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Leeds Studies in English
Leeds Studies in English Article: Paul Cavill, 'The Armour-Bearer in Abbo's Passio sancti Eadmundi and Anglo-Saxon England', Leeds Studies in English, n.s. 36 (2005), 47-61 Permanent URL: https://ludos.leeds.ac.uk:443/R/-?func=dbin-jump- full&object_id=123813&silo_library=GEN01 Leeds Studies in English School of English University of Leeds http://www.leeds.ac.uk/lse The Armour-Bearer in Abbo's Passio sancti Eadmundi and Anglo-Saxon England Paul Cavill There has been a good deal of interest expressed over recent decades in the historicity or otherwise of the martyrdom of Edmund of East Anglia. The early literary sources of the legend are from the end of the tenth century, Abbo of Fleury's Passio sancti Eadmundi of c. 987, and vElfric's abbreviated version of this in his Old English Lives of Saints sometime later but before the end of the century. The story of the martyrdom tells how a Viking army led by Irlguar demand Edmund's submission and tribute; Edmund refuses, is captured by the Vikings, beaten, tied to a tree and shot at, then finally beheaded. In the dedicatory epistle which precedes the Passio proper, Abbo claims he had been told the story by Archbishop Dunstan who had heard it as a young man at the court of King /Ethelstan from the lips of a very old armour- bearer of Edmund who had actually been present and seen it all happen. Dorothy Whitelock reviewed the sources and concluded that the account of the martyrdom of St Edmund was not entirely implausible. -
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle’, 865–96
Clare Downham, University of Liverpool 2 Annals, armies, and artistry: ‘The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle’, 865–96 ‘THE ANGLO-SAXON CHRONICLE’ from 865 to 896 is an engrossing description of affairs in England during the mature years of Alfred the Great, king of the West Saxons and then overking of the Anglo-Saxons (871–99). Much of the narrative is pre-occupied with the description of viking-campaigns, and it is a major source for understanding how vikings first came to conquer and settle English territory. Nevertheless, it is striking that the presentation of information in ‘The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle’ for those years was influenced by stylistic and political considerations. These can provide important clues to the circumstances of the composition of annals 865 to 896. For the years 865–96 there seem to be two distinct phases of chronicling activity in ‘The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle’. The first runs from A.D. 864/5 to 891/2 (annals 865–92) and belongs to the Chronicle’s ‘Common Stock’ (60 B.C.–A.D. 892), while the second constitutes its first continuation, for the four years 893– 6. Ruth Waterhouse has discussed the former section.1 She has drawn attention to the distinct word-order of annals 865–91 and the stylistic features (such as its verbs of motion) which distinguish it from what precedes and what follows.2 Peter Sawyer has argued persuasively that this section properly ends at 892 (not 891), which is therefore where that ‘Common Stock’ of the Chronicle ends.3 It is also in this section that the beginning of the year was calculated from September.4 1R. -
The Relationship Between King Alfred the Great and Ceolwulf II of Mercia (874-C.879)
Penn History Review Volume 26 Issue 2 Article 2 February 2020 The Relationship between King Alfred the Great and Ceolwulf II of Mercia (874-c.879) Brent Weisberg University of Pennsylvania Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/phr Recommended Citation Weisberg, Brent (2020) "The Relationship between King Alfred the Great and Ceolwulf II of Mercia (874-c.879)," Penn History Review: Vol. 26 : Iss. 2 , Article 2. Available at: https://repository.upenn.edu/phr/vol26/iss2/2 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/phr/vol26/iss2/2 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Alfred the Great and Ceolwulf II The Relationship between King Alfred the Great and Ceolwulf II of Mercia (874-c.879) Brent Weisberg, University of Pennsylvania Introduction Studying King Ceolwulf II of Mercia presents one with a situation not unlike the one former US Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld’s described concerning American intelligence work in Iraq in 2002: "there are known knowns… there are known unknowns… but there are also unknown unknowns."1 The "known knowns" of Ceolwulf’s reign are few and far between. All we have to bear witness to the life and legacy of Ceolwulf, the last independent ruler of Mercia, are two charters of his, a few mentions in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as well as two of its likely derivatives, and several dozen coins.2 The few coins we have, particularly examples of Two Emperors type coins from the recent Watlington hoard find, provide material evidence of Ceolwulf’s reign that may be used to corroborate or contravene literary evidence.3 I shall seek to elucidate the history of Ceolwulf that I discern to be most plausible through the lens of his relationships with King Alfred of Wessex and the Vikings. -
Changing Thegns: Cnut's Conquest and the English Aristocracy*
