A sweeping and original history of the Anglo-Saxons by national bestselling author Marc Morris. Sixteen hundred years ago Britain left the Roman Empire and swiftly fell into ruin. Grand cities and luxurious villas were deserted and left to crumble, and civil society collapsed into chaos. Into this violent and unstable world came foreign invaders from across the sea, and established themselves as its new masters. The Anglo-Saxons traces the turbulent history of these people across the next six centuries. It explains how their earliest rulers fought relentlessly against each other for glory and supremacy, and then were almost destroyed by the onslaught of the vikings. It explores how they abandoned their old gods for Christianity, established hundreds of churches and created dazzlingly intricate works of art. It charts the revival of towns and trade, and the origins of a familiar landscape of shires, boroughs and bishoprics. It is a tale of famous figures like King Offa, Alfred the Great and Edward the Confessor, but also features a host of lesser known characters - ambitious queens, revolutionary saints, intolerant monks and grasping nobles. Through their remarkable careers we see how a new society, a new culture and a single unified nation came into being. Drawing on a vast range of original evidence - chronicles, letters, archaeology and artefacts - renowned historian Marc Morris illuminates a period of history that is only dimly understood, separates the truth from the legend, and tells the extraordinary story of how the foundations of England were laid.

The Anglo-Saxons

History of the Anglo-Saxons

Sharon Turner (1768-1847) practised as a solicitor in London, but as a young man he had become involved in the study of Anglo-Saxon and Icelandic literature and history. Published 1799-1805, this four-volume work was a benchmark in Anglo-Saxon studies, drawing on manuscripts in the British Museum.

The History of the Anglo-Saxons

The popular notion that sees the Anglo-Saxon era as “The Dark Ages” perhaps has tended to obscure for many people the creations and strengths of that time. This collection, in examining many aspects of pre-Norman Britain, helps to illuminate how Anglo-Saxon society contributed to the continuity of knowledge between the ancient world and the modern world. But as well, it posits a view of that society in its own distinctive terms to show how it developed as a synthesis of radically different cultures. The Bayeux Tapestry is examined for its underlying political motivations; the study of Old English literature is extended to such works as laws, charters, apocryphal literature, saints’ lives and mythologies, and many of these are studied for the insight they provide into the social structures of the Anglo-Saxons. Other essays examine both the institution of slavery and the use of Germanic warrior terminology in Old Saxon as a contribution towards the descriptive analysis of that society’s social groupings. The book also presents a perspective on the Christian church that is usually overlooked by historians: that its existence was continuous and influential from Roman times, and that it was greatly affected by the Celtic Christian church long after the latter was thought to have disintegrated.

Presents the Anglo-Saxon period of English history from the fifth century up to the late eleventh century, covering such events as the spread of Christianity, the invasions of the Vikings, the composition of Beowulf, and the Battle of Hastings.

The Anglo-Saxon World

In this major survey, three distinguished historians produce an exciting introduction to the field. Although the "Lost Centuries" between AD400 and 600 suffer from a scarcity of written sources, and only two writers, King Alfred and the Venerable Bede, dominate our understanding of later times, the authors have created a rich and thought-provoking account of the stormy era when Britain became Christian and sustained several waves of Viking invaders. A single nation, they suggest, slowly emerged from the rivalries and fluctuating fortunes of separate kingdoms like Mercia, Wessex and East Anglia. Major figures such as Offa, Alfred, Edgar and Cnut are discussed in detail, while the stunning illustrations convey the immense achievements of Anglo-Saxon centuries were 'simply a barbarous prelude to better things'.

