Off the coast of Europe lies a group of islands that never became part of Charlemagne's empire. Today these islands are known as the British Isles and include Great Britain, Ireland, and many smaller islands. Chapter 19 deals with the people who built settlements and set up small kingdoms on these islands after Roman rule crumbled. These people were known as the Irish and the Anglo-Saxons.

Section 1 focuses on what life was like in Ireland, the major center of Celtic culture after the Anglo-Saxons drove most of the Celts from Britain.

Section 2 explores the development and spread of Christianity in Ireland and England. The section also focuses on why the Anglo-Saxons united under Alfred the Great and what life was like in the shires of Anglo-Saxon England.