First recorded by Henry of Huntingdon in his 12th century work Historia Anglorum, the term ‘seven kingdoms’ referred to the seven kingdoms (East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, Sussex and Wessex) of Anglo-Saxon England that was formed in the 5th century until the time they unified to form the Kingdom of England five centuries later. Since the 16th century, the term ‘Heptarchy’ has been in use to refer to the seven kingdoms.