The culture of early Anglo-Saxon England explored from an inter-disciplinary perspective. A stimulating contribution to the field of Anglo-Saxon studies. MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY A mind-stretching read. NOTES AND QUERIES The papers contained in this volume, by leading researchers in the field, cover a wide range of social, economic and ideological aspects of the culture of early Anglo-Saxon England, from an inter-disciplinary perspective. The status of `Anglo-Saxondom' and `Englishness' as cultural and ethnic categories are a recurrent focus of debate, while other topics include the reconstruction of settlement patterns; social and political structures; farming in medieval England; and the spiritual world of the Anglo-Saxons. As a whole, the contributionsoffer fascinating insights into key contemporary research questions and projects, and into the character and problems of interdisciplinary approaches. Dr JOHN HINES is Reader in the School of History and Archaeology atthe University of Wales, Cardiff. Contributors: WALTER POHL, IAN WOOD, DELLA HOOKE, DOMINIC POWLESLAND, HEINRICH HÄRKE, THOMAS CHARLES-EDWARDS, PATRIZIA LENDINARA, PETER FOWLER, CHRISTOPHER SCULL, JANE HAWKES, D.N. DUMVILLE, JOHN HINES, GIORGIO AUSENDA

The Anglo-Saxons from the Migration Period to the Eighth Century

'Here lies our leader all cut down, the valiant man in the dust.' The elegiac words of the Battle of Maldon, an epic poem written to celebrate the bravery of an English army defeated by Viking raiders in 991, emerge from a diverse literature – including Beowulf and Bede's Ecclesiastical History – produced by the peoples known as the Anglo-Saxons: Germanic tribes who migrated to Britain from Lower Saxony and Denmark in the early fifth century CE. The era once known as the 'Dark Ages' was marked by stunning cultural advances, and Henrietta Leyser here offers a fresh analysis of exciting recent discoveries made in the archaeology and art of the Anglo-Saxon world. Arguing that the desperate struggle (led by Alfred the Great) against the Vikings helped define a distinctively English sensibility, the author explores relations with the indigenous British, the Anglo-Saxon conversion to Christianity, the ascendancy of Mercia and the rise of Wessex. This vivid history evokes both the emergent kingdoms of Alfred and Offa and the golden treasures of Sutton Hoo. It will appeal to students of early medieval history and to all those who wish to understand how England was born.

A Short History of the Anglo-Saxons

Starting AD 400 (around the time of their invasion of England) and running through to the 1100s (the 'Aftermath'), historian Geoffrey Hindley shows the Anglo-Saxons as formative in the history not only of England but also of Europe. The society inspired by the warrior world of the Old English poem Beowulf saw England become the world's first nation state and Europe's first country to conduct affairs in its own language, and Bede and Boniface of Wessex establish the dating convention we still use today. Including all the latest research, this is a fascinating assessment of a vital historical period.

A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons

This text provides an introduction to Anglo-Saxon history from the 5th century to the eve of the Norman Conquest.

What happened to the reputation of the Anglo-Saxons after the famous Battle of Hastings in 1066? How were they portrayed by historians, politicians and artists over the centuries? Not long after the Norman invasion Williams of Malmesbury viewed it as an unmitigated disaster, while Geoffrey of Monmouth cast the Anglo-Saxons as cruel invaders and resurrected the old Arthurian myths. Later, Elizabethan historians saved Anglo-Saxon manuscripts for posterity and the English Civil War saw the overtly political use of a sense of Anglo-Saxonism. This was followed by an earnest attempt by scholars to understand the Old English language. It was an era which saw the rise of the first real histories of England, with mixed results for the Anglo-Saxons. The notions of Germanism and an Anglo-Saxon 'race' in both England and America preceded the Victorian age where politics, art and culture began to reflect gratitude towards the Anglo-Saxons. In conclusion the author asks how the Anglo-Saxons are viewed by the modern English people. Book jacket.

The Anglo-Saxons in England

Who are the English? Their language and culture have had an impact on the modern world out of all proportion to the size of their homeland. But what do we really understand about their ancestry? Traditionally they have been seen as the descendants of those Germanic peoples who poured into Britain after the Roman legions departed, today known as the Anglo-Saxons. Alternative interpretations have questioned this picture, or suggested complications. At last, the astonishing progress made in extracting and analysing ancient DNA means that theories can be tested empirically, shedding new light on the movement and migrations of peoples in the past. Skillfully and accessibly blending together results from this cutting-edge DNA technology with new research from archaeology and linguistics, Jean Manco reveals a long and adventurous journey before a word of English was spoken. Going beyond a narrow focus on the Anglo-Saxon period, she probes into the deep origins of the Germani and their kin, and extends the story to the language of Shakespeare, taken to the first British colony in America. The result is an exciting new history of the English people, and a ground-breaking analysis of their development.

