Name: The Anglo-Saxons
ISBN: 9781786330994

Marc Morris

A history that spans more than half a millennium, The Anglo-Saxons is nothing less than a quest for England's origins. This is the story of our island at its most strange and evocative period - the time of the Anglo-Saxons. Marc Morris's brilliant new book will take its readers from an alien world of slaves, temples, villas, druids and amphorae, to a familiar landscape of shires and boroughs, villages, parish churches and minsters; from the worship of vanished gods like Thor and Woden to the veneration of saints - Cuthbert, Alban, Edmund - who still recognised today; from a population who spoke Latin and Celtic, to one whose language was recognizably the ancestor of the English that is spoken today.

The Roots of England

The Anglo-Saxons

Interesting correlation between emerging religion and expression of kingship. 

Wynter

The rapid progress of Christianity in the second half of the seventh century coincided with a sharp decline in the princely barrow burials and huge mead-halls...

Full of useful infor. Didn’t stray from the point and was very knowledgeable. 

Jodie Reads

__________________ 'A deep dive into one of the murkiest periods of our national history ... Splendid' DAN JONES, Sunday Times 'An absolute masterpiece' DAN SNOW 'A rich trove of ancient wonders' IAN MORTIMER __________________ 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. __________________ 'This is top-notch narrative history ... a big gold bar of delight, the special joy of which is that the florid world of Anglo-Saxon England will become known to many. As an up-to-date, accessible narrative history of the period, I know of none better.' SPECTATOR

A History of the Beginnings of England

Ian Mason

A definitive, ground-breaking history of the Anglo-Saxons by national bestselling author Marc Morris. Sixteen hundred years ago, Britain left the Roman Empire and fell swiftly 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, 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 artifacts—national bestselling 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 The Roots of England

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