The Anglo-Saxon World

Front Cover
Yale University Press, Jun 25, 2013 - History - 496 pages

The essential history of Anglo-Saxon England, brought completely up to date with new discoveries and interpretations


The Anglo-Saxon period, stretching from the fifth to the late eleventh century, begins with the Roman retreat from the Western world and ends with the Norman takeover of England. Between these epochal events, many of the contours and patterns of English life that would endure for the next millennium were shaped. In this authoritative work, N. J. Higham and M. J. Ryan reexamine Anglo-Saxon England in the light of new research in disciplines as wide ranging as historical genetics, paleobotany, archaeology, literary studies, art history, and numismatics. The result is the definitive introduction to the Anglo-Saxon world, enhanced with a rich array of photographs, maps, genealogies, and other illustrations.


The Anglo-Saxon period witnessed the birth of the English people, the establishment of Christianity, and the development of the English language. With an extraordinary cast of characters (Alfred the Great, the Venerable Bede, King Cnut), a long list of artistic and cultural achievements (Beowulf, the Sutton Hoo ship-burial finds, the Bayeux Tapestry), and multiple dramatic events (the Viking invasions, the Battle of Hastings), the Anglo-Saxon era lays legitimate claim to having been one of the most important in Western history.

 

Contents

Introduction
1
Chapter 1 Britain in and out of the Roman Empire
20
Chapter 2 The Origins of England
70
Chapter 3 From Tribal Chieftains to Christian Kings
126
Chapter 4 The Mercian Supremacies
179
Chapter 5 The AngloSaxons and the Vikings c 825900
232
Chapter 6 Conquest Reform and the Making of England
284
Chapter 7 The Age of Æthelred
335
Chapter 8 The Transformation of AngloSaxon England
387
Bibliography
443
Index
459
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2013)

DIVN. J. Higham is professor emeritus, School of Arts, University of Manchester. He lives in Cheshire, UK. M. J. Ryan is lecturer in early medieval history, School of Arts, University of Manchester. He lives in West Sussex, UK./div

Bibliographic information