The Origins of the Anglo-Saxons

The Anglo-Saxons may have lived on Earth thousands of years ago, in times when there weren't any books or papers to record their thoughts. And yet, we know so much about them thanks to the clues they have left behind. Get to meet the Anglo-Saxons in the pages of this educational picture book for fifth graders.

Who Were The Anglo-Saxons? History 5th Grade | Chidren's European History

Crossley-Holland--the widely acclaimed translator of Old English texts--introduces the Anglo-Saxons through their chronicles, laws, letters, charters, and poetry, with many of the greatest surviving poems printed in their entirety.

By the 4th century AD Britain was witnessing the break down of Roman identity and by the mid-6th century a number of kingdoms had been created which paved the way for the Germanic take-over. Frustrated with other studies of the origins of the Anglo-Saxons which, Donald Henson argues, are generally over-reliant on archaeological sources and social theories of change taken from prehistory, share a lack of objectivity and have tended to polarise the debate regarding this period, he presents his interpretation of the origins and formation of Anglo-Saxon identity and ideas of nationhood. Drawing on sources and ideas from archaeology, social anthropology, sociology, history, language and literature, his study is a thematic examination of ethnic markers rather than a history of events. In studying ethnic markers such as kinship, origins, name, land, language, religion, material culture, myths and legends, and social and political structures, he examines what happened to ethnic identity after the withdrawal of the Romans and attempts to reconcile the importance of continental connections and migrations on the one hand and the desire to hold on to existing ethnic markers on the other. A number of subjects and sources are dealt with in more detail in the appendices including a discussion of rulers outside of Britain, early Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, a chronology of Anglo-Saxon material culture, Germanic and British place names, sources on Arthur, a timeline 406-634, and a list of key sources of the period.

Origins of the Anglo-Saxons

The seven centuries of the Anglo-Saxon period in England, roughly AD 400-1100, were a time of extraordinary and profound transformation in almost every aspect of its culture, culminating in a dramatic shift from a barbarian society to a recognizably medieval civilization. This book traces the changing nature of that art, the different roles it played in Anglo-Saxon culture, and the various ways it both reflected and influenced the changing context in which it was created. From its first manifestations in the metalwork and ceramics of the early settlers, Anglo-Saxon art displays certain inbuilt and highly distinctive stylistic and iconographic features. Despite the many new influences which were regularly absorbed and adapted by Anglo-Saxon artists and craftsmen, these characteristics continued to resonate through the centuries in the great manuscripts, ivories, metalwork and sculpture of this inventive and creative culture. This book highlights the character, leitmotifs and underlying continuities of Anglo-Saxon art, whilst also placing it firmly in its wider cultural and political context.

Anglo-Saxon Art

In 100 excerpts from these turbulent, bloody and exciting centuries, a proud, complex, but ultimately doomed civilisation is revealed.

The Anglo-Saxons in 100 Facts

Starting A.D. 400 (around the time of their invasion of England) and running through to the 1100s (the ‘Aftermath'), historian Geoffrey Hindley shows the Anglo-Saxons as formative in the history not only of England but also of Europe. The society inspired by the warrior world of the Old English poem Beowulf saw England become the world's first nation state and Europe's first country to conduct affairs in its own language, and Bede and Boniface of Wessex establish the dating convention we still use today. Including all the latest research, A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons is a fascinating assessment of a vital historical period.

