Anglo-Saxon England

History: What inspired you initially?

2011-11-18T21:31:00.000Z

I was musing about several things recently, and wondered what my inspirations were regarding history. It transpired that both Michael Wood's unreleased "In Search of the Dark Ages" 1979-81 BBC documentary series, ie. Offa; Alfred; Athelstan (and five other subjects) and also ITV's 1983-6 drama "Robin of Sherwood" (starring Ray Winstone and Clive Mantle) struck the nail on the head to inspire me!

Bloody Immigrants!

2011-05-26T17:54:00.001+01:00

Waves of persistent immigrants hopped off the battered boats and made their way into the nearest towns in the south, initially unchecked at the coast by the residents, merchants and churchmen and aimed to claim whatever they could from their strange new home, the fertile land of Britain. They looked, acted and sounded different- a major threat to established, age-old societies and customs,

The "fleeing" Fyrdsmen?

2011-01-25T20:05:00.000Z

The fyrdsmen that fatally broke rank from the English shieldwall at Senlac, 14th October 1066, chasing the 'broken' Norman-French-Breton army, weakened the English defence and frittered away a victory for Harold, who was slain that day. Was it really this simple? Or were they later arrivals who had not been present to hear King Harold's strict orders to hold formation at all costs? And why was

Anglo-Saxons:- "Lumbering about in pot-bellied equanimity"?

2010-12-25T21:54:00.000Z

Guiscard, a member of my website (and who runs his own, Norman, message board)started off an interesting thread on his forum, which set me thinking- who uttered the infamous phrase that the Anglo-saxons would have been "Pot-bellied, amiable and drunk" as Michael Wood described in his 'In Search of the Dark Ages' series (1981)? Some have suggested elsewhere that it was none other than Monty (

Brunanburh, where was it fought?

2010-12-25T21:50:00.000Z

Over 41 sites in mainland Britain have been proposed (listed in Hill's Age of Athelstan), ranging from Cornwall to Scotland, 20 in England alone. Fought in 937ad between King Athelstan's 16,000 Wessex/Mercian army (numbers suggested by A.H.Burne) against an alliance of 18,000 Scots(under King Constantine); 'Britons' of Strathclyde(under King Owain); Irish and Jorvik Norsemen(under King Olaf

1066: Why did the fyrdsmen break rank from the shield wall?

2010-09-29T16:39:00.000+01:00

The fyrdsmen that broke rank from the English shieldwall at Senlac, 14th October 1066- were they later arrivals who had not been present to hear King Harold's strict orders to hold formation at all costs? We know from the sources that more Anglo-Saxons came trickling in from the southern shires throughout the day, as their king had bade them days before. So, were the men who fatally broke rank

"Thor's Hammer" Found in Viking Graves

2010-08-31T20:46:00.000+01:00

Long dismissed as accidental additions to Viking graves, prehistoric "thunderstones"—fist-size stone tools resembling the Norse god Thor's hammerhead—were actually purposely placed as good-luck talismans, archaeologists say. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/08/100810-thor-thors-hammer-viking-graves-thunderstones-science/ (National Geographic)

Edward/Aethelflaed & the refortifying of burhs

2010-08-06T22:10:00.001+01:00

In the early 10thC Chester, a former Roman town on the river Dee in N.W.England, which they called Deva, was a vitally important burh -it was a prosperous Royal mint lying on the river Dee, a noted and major Mercian stronghold and was geographically crucial to England's defence- being sited near to the northernmost tip of Mercia and near to E.Wales/S.Cumbria/S.W.Northumbria. It also was sited

The Bayeux Tapestry & it's oddities?

2010-05-17T21:47:00.001+01:00

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2;

Being fair to William of Normandy

2010-02-18T20:53:00.000Z

Not forgetting the many overt acts and campaigns of savage barbarity he ordered and committed- not least the 'harrying of the north' 1069-70 (and the post-Hastings atrocities at Romney, Peterborough and Exeter)- but having read through a plethora of accounts via the many primary sources (Poitiers; Jumieges; Malmesbury; Vitalis etc) there seem to be a few examples where the notoriously hard duke

Duke William - Jewish ancestry?

