The death of Offa & his son led to the bloodletting normal when the succession was a bun fight. But this time round, it would have longer term consequences for theRead More
Anglo Saxons
3 The Mercian Supremacy
Offa becomes king, extends his authority over all England south of the Humber, and hob nobs with Charlemagne
2 The Rise of Mercia
From the 650s, a power begins to emerge in the west midlands – the border people, Mercians
1.8 Revival
Towns had simply disappeared along with the post Roman economy by 500. But slowly by 600 there’s tiny shoots of recovery discernible – so we talk about towns. And weRead More
1.7 Conversion
At the start of the 7th century England was a basically pagan country; by the end of it it was officially at least Christian. While no doubt many pagans stillRead More
1.6 The Life and Times of Penda Part II
Through much of the 7th Century, Penda increased the power and influence of the Mercians. He built his kingdom as a traditional warrior, tribal leader – defeating the Northumbrians, and EastRead More
1.5 The Life and Times of Penda, Pt I
7th Century England was inherently unstable, populated by a patchwork of communities, petty kingdoms successful and less so. Into this pagan mix also comes the lure of Christianity again. Meanwhile, in centralRead More
1.4 Founding Kingdoms
It’s difficult to know how much to believe of the stories relayed in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle about the formation of the early kingdoms – do they simply reflect the historyRead More
1.3 Building a New World
What kind of society had arrived in Roman Britain? How how did societies and communities form and become the kingdoms before the days of the Heptarchy?
1.2 Adventus Saxonum
The traditional story of the arrival of the Anglo Saxons is one of death and destruction, and the catastrophic and complete replacement of a British population by a new GermanicRead More
1.1 Change and Calamity
This is the story of late antique Britain. How in the 3rd to 5th centuries, Britain went through two waves of economic dislocation and transformation, that changed the face ofRead More
1 The Anglo Saxons: Chronicles and Arguments
Introducing the Anglo Saxons, the series, and an episode about the people who kept a written record of the Anglo Saxon age. It’s also a good time to talk aboutRead More