The historian and archeologist presents a vivid and comprehensive account of warfare in early Medieval England. In this compelling new study, Paull Hill reveals what documentary records and the growing body of archaeological evidence can tell us about war and combat in the age of the great Anglo-Saxon kings. The violent centuries before the Norman Conquest come to life in this detailed account of how and why the Anglo-Saxons fought, how their warriors were armed and trained, how their armies were organized, and much more. The role of combat in Anglo-Saxon society is explored, from the parts played by the king and the noblemen to the means by which the men of the fyrd were summoned to fight in times of danger. Land and naval warfare are both explored in depth. Hill also covers the politics and diplomacy of warfare, the conduct of negotiations, the taking of hostages, the use of treachery, and the controversial subject of the use of cavalry. The weapons and armor of the Anglo-Saxons are described, including the spears, scramsaxes, axes, bows, swords, helmets, shields and mail that were employed in the close-quarter fighting of the day. Drawing on this wealth of information, Hill presents a vivid recreation of the actual experience of fighting in the campaigns against the Danes; the battles of Ashdown, Maldon and Stamford Bridge; and the sieges at Reading and Rochester.

The Anglo-Saxons at War, 800–1066

Essays in Anglo-Saxon Studies v.8 (Glasgow, 2015). Insights into the lives of any group of historical people are provided by three main types of evidence: their language, their literature and their material culture. The contributors to this volume draw on all three types of evidence in order to present new research into the lives of the Anglo-Saxons. The particular focus is on daily life - the ordinary rather than the extraordinary, the normal rather than the exceptional. Rather than attempting an overview, the essays address individual scenarios in greater depth, but with an emphasis on shared experience. The following scholars have contributed essays to this collection: Martha Bayless University of Oregon Carole P. Biggam University of Glasgow Paul Cavill University of Nottingham Amy W. Clark University of California, Berkeley James Graham-Campbell University College London Antonina Harbus Macquarie University, Sydney Carole Hough University of Glasgow Daria Izdebska Liverpool Hope University Karen Louise Jolly University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Alexandra Lester-Makin University of Manchester Elisabeth Okasha University College, Cork Phyllis Portnoy University of Manitoba Jane Roberts University of London

The Daily Lives of the Anglo-Saxons

A major re-examination of an important period in British history

The Kings & Queens of Anglo-Saxon England

But who were the Anglo-Saxons, and where did they come from? A Short History of the Anglo-Saxons traces the fascinating history of this era and its people, from the early European migrants from tribes such as Angles, Saxons, and Jutes who traveled mainly to Britain after the end of Roman rule in 410, to the dramatic end of the Anglo-Saxon period following the victory of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. It covers their various kingdoms, such as Wessex and Mercia, as well as the numerous attacks on the prosperity and successes of the Anglo-Saxons by peoples such as the Vikings. From popular fiction such as The Hobbit to Game of Thrones to the world language of English, the continuing influence of the Anglo-Saxons can be found in many modern societies today. This Pocket Essential guide provides an indispensable introduction to everything you need to know about the Anglo-Saxon period.

A Pocket Essentials Short History of the Anglo-Saxons

Shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize A radical rethinking of the Anglo-Saxon world that draws on the latest archaeological discoveries This beautifully illustrated book draws on the latest archaeological discoveries to present a radical reappraisal of the Anglo-Saxon built environment and its inhabitants. John Blair, one of the world's leading experts on this transformative era in England's early history, explains the origins of towns, manor houses, and castles in a completely new way, and sheds new light on the important functions of buildings and settlements in shaping people's lives during the age of the Venerable Bede and King Alfred. Building Anglo-Saxon England demonstrates how hundreds of recent excavations enable us to grasp for the first time how regionally diverse the built environment of the Anglo-Saxons truly was. Blair identifies a zone of eastern England with access to the North Sea whose economy, prosperity, and timber buildings had more in common with the Low Countries and Scandinavia than the rest of England. The origins of villages and their field systems emerge with a new clarity, as does the royal administrative organization of the kingdom of Mercia, which dominated central England for two centuries. Featuring a wealth of color illustrations throughout, Building Anglo-Saxon England explores how the natural landscape was modified to accommodate human activity, and how many settlements--secular and religious—were laid out with geometrical precision by specialist surveyors. The book also shows how the Anglo-Saxon love of elegant and intricate decoration is reflected in the construction of the living environment, which in some ways was more sophisticated than it would become after the Norman Conquest.

