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This thesis explores the formation of a state in Anglo-Saxon England from the period of Roman withdrawal from Britain in the early fifth century to the tenth century. It argues that the key factor in the development of the state was the increase in the power of kings during the period. While early kings in England were little more than the leaders of warbands numbering in the dozens rather than armies numbering in the thousands, later kings acquired various forms of power that allowed them to exert greater control over their territories, increase the size of their kingdoms through conquest, and, by the time of Alfred the Great (r. 871-899), claim kingship over all of the Anglo-Saxons. The thesis first examines two theoretical questions: "What is power?" and "What is the state?" Following the direction of sociologist Michael Mann, the thesis posits that there are four types of social power: ideological, military, economic, and political. The thesis then attempts not to define the state precisely, but to provide a series of general characteristics that typify a state level of society. The state is a stratified, hierarchical political system -- usually with three or more levels within its hierarchy -- that breaks up regional and local loyalty and often integrates multi-ethnic (or at least somewhat diverse) populations into a single unified polity. The state also features a system of lasting, impersonal institutions, has the power to tax, and, as Max Weber says, enjoys a monopoly on violence. The remainder of the thesis examines Anglo-Saxon kings' military, economic, and ideological power, and discusses how facets of each of these concepts contributed to the creation of a state in England during the early medieval period.
The Battle of Dunnichen is significant since it marked the turning point in the history of the Picts and marked their independence from the Kingdom of Northumbria. Not only is this possibly the best documented event in the history of the Picts, but it also allowed them to overthrow the Northumbrian rule and the dark shadow it cast over all northern peoples. Without the leadership of King Bridei and his courageous followers, Scotland as we know it may not have existed. The battle also helped to define the Scottish/English border that remains today, a border that could have been pushed further north by the Northumbrians if they had not been stopped.
Works on Anglo-Saxon kingship often take as their starting point the line from Beowulf: ‘that was a good king’. This monograph, however, explores what it means to be a king, and how kings defined their own kingship in opposition to other powers. Kings derived their royal power from a divine source, which led to conflicts between the interpreters of the divine will (the episcopate) and the individual wielding power (the king). Demonstrating how Anglo-Saxon kings were able to manipulate political ideologies to increase their own authority, this book explores the unique way in which Anglo-Saxon kings understood the source and nature of their power, and of their own authority.
The relationship between Anglo-Saxon kingship, law, and the functioning of power is explored via a number of different angles. The essays collected here focus on how Anglo-Saxon royal authority was expressed and disseminated, through laws, delegation, relationships between monarch and Church, and between monarchs at times of multiple kingships and changing power ratios. Specific topics include the importance of kings in consolidating the English "nation"; the development of witnesses as agents of the king's authority; the posthumous power of monarchs; how ceremonial occasions wereused for propaganda reinforcing heirarchic, but mutually beneficial, kingships; the implications of Ine's lawcode; and the language of legislation when English kings were ruling previously independent territories, and the delegation of local rule. The volume also includes a groundbreaking article by Simon Keynes on Anglo-Saxon charters, looking at the origins of written records, the issuing of royal diplomas and the process, circumstances, performance and function of production of records. GALE R. OWEN-CROCKER is Professor of Anglo-Saxon Culture at the University of Manchester. Contributors: Ann Williams, Alexander R. Rumble, Carole Hough, Andrew Rabin, Barbara Yorke, Ryan Lavelle, Alaric Trousdale
This work presents a reconstruction of the events of the early Anglo-Saxon period, early fifth to ninth century. At first the Roman state was succeeded by a patchwork of primitive British tribal kingdoms, which were gradually replaced by a number of martial Saxon and Anglian kingdoms. Each one pursued a narrow policy of self-preservation. Political alignments and military alliances developed, not only with each other, but also with the Welsh, the Picts and the Scots. Therefore Leonard Dutton draws upon Celtic as well as Anglo-Saxon sources. The eventual appointment of a high king with supreme power ensued, and the trend towards political unification is the main theme of the book.
This is an engaging new study of how kingship and royal government operated in the late Anglo-Saxon period.
The workings of royal and ecclesiastical authority in Anglo-Saxon England can only be understood on the basis of direct engagement with original texts and material artefacts. This book, written by leading experts, brings together new research that represents the best of the current scholarship on the nexus between authority and written sources from Anglo-Saxon England. Ranging from the seventh to the eleventh century, the chapters in this volume offer fresh approaches to a wide range of linguistic, historical, legal, diplomatic and palaeographical evidence. Central themes include the formation of power in early Anglo-Saxon kingdoms during the age of Bede (d. 735) and Offa of Mercia (757-96), authority and its articulation in the century from Edgar (959-75) to 1066, and the significance of books and texts in expressing power across the period. Writing, Kingship and Power in Anglo-Saxon England represents a critical resource for students and scholars alike with an interest in early medieval history from political, institutional and cultural perspectives.
"A study of reliquaries as a form of representation in medieval art. Explores how reliquaries stage the importance and meaning of relics using a wide range of artistic means from material and ornament to metaphor and symbolism"--Provided by publisher.
The Roots of Liberty is a critical collection of essays on the origin and nature of the often elusive idea of the nature of liberty. Throughout this book, the original and thought-provoking views from scholars J C Holt, Christopher W Brooks, Paul Christianson, and John Phillip Reid offer insights into the development of English ideas of liberty and the relationship those ideas hold to modern conceptions of rule of law. Ellis Sandoz's introduction details Fortescue's vision of the constitution and places each of the essays in historiographical context. Corrine C. Weston's spirited epilogue evaluates the essays' arguments.
Medieval Ireland is often described as a backward-looking nation in which change only came about as a result of foreign invasions. By examining the wealth of under-explored evidence available, Downham challenges this popular notion and demonstrates what a culturally rich and diverse place medieval Ireland was. Starting in the fifth century, when St Patrick arrived on the island, and ending in the fifteenth century, with the efforts of the English government to defend the lands which it ruled directly around Dublin by building great ditches, this up-to-date and accessible survey charts the internal changes in the region. Chapters dispute the idea of an archaic society in a wide-range of areas, with a particular focus on land-use, economy, society, religion, politics and culture. This concise and accessible overview offers a fresh perspective on Ireland in the Middle Ages and overthrows many enduring stereotypes.