The 1983 Denis Bethell Prize Essay of the Charles Homer Haskins Society Changing Thegns: Cnut's Conquest and the English Aristocracy* Katharin Mack England was conquered twice in the eleventh century: first in 1016 by Cnut the Dane and again in 1066 by William Duke of Normandy. The influence of the Norman Conquest has been the subject of scholarly warfare ever since E.A. Freeman published the first volume of his History of the Nor~ man Conquest of England in 1867-and indeed, long before.' The conse~ quences of Cnut's conquest, on the other hand, have not been subjected to the same scrutiny. Because England was conquered twice in less than fifty years, historians have often succumbed to the temptation of comparing the two events. But since Cnut's reign is poorly documented and was followed quickly by the restoration of the house of Cerdic in the person of Edward the Confessor, such studies have tended to judge 1016 by the standards of 1066. While such comparisons are useful, they have imposed a model on Cnut's reign which has distorted the importance of the Anglo-Scandinavian period. 2 If, however, Cnut's reign is compared with the Anglo-Saxon past rather than the Anglo-Norman future, the influence of 1016 can be more fairly assessed. At first sight, there would seem little to debate. Cnut appears to have adopted wholeheartedly the traditional role of Anglo-Saxon kingship. The sources suggest that at every chance, Cnut proclaimed his determination to be a good English king,3 and modern scholarship has confirmed many of • An abbreviated version of this article was presented at the Haskins Society Conference at the University of Houston, November, 1983. -
Leeds Studies in English
Leeds Studies in English Article: Susanne Kries, '"Westward I came across the Sea": Anglo- Scandinavian History through Scandinavian Eyes', Leeds Studies in English, n.s. 34 (2003), 47-76 Permanent URL: https://ludos.leeds.ac.uk:443/R/-?func=dbin-jump- full&object_id=123802&silo_library=GEN01 Leeds Studies in English School of English University of Leeds http://www.leeds.ac.uk/lse 'Westward I came across the Sea': Anglo-Scandinavian History through Scandinavian Eyes Susanne Kries The co-existence of Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians in the Anglo-Saxon period has traditionally been evaluated on the basis of Anglo-Saxon written sources, and above all by recourse to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.1 The Chronicle is significant as an ideological work in creating cultural identity and defining national culture. Martin Irvine2 and Janet Thormann convincingly presented the tenth-century poems incorporated in the various manuscripts of the Chronicle as promoting an 'Englishness' constituted through West Saxon rule.4 Those scholars who have turned to Scandinavian poetic records have, however, generally been sceptical about the 'historical' content that skaldic testimony might provide.5 The wider cultural-historical implications of the Scandinavian sources have largely been ignored and their status as testimony to a specifically 'Scandinavian' point of view neglected. This paper seeks to provide a re-evaluation of the question of Anglo- Scandinavian inter-cultural communication by examining a fragmentary poem of the tenth century, Egill Skallagrimsson's Adalsteinsdrapa, which was composed in praise of the West-Saxon King ^thelstan. The poem is a potentially valuable witness since its origin can be traced back to an English context. -
Dyeing Sutton Hoo Nordic Blonde: an Interpretation of Swedish Influences on the East Anglian Gravesite
DYEING SUTTON HOO NORDIC BLONDE: AN INTERPRETATION OF SWEDISH INFLUENCES ON THE EAST ANGLIAN GRAVESITE Casandra Vasu A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS August 2008 Committee: Andrew Hershberger, Advisor Charles E. Kanwischer © 2008 Casandra Vasu All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Andrew Hershberger, Advisor Nearly seventy years have passed since the series of tumuli surrounding Edith Pretty’s estate at Sutton Hoo in Eastern Suffolk, England were first excavated, and the site, particularly the magnificent ship-burial and its associated pieces located in Mound 1, remains enigmatic to archaeologists and historians. Dated to approximately the early seventh century, the Sutton Hoo entombment retains its importance by illuminating a period of English history that straddles both myth and historical documentation. The burial also exists in a multicultural context, an era when Scandinavian influences factored heavily upon society in the British Isles, predominantly in the areas of art, religion and literature. Literary works such as the Old English epic of Beowulf, a tale of a Geatish hero and his Danish and Swedish counterparts, offer insight into the cultural background of the custom of ship-burial and the various accoutrements of Norse warrior society. Beowulf may hold an even more specific affinity with Sutton Hoo, in that a character from the tale, Weohstan, is considered to be an ancestor of the man commemorated in the ship- burial in Mound 1. Weohstan, whose allegiance lay with the Geats, was nonetheless a member of the Wægmunding clan, distant relations to the Swedish Scylfing dynasty. -
'Anglo-Danes': Anachronistic Ethnicities and Viking-Age England1