Building Anglo-Saxon England

An introductory survey which provides a clear and accessible account of the centuries between the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons and the Norman Conquest.

The Anglo-Saxon Age c.400-1042

In the two centuries before the Norman invasion of England, Anglo-Saxon and Viking forces clashed repeatedly in bloody battles across the country. Repeated Viking victories in the 9th century led to their settlement in the north of the country, but the tide of war ebbed and flowed until the final Anglo-Saxon victory before the Norman Conquest. Using stunning artwork, this book examines in detail three battles between the two deadly foes: Ashdown in 871 which involved the future Alfred the Great; Maldon in 991 where an Anglo-Saxon army sought to counter a renewed Viking threat; and Stamford Bridge in 1066, in which King Harold Godwinesson abandoned his preparations to repel the expected Norman invasion in order to fight off Harald Hard-Counsel of Norway. Drawing upon historical accounts from both English and Scandinavian sources and from archaeological evidence, Gareth Williams presents a detailed comparison of the weaponry, tactics, strategies and underlying military organization of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, and considers the developments which took place on both sides in the two centuries of Viking incursions into Anglo-Saxon England.

Viking Warrior vs Anglo-Saxon Warrior

A fresh look at the position of women in the 8th and 9th centuries as defined by the literature of the early church.

Anglo-Saxon Women and the Church

Explores the lives of the Anglo-Saxons, covering their daily lives, religion, buildings, and constant war with the Danes.

Anglo-Saxons

The twenty-first century has been marked by an "oceanic turn" and by groundbreaking new research on the previously hidden depths of maritime life, literature, and culture. The Maritime World of the Anglo-Saxons builds upon these new areas of research as the first major volume of essays to explore Anglo-Saxon England's complex relationship to its maritime history, economy, and sensibilities. Individual essays focus on maritime travel, Viking invasions by sea, littoral culture, the archeology of the whale, and literary mythologies of monstrous sea creatures, bringing together insights from a range of disciplines: archeology, history, literature, paleography, linguistics, art history, critical theory, geography, and cultural studies.

The Maritime World of the Anglo-Saxons

The only modern book-length account of Anglo-Saxon legal culture and practice, from the pre-Christian laws of Æthelberht of Kent (c. 600) up to the Norman conquest of 1066, charting the development of kings' involvement in law, in terms both of their authority to legislate and their ability to influence local practice.

Law and Order in Anglo-Saxon England

Nearly 1300 years ago, Britain was a collection of small kingdoms ruled by the Anglo-Saxons and Celts. Then the Vikings came. Fierce invaders, they caused chaos through repeated raids over hundreds of years. Many settled in Britain. Find out how the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings lived together until the Norman Conquest in 1066 changed everything again. Made for the KS2 History curriculum, these eight titles are packed with amazing historical facts and inspiring images. These handy guides explore the distant past, surviving historical evidence and the impact of our ancestors on our lives today.

Anglo Saxons and Vikings

Britain's Settlement by the Anglo-Saxons and Scots is a fascinating account of British history from a period that begins when Roman rule ended in the 360s, through to 793, when the Vikings arrived and attacked Lindisfarne. The book describes the Scots invasions from Ireland to north Britain (now Scotland), the Anglo-Saxon invasions and settlements, and how their art, religion and daily life shaped British culture, including Christian conversion at Canterbury, Iona and Lindisfarne. Find out more about Vortigern, Bede and Cuthbert, and how the language of this time has survive in the current English language in this amazing history of early British life.

Britain's Settlement by the Anglo-Saxons and Scots

Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England provides a unique survey of the six major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and their royal families, examining the most recent research in this field.

Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England

History of the Anglo-Saxons, from the Earliest Period to the Norman Conquest by Thomas Miller is a comprehensive exploration into the rich history of the Anglo-Saxons. Miller meticulously chronicles their journey, culture, and influence, offering readers a deep dive into the foundations of English history and the events leading up to the Norman Conquest.

