Anglo-Saxon Studies (History) Research Papers (original) (raw)

His main propositions are these. William the Conqueror did not commission Domesday Book. The threat of invasion and the strain on resources created by the need to billet a large mercenary army in England caused him to commission the Domesday inquest at Christmas in 1085. This inquest took place the following year and produced a survey of royal resources and a geld survey, and also a survey of the tenurial resources of tenants-in-chief and their tenants. Prior to 1086, the land which tenants-in-chief held in demesne had been exempt from the geld, and the purpose of the inquest was to identify this land with a view to taxing it. All the records from the inquest were brought to the king. There followed some hard bargaining between the king and his barons: in return for the loss of geld exemption on their demesne, the tenants-in-chief received certain concessions concerning the service they owed to the king, and their requirement to billet mercenaries was also lifted. The production of Domesday Book was an entirely separate and later exercise. Domesday Book was 'unrelated to the concerns which launched the inquest in 1085. It seems to have been compiled, probably under the supervision of Rannulf Flambard, from the records of the inquest after 1089 and is best interpreted as a response to the revolt, and consequent tenurial chaos, of 1088' (p. ix).

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- Anglo-Saxon Studies (History), Early Medieval History, Domesday Book, The Norman Conquest

This article analyses the correspondence of Boniface and his associates, arguing that Boniface deliberately but subtly communicates a Pauline apostolic identity in his letters by expressing his personal and professional successes, struggles, and feelings through a pervasive language of biblical allusions drawn primarily from the Pauline Epistles. The effectiveness of this hermeneutic becomes apparent when we see the complicity of Boniface’s fellow-correspondents and their ability and willingness to respond to his Pauline allusions in kind. They express their support of Boniface’s missionary and reform projects through their participation in these discursive practices; their ability to recognize, interpret and engage with this biblical language supplies the meaning to his words and, in doing so, systematically constitutes Boniface as an apostolic figure.

- by Shannon Godlove
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- Medieval History, Anglo-Saxon Studies, Medieval Studies, Old English Literature

This is not just a book about a battle; it is a book about the biggest battle before Hastings 1066.
This is a battle most people have probably never heard of, but it is a battle where five Scottish and Viking kings and seven earls died, somewhere in the kingdom of Northumbria in late 937. As well as royalty, the bones of tens of thousands of ordinary men from Northern England, Scotland and the Viking territories lie buried in a place which, according to the chroniclers, is no longer known.
This book is about that battle and the search to find the long-lost site. Thousands of pages have been written about the Battle of Brunnenburh, but this book is unique. It is written by descendants of a legendary Viking Egill Skallagrimsson. Thousands of pages have been written about Brunnenburh but all of them are written from the perspective of the victor, King Athelstan of Wessex and Mercia. This book is the closest anyone is likely to get to a Northern Viking account.
Even if you have no real interest in the site of the Battle of Brunnenburh this is worth the effort you will put into it this book to understand it. Take a deep dive into the world and beliefs and times of the competing factions in 10 th century England and beyond, and the battle that first unified the United Kingdom.

Andrew Rabin, “Bede, Dryhthelm, and the Witness to the Other World: Testimony and Conversion in the Historia Ecclesiastica,” Modern Philology, v. 106, no. 3 (February, 2009): 375-98.

- by Andrew Rabin
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- Medieval History, Hagiography, Anglo-Saxon Studies, Medieval Studies

The Old English History of the World is a translation and adaptation of the Latin history known as the Seven Books of History against the Pagans, written by the Spanish cleric Paulus Orosius at the prompting of Saint Augustine after the sack of Rome in 410. To counter the pagan and republican narratives of Livy and other classical historians, Orosius created an account of the ancient world from a Christian and imperial viewpoint. His work was immensely popular throughout Europe in succeeding centuries, down to the end of the Middle Ages. Around the year 900, an Old English version was produced by an anonymous writer, possibly encouraged or inspired by King Alfred. The translator actively transformed Orosius’s narrative: cutting extraneous detail, adding explanations and dramatic speeches, and supplying a long section on the geography of the Germanic world. This volume offers a new edition and modern translation of an Anglo-Saxon perspective on the ancient world.

Venerable: commanding respect because of great age or impressive dignity; worthy of veneration or reverence because of noble character; a title for someone proclaimed by the Roman Catholic church to have attained the first degree of... more

Scandinavian women are regularly depicted as warriors, or shieldmaidens, fighting both in international raids and in defending their homes in the popular television series Vikings. But is this portrayal likely to be accurate? Following an examination of the depiction of warrior women in the series, this paper will try to answer this question by focussing on one of the regions that shieldmaidens in the series are shown fighting in, Anglo-Saxon England. England benefits from having primary written sources for the Viking Age, as well as numerous excavations, including the burials of three females with weapons, making them potential shieldmaidens.

- by Shane McLeod
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- History, Gender Studies, Television Studies, Anglo-Saxon Studies

A new book on Anglo-Saxon London, to be published later in 2018.

- by Rory Naismith
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- History, Medieval History, Anglo-Saxon Studies, Medieval Studies
- by Bruce O'Brien
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- Medieval History, Anglo-Saxon Studies, Legal History, Old English Literature
- by E. Brown Dewhurst
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- Peace and Conflict Studies, Celtic Studies, Anglo-Saxon Studies, War Studies

In this text the authors want to explain the relation between the field in Hunwick as a possible