The Saxons were originally a Germanic people from the North Sea coast of what is now northern Germany and southern Denmark, especially the area between the Elbe and Eider rivers and around Holstein and Schleswig. Later, some of these Saxons migrated to Britain in the 5th and 6th centuries, becoming part of the Anglo‑Saxons who settled in what is now England.

Core origin

  • The earliest Saxons formed a tribal group living along the North Sea coast between the Elbe and Eider rivers, in regions now known as Holstein and Schleswig in northern Germany.
  • Many historians also associate early Saxon presence with nearby coastal areas of what is now the northern Netherlands and southern Denmark, reflecting a broader North Sea Germanic homeland.

From continent to England

  • From the 5th century CE, Saxon groups crossed the North Sea and settled in parts of Britain, helping to found kingdoms such as Wessex, Essex, and Sussex, which is why they are often remembered in the context of England.
  • These migrants, mixing with Angles, Jutes, and local Britons, came to be known collectively as Anglo-Saxons , distinct from the Saxons who remained on the European continent.

TL;DR: When people ask “where were the Saxons from,” the answer is: coastal northern Germany and nearby North Sea regions (plus southern Denmark), with later waves moving into Britain and helping shape early medieval England.

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