History of the Anglo-Saxons, from the Earliest Period to the Norman Conquest

James Coleman has emerged in recent years as one of the most important artists of visual postmodernism. His work has transformed critical debates about the status of the image in contemporary culture and influenced an entire generation of younger artists in ways that have not yet been fully acknowledged. Until recently, Coleman has enjoyed relatively little critical attention - in part because of his refusal to comment on his projects or to allow his work to be reconstructed outside of the context of its exhibition.

Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings in Britain

The first continuous national history of any western people in their own language, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicletraces the history of early England from the migration of the Saxon war-lords, through Roman Britain, the onslaught of the Vikings, the Norman Conquest and on through the reign of Stephen. Michael Swanton's translation is the most complete and faithful reading ever published. Extensive notes draw on the latest evidence of paleographers, archaeologists and textual and social historians to place these annals in the context of current knowledge. Fully indexed and complemented by maps and genealogical tables, this edition allows ready access to one of the prime sources of English national culture. The introduction provides all the information a first-time reader could need, cutting an easy route through often complicated matters. Also includes nine maps.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

This book traces the history of relations between the kingdom of Strathclyde and Anglo-Saxon England in the Viking period of the ninth to eleventh centuries AD. It puts the spotlight on the North Britons or 'Cumbrians', an ancient people whose kings ruled from a power-base at Govan on the western side of present-day Glasgow. In the tenth century, these kings extended their rule southward from Clydesdale to the southern shore of the Solway Firth, bringing their language and culture to a region that had been in English hands for more than two hundred years. They played a key role in many of the great political events of the time, whether leading their armies in battle or forging treaties to preserve a fragile peace. Their extensive realm, which was also known as 'Cumbria', was eventually conquered by the Scots, but is still remembered today in the name of an English county. How this county acquired the name of a long-vanished kingdom centred on the River Clyde is one of the topics covered in this book.It is part of a wider history that forms an important chapter in the story of how England and Scotland emerged from the early medieval period or 'Dark Ages' as the countries we know today.

Strathclyde and the Anglo-Saxons in the Viking Age

An collection of essays by specialists in the field examining Anglo-Saxon learning and text interpretation and transmission.

Learning and Literature in Anglo-Saxon England

The people we call Anglo-Saxons were actually immigrants from northern Germany and southern Scandinavia. Bede, a monk from Northumbria writing some centuries later, says that they were from some of the most powerful and warlike tribes in Germany. This book invites the reader to enter the magical world of the early, heathen Anglo-Saxons. Often mistakenly regarded as the harbingers of the 'Dark Ages', instead Tylluan shows their vivid world that refused to be suppressed by Christian missionaries. Tylluan is careful to separate the true Anglo-Saxon from the Norse and Germanic traditions wherever possible, so that this well referenced book offers a truly magical Anglo-Saxon experience. Buy this book now.

The Early, Heathen Anglo-Saxons

The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England is a major reference-work covering the history, archaeology, arts, architecture, literatures and languages of England from the Roman withdrawal to the Norman Conquest (c.450 - 1066 AD). Maintains and stimulates an interdisciplinary approach to Anglo-Saxon studies. Includes contributions from 150 experts in the field. Accessible style and layout make the encyclopedia an excellent reference tool.

The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England

The collapse of Roman rule in Britain was not so much a sudden catastrophe as a long and drawn-out decline. The 'Celtic' Britons retreated gradually to the highland areas of Wales, Cornwall and the south-west of Scotland. Control of the fertile eastern lowlands was lost to warriors of Germanic origin who migrated from the Continent. These Germanic conquerors have become known to history as the 'Anglo-Saxons'. They were to dominate the lowland zone of Britain until their final defeat at Hastings in 1066. This title gives an insight into the everyday life, equipment, dress, battle tactics and life on campaign of the typical Anglo-Saxon warrior of this period – the thegn.

