'To my enemies I am the devil himself, the root of all evil, the breaker of cities and glutter of ravens, a man whose name is a byword for treachery. To my followers I am the founding father and protector of a new nation, the greatest warrior of the age, the hero of the Frisian field and a man whose name is a byword for loyalty beyond death.'

In the early fifth century, as the Roman Empire falls and the barbarian tribes push southwards, a young boy begins the long journey that will lead to him becoming the first Englishman - the legendary Hengest.