British identity in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages: some aspects of continuity and change

Abstract

This article contributes to a recent debate concerning the development of a British ethnic identity in late antiquity, during which period the Britons’ Roman identity was gradually forgotten as they came to be seen as one of the barbarian peoples of western Europe. It will argue that this reconceptualization was the result of a shift in perception regarding the place of gentes in the church during late antiquity and that, despite this, there was a considerable degree of continuity in certain key aspects of British identity between late antiquity and the early Middle Ages.