Anglo-Saxon Thegn AD 449–1066

Based on the revised and expanded edition of 2004, this paperback is an encyclopaedic study of English dress from the fifth to the eleventh centuries, drawing evidence from archaeology, text and art (manuscripts, ivories, metalwork, stone sculpture, mosaics), and also from re-enactors' experience. It examines archaeological textiles, cloth production and the significance of imported cloth and foreign fashions. Dress is discussed as a marker of gender, ethnicity, status and social role - in the context of a pagan burial, dress for holy orders, bequests of clothing, commissioning a kingly wardrobe, and much else - and surviving dress fasteners and accessories are examined with regard to type and to geographical/chronological distribution. There are colour reconstructions of early Anglo-Saxon dress and a cutting pattern for a gown from the Bayeux tapestry; Old English garment names are discussed, and there is a glossary of costume and other relevant terms. GALE OWEN-CROCKER is Professor of Anglo-Saxon Culture at the University of Manchester. She has a special interest in dress throughout the medieval period - she advises on dress entries to the Toronto Old English Dictionary and has consulted for many museums and television companies. She is co-editor of the journal Medieval Clothing and Textiles.

Dress in Anglo-Saxon England

Farming was the basis of the wealth that made England worth invading, twice, in the eleventh century, while trade and manufacturing were insignificant by modern standards. In Anglo-Saxon Farms and Farming, the authors employ a wide range of evidence to investigate how Anglo-Saxon farmers produced the food and other agricultural products that sustained English economy, society, and culture before the Norman Conquest. The first part of the volume draws on written and pictorial sources, archaeology, place-names, and the history of the English language to discover what crops and livestock people raised, and what tools and techniques were used to produce them. In part two, using a series of landscape studies - place-names, maps, and the landscape itself, the authors explore how these techniques might have been combined into working agricultural regimes in different parts of the country. A picture emerges of an agriculture that changed from an essentially prehistoric state in the sub-Roman period to what was recognisably the beginning of a tradition that only ended with the Second World War. Anglo-Saxon farming was not only sustainable, but infinitely adaptable to different soils and geology, and to a climate changing as unpredictably as it is today.

Anglo-Saxon Farms and Farming

The principal issue with which these essays are concerned is the nature of relations between the English and the British in the period from the collapse of Roman authority in Britain to the end of the first Viking-Age. As in the previous collection, Histories and Pseudo-Histories of the Insular Middle Ages, Dr Dumville emphasises the central importance of close study of manuscripts and texts as the key to understanding the early history of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and the 9th-to 13th-century perceptions of these. Among the studies, several deal with the historical evaluation of Beowulf and other works of Old English and Welsh literature; others illustrate the need to include the Britons across the Channel, in Brittany, in any full consideration of Insular culture.La question principale à laquelle ces essais se rattachent est celle de la nature des rapports entre les Anglais et les Britanniques autochtones durant la période allant de la chute de l'autorité romaine en Grande-Bretagne jusqu'à la fin du premier âge viking. Ainsi qu'il l'avait déjà fait dans une collection précédente, Histories and Pseudo-Histories of the Insular Middle Ages le Dr Dumville souligne la prime importance d'une étude minutieuse des textes manuscrits en tant qu'éléments clef dans la compréhension du début de l'histoire des royaumes anglo-saxons et de la perception qu'on en avait entre le 9e et le 13e siècle. Parmi les études, plusieures traitent de l'évaluation historique de travaux provenant de la littérature galloise et anglaise ancienne, notamment de Beowulf; d'autres font état du besoin d'inclure les Britanniques établis de l'autre côté de la Manche, en Bretagne, dans toute considération de la culture insulaire se voulant complète.

Britons and Anglo-Saxons in the Early Middle Ages

The Anglo-Saxons were a Germanic people who inhabited England from the 5th to the 11th centuries, contributing significantly to the country's cultural and linguistic heritage. They emerged after the Roman withdrawal and established a complex society with distinct kingdoms, such as Wessex and Mercia. The Anglo-Saxon period witnessed the spread of Christianity, the development of Old English literature, and the formation of a feudal system. Their legacy endures through place names, legal systems, and the English language itself, making them a crucial chapter in England's history with a lasting impact on its identity and culture.