‘Hiberno-Norwegians’ and ‘Anglo-Danes’: anachronistic ethnicities and Viking-Age England1 CLARE DOWNHAM University of Aberdeen TWO papers have recently been published, with reference to Irish sources from the Viking-Age, challenging the identification of Dubgaill (‘Dark Foreigners’) with ‘Danes’ and Finngaill (‘Fair Foreigners’) with ‘Norwegians’.2 In this paper I seek to broaden the debate by suggesting that the categorisation of Insular-viking politics as a struggle between opposing Danish and Norwegian factions is similarly unhelpful. For example, the use of the term Dene in ‘The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle’ can be regarded as similar to the use of the terms Dani and Nordmanni in Frankish chronicles: that is, as a general name for those of Scandinavian cultural identity rather than a label referring to people of one particular Scandinavian ethnicity.3 I argue that the supposed animosity between ‘Hiberno-Norwegian’ and ‘Anglo- Danish’ factions in English politics before 954 is largely a historiographic invention and not a Viking-Age reality. The stereotypes applied to each of these so-called groups (the ‘Hiberno-Norwegians’ being generally seen as more violent, more heathen, and more chaotic than the ‘Anglo-Danes’) can also be called into question. If this argument holds true, then references to ‘Hiberno-Norwegians’ and ‘Anglo- 1 I should like to thank Judith Jesch and Alex Woolf for the opportunity to present versions of this paper at Nottingham and St Andrews in February and April 2007. My thanks also go to Paul Bibire, Stefan Brink, and David Roffe for reading and commenting on the text. 2 David N. Dumville, ‘Old Dubliners and New Dubliners in Ireland and Britain: a Viking- Age story’, Medieval Dublin 6 (2004) 78–93, reprinted in his Celtic Essays, 2001–2007 (2 vols, Aberdeen 2007), I.103–22; C. -
3~79 // 8 /D HEROISM and FAILURE in ANGLO-SAXON POETRY: the IDEAL and the REAL WITHIN the COMITATUS DISSERTATION Presented to Th
3~79 // 8 /d HEROISM AND FAILURE IN ANGLO-SAXON POETRY: THE IDEAL AND THE REAL WITHIN THE COMITATUS DISSERTATION Presented to the Graduate Council of the University of North Texas in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Nancy Susan Nelson, B.A., M.A, Denton, Texas May, 1989 c Nelson, Nancy Susan, Heroism and Failure in Anglo-Saxon Poetry: The Ideal and the Real Within the Comitatus. Doctor of Philosophy (English), May, 1989, 144 pp., bibliography, 142 titles. This dissertation discusses the complicated relation- ship (known as the comitatus) of kings and followers as presented in the heroic poetry of the Anglo-Saxons. The anonymous poets of the age celebrated the ideals of their culture but consistently portrayed the real behavior of the characters within their works. Other studies have examined the ideals of the comitatus in general terms while refer- ring to the poetry as a body of work, or they have discussed them in particular terms while referring to one or two poems in detail. This study is both broader and deeper in scope than are the earlier works. In a number of poems I have identified the heroic ideals and examined the poetic treatment of those ideals. In order to establish the necessary background, Chapter I reviews the historical sources, such as Tacitus, Bede, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and the work of modern historians. Chapter II discusses such attributes of the king as wisdom, courage, and generosity. Chapter III examines the role of aristocratic women within the society. Chapter IV describes the proper behavior of followers, primarily their loyalty in return for treasures earlier bestowed. -
The Genuine Asser
THE STENTON LECTURE I967 THE GENUINE ASSER Dorothy Whitelock UNIVERSITY OF READING HI, ."~.'~ .~O J', ' THE STENTON LECTURE 1967 THE GENUINE ASSER by Dorothy Whitelock CBE, FBA Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon in the University of Cambridge UNIVERSITY OF READING 1968 The Genuine Asser by Dorothy Whitelock It is no accident that we know more about King Alfred than about any other Anglo-Saxon king. He differed from all other kings in leaving writings of his own. He invited scholars to his court, and he was the sort of man to inspire one of them, the 'Welshman Asser, to write a biography of him. Until 1904, it was difficult to separate the text of Asser's Life of King Alfred from sixteenth-century interpolations which had brought it into disrepute. These were finally cleared out of the way by W. H. Stevenson, in his excellent edition of 1904.1 He was then able to answer criticisms levelled against the authenticity of the Life in a way that has convinced most scholars ever since, particularly since his refutation of the attacks was combined with a con• siderable amount of evidence pointing to contemporary writing. Never• theless, the authenticity has since been called in question, and attempts have been made to find a likely fabricator of the alleged forgery.2 The latest suggestion is that of Professor Galbraith,3 that the Life might have been forged by Leofric, who became bishop of Devon and Cornwall in 1046, with his see first at Crediton, and after lOso, at Exeter. The main purpose of my lecture is to re-establish both the authenticity and the value of the work; and, in so doing, to clear Bishop Leofric from the accusation of being a forger, and W. -
