Archaeological discoveries show the first settlements were in the Trent river valley. The original kingdom of Mercia had a variety of different kinds of land. Most of it would not have been the first choice of anyone wishing to settle there. Not if better land was available elsewhere. The name 'Mercia' comes from the tribal name "Mierce", which means 'boundary folk.' It was probably a name already known in the English midlands and was adopted by the Angles who settled there. The Angles, according to Bede, came from "Angulus" in northern Germany. They were of the same stock as the East Anglians and the Northumbrians. The invasion of England by the Germanic tribes was relatively quick. By England was a large collection of small kingdoms each having a warlord or petty king. Within 200 years of their arrival in England, the late seventh century, emerged the Heptarchy: the seven kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England. Mercia was the dominant power among the Anglo-Saxons from the middle of the seventh century to the early ninth century. Several Mercian noblewomen played an important role in Mercian affairs. This is in contrast to Wessex where women rarely had an active role in the government. During the seventh and eighth centuries Mercia struggled mainly with Northumbria. By the ninth century Wessex was the dominant power in the region. King Egbert of Wessex (802–839) was the overlord and for the first time passed this position down to his heirs. From this time on until they ceased to exist as a kingdom, Mercia was a vassal kingdom to Wessex. In the last quarter of the ninth century Mercia lost much of its territory in the midlands to Danish settlers.