The earliest and, per legend, the first-founded of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in southeast Britain, traditionally traced to Jutish settlement in the wake of Rome's withdrawal (410) and named for the earlier British civitas of Cantium/Cantiaca. Its best-attested king, Aethelberht, later became the first English king to convert to Christianity (597).
Lost its independence in the 8th century as a sub-kingdom of Mercia, then of Wessex in the 9th century, and was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England by the early 10th century.
Standard survey covering the formation of the earliest Anglo-Saxon kingdoms including Kent.