Anglo-Saxons, the name given the Germanic, or Teutonic, peoples who invaded and occupied Britain beginning in the fifth century. They came from the area that is now Denmark, northern Germany, and the Netherlands. Under the Anglo-Saxons, the foundations for a unified English nation were laid, the country was permanently converted to Christianity, and a distinctive native culture was developed. To these people the English-speaking world owes the basis of its language and literature and the foundations of its law, local government, and other basic institutions.