jjares reviewed Anglo-Saxon England Before the Norman Conquest: The History and Legacy of the Anglo-Saxons during the Early Middle Ages on + 3270 more book reviews
This is an overview of what England was like from about the time that the Roman Hadrian built his wall in about 122 CE (which essentially sealed off Scotland from Roman Britain) to the Norman Conquest of 1066. After the Western Roman Empire fell in the late 400s, the Romans left England.
However, the Angles, Saxons, and the Jutes started to settle in England and set up small fiefdoms. According to the Venerable Bede (a British historian living between 672 and 735 CE), the Anglo-Saxons were invited to England to defend the territory from the northern tribes who were harassing the Britons. But the Anglo-Saxons decided to stay and ruled the island for about 500 years.
The violent incursions of the Vikings are also discussed in this book. At first, the Vikings just plundered and left. Eventually, they decided to colonize parts of the island and exerted influence on the people and lands. There is considerable information on the rise and fall of various kings. Gradually, under the tutelage of Alfred the Great and Aethelstan, the idea and then the actual Kingdom of England emerged.
However, the Angles, Saxons, and the Jutes started to settle in England and set up small fiefdoms. According to the Venerable Bede (a British historian living between 672 and 735 CE), the Anglo-Saxons were invited to England to defend the territory from the northern tribes who were harassing the Britons. But the Anglo-Saxons decided to stay and ruled the island for about 500 years.
The violent incursions of the Vikings are also discussed in this book. At first, the Vikings just plundered and left. Eventually, they decided to colonize parts of the island and exerted influence on the people and lands. There is considerable information on the rise and fall of various kings. Gradually, under the tutelage of Alfred the Great and Aethelstan, the idea and then the actual Kingdom of England emerged.