2010-01-03T21:20:00.000Z

Was William’s mother, Herleve, jewish?In 1051 Duke William invaded the wild and hilly region of Belleme (strategically placed and contested by French Kings, Normandy AND Anjou) aiming to block Angevin expansion & capture the two key frontier forts of Domfront and Alencon, that bitter rival Geoffrey of Anjou had garrisoned with troops, and that William feared would be used as a springboard to

2010-01-03T21:13:00.000Z

The generally accepted belief is that these young and militarily inexperienced brother Earls (Edwin of Mercia; Morcar of Northumbria) had only their own independent Northumbrian and Mercian interests at heart, and so betrayed not only King Harold by failing to show up at Santlache on October 14th, but also the nominal young king Edgar afterwards by fleeing London, intially.But is it as

King Harald Hardraada & Duke William - alliance in 1066?

2010-01-03T20:26:00.010Z

Did these two formidable warriors make a pre-agreed pact to co-invade England in the build up to 1066, as some believe? (I don't!) What possible motive would these notoriously ambitious and avaricious men have had? The embittered and ousted Earl Tostig (Harold's own brother) reputedly visited both men (plus Denmark's King Swein, his cousin) to persuade them to invade. How could it have even been

Abuse of hostages in Anglo-Saxon England...

2009-12-31T18:22:00.002Z

There was similar etymology of the OE word for hostage, gisl, to the Irish giall and the Welsh gwystl and the use of Anglo-Latin sources of the same Latin term, obes, as that used in other European Latin sources. Whilst godparentship, baptismal sponsorship and enforced marriage may have operated in the same vein of relationship, hostages were seen as a brutal yet practical & effective

Celtic women- according to the Romans

2009-12-13T23:07:00.002Z

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Georgia; panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Verdana; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:

William I and the witch

2009-12-05T23:31:00.000Z

During Hereward's large and hugely effective rebellion at Ely 1069-71, because of which William took personal command by the vast but murky marshes as his men suffered heavy losses in Hereward's cunning ambushes, the Norman king got more desperate...and hired a witch! Odd action for a supposedly 'Christian' king who had invaded a 'corrupt' nation in order to bring the English church 'back

Bishop Odo - ambitions to be Pope?

2009-12-04T22:38:00.001Z

In 1082 Bishop Odo -the arrogant and extravagant force behind the success of 1066- apparently had serious designs to "become Pope" (even rumoured to have sounded out clerics as to whether there was remote precedent for a bishop becoming king!), causing his final quarrel with his half-brother, king William I, who owed Odo alot and had relied heavily upon him. Odo knew very well of Pope Gregory

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: Silent for all of 1064?

2009-12-01T22:12:00.001Z

During a period of thriving political and military activity in England and on the continent, the ASC strangely entered virtually nothing in it's annals for the year 1064, for some reason. The only event- seemingly unrelated to the other major events of the era- including Harold's "oath" this year, is the murder of Northumbrian noble Gospatric at King Edward's court (at Tostig/Edith's request?)

Harold Godwinson in Normandy

2009-11-24T09:22:00.000Z

What was Harold doing on the continent? This inexplicable visit is not mentioned in any English sources (had they any knowledge of it?) as the ASC was totally and strangely silent for the year entry 1064. As the Norman sources were written after the events of 1066, their interpretation of what may have happened are therefore suspect, probably twisted out of all proportion with propaganda

1065: Revolt against Earl Tostig of Northumbria

2009-11-22T12:57:00.004Z

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} @font-face {font-family:Verdana; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable;

Earl Harold's "oath" of 1064

2009-11-20T19:27:00.002Z

<!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan;

878: Alfred - burning cakes and battle-victory!

2009-11-19T19:59:00.003Z

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Georgia; panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:

871 - Alfred's "year of nine battles"

2009-11-19T19:51:00.003Z

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Georgia; panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:

The Viking 'Great Army' of 865

2009-11-19T19:09:00.001Z

<!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan;

Events during King Ecgbert's reign (802-39)

2009-11-19T18:59:00.002Z

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Georgia; panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch: