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The Romans had attempted to maintain a self-governing Britannia, though gradually the nations of the Welsh, the English and the Scots emerged.

In Britain, something of the organisation of the Empire survived its collapse for a time. The Romano-British of the cities and the tribal capitals initially attempted to maintain the political structures they had inherited from Rome.

Between 420 and 450 Vortigern (the Gwrtheyrn of the Welsh tradition) is believed to have held authority over much of the former Roman province, using the Roman method of pitching one invader against another.

Vortigern is known to have arranged for some of the Votadini or Gododdin (the Brythonic-speaking people of the Firth of Forth) to settle in North West Wales to resist the incursions of the Irish, and allowed Saxons to settle in exchange for their help against the invasions of the Picts.