle dates four battles in Kent involving Hengest and Horsa, with Vortigern commanding the British only in the first; the year 455 is the last date he is mentioned.
Reader's Guide
Vortigern's significance lies in his role as the figure around whom early British and English historical traditions crystallized. He is the pivot point in the narrative of the Anglo-Saxon settlement: the British leader whose invitation to Saxon mercenaries led to rebellion, the loss of Britain, and the formation of the Kingdom of Kent. His historicity is uncertain—scholars contest his existence and the details of his life—but his name appears in multiple medieval sources (Gildas, Bede, Historia Brittonum, Anglo-Saxon Chronicle), each adding layers of legend. The name Vortigern itself, meaning 'high king' in Old Welsh, may have been a title rather than a personal name, and Gildas's phrase 'proud tyrant' is thought to be a wordplay on it. Vortigern's legacy is that of a cautionary figure: blamed for the loss of Britain through misjudgment, yet also cited at the beginning of the genealogy of the early Kings of Powys. The ongoing scholarly debate over whether Gildas originally named him underscores the fragmentary and contested nature of sub-Roman British history.
Did You Know?
- Vortigern's name means something like 'high king' in Old Welsh, and 'proud tyrant' is thought to be a Gildasian wordplay on it.
- Bede first names the proud tyrant as Vertigernus in his Chronica Maiora and later as Vurtigernus in his Historia Ecclesiastica.
- The Historia Brittonum accuses Vortigern of incest, possibly confusing him with the Welsh king Vortiporius.
- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle mentions Vortigern only in the year 455, the last date he appears.
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