Historical Dictionary of the Vikings
112722 pb cover 11/7/03 3:48 PM Page 1 Holman History • Ancient • General Historical Dictionaries of Ancient Civilizations and Historical Eras, No. 11 Rarely has an era evoked the same sense of adventure as the Viking age. For more than three centuries, small but intrepid bands of Scandinavians used Historical longships to launch lightning raids on their European neighbors to colonize new lands in the east and west and exchange furs for wine, spices, and silver. Dictionary Historical Significant changes also occurred at home, as the local kings extended their power, Norse paganism lost ground to Christianity, and new towns and ports Dictionary thrived as a result of increased contact with the world. And this new world was amazingly vast, stretching over the British Isles, much of continental Europe, into the far reaches of Russia and the Middle East, and to an undetermined extent, even North America. of the There were so many expeditions, under so many leaders, to so many places, and for so many purposes that it is difficult to track events. Moreover, much of the information is shrouded in mystery because few archaeological remains Vikings and even fewer written documents corroborate the sagas. This Historical Dictionary of the Vikings helps fill the void by providing information on major historical figures, important battles and treaties, key works, and archae- ological finds. This dictionary not only presents the big picture, but also examines the everday aspects of how people lived and worked. A chronology, detailed and annotated bibliographies for different themes and geographical locations, and an introduction discussing the major events and developments of the Viking age are also included. -
Reflections on Alfred, Asser and the Power of Memory in the West Saxon Landscape
Chapter 15 Places I’ll Remember? Reflections on Alfred, Asser and the Power of Memory in the West Saxon Landscape Ryan Lavelle We are shaped by our memories and by others’ memories of us. That statement may be a truism, but there are few places better than a Festschrift where one can get away with starting a paper in such a manner. And it is a valuable truism. Those memories which shape us, as so many studies have shown, are shaped by place, and the places themselves are shaped by memory. This has been dem- onstrated in neuroscientific terms over the last four decades by the identifica- tion of the role of ‘place cells’ within the hippocampus of the brain linked to the subjective ‘sense of place’, in part linked to the creation of personal memo- ry, while the significance of Lieux de mémoire in French historiography pro- vides an endorsement of what many of us already feel.1 The development of the spatial turn has proved a particularly rich field in the study of Anglo-Saxon history and culture: Nicholas Howe showed the ways in which the experiences of place—those of the modern scholar and the medieval sense of place—can collide in a visit to a location, often in a way that forces us to consider how we approach the past.2 A range of work on Anglo-Saxon landscapes, addressing the context of place-names, settlement, and perception has proved particu- larly fruitful in the last decade or so.3 1 A seminal work in the field of neuroscience is John O’Keefe, “Place Units in the Hippocampus of the Freely Moving Rat,” Experimental Neurology 51 (1976), 78–109; a recent study is Sheri J.Y. -
Anglo-Saxon England | University of Kent
09/26/21 Anglo-Saxon England | University of Kent Anglo-Saxon England View Online 1. Campbell, James, John, Eric, Wormald, Patrick: The Anglo-Saxons. Phaidon, Oxford (1982). 2. Blair, John: The Anglo-Saxon age: a very short introduction. Oxford University Press, New York (2000). 3. Yorke, Barbara: The Anglo-Saxons. Sutton, Stroud (1999). 4. Whitelock, Dorothy: The beginnings of English society. Penguin, Harmondsworth (1965). 5. A companion to the early Middle Ages: Britain and Ireland c.500-1100. Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester (2009). 6. Blair, Peter Hunter: An introduction to Anglo-Saxon England. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1977). 1/56 09/26/21 Anglo-Saxon England | University of Kent 7. Campbell, James, John, Eric, Wormald, Patrick: The Anglo-Saxons. Phaidon, Oxford (1982). 8. Hill, D.: An atlas of Anglo-Saxon England. Blackwell, [Place of publication not identified] (1981). 9. International medieval bibliography. 10. S. Keynes: Anglo-Saxon England: A Bibliographical Handbook for Students of Anglo-Saxon History. resources. 11. Lapidge, Michael, Blair, John, Keynes, Simon, Scragg, Donald: The Blackwell encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Blackwelll Publishers, Oxford (1999). 12. Stenton, F M.: Anglo-Saxon England. Clarendon Press, Oxford (1971). 13. Whitelock, Dorothy, Douglas, David C.: English historical documents: Vol.1: c.500-1042 / edited by Dorothy Whitelock. O.U.P., London (1979). 14. Campbell, James, John, Eric, Wormald, Patrick: chapter 1 and 2. In: The Anglo-Saxons. 2/56 09/26/21 Anglo-Saxon England | University of Kent Phaidon, Oxford (1982). 15. Collins, Roger: Early medieval Europe, 300-1000. St. Martin’s Press, Basingstoke (1999). 16. Hill, C.: Roman Britain to Anglo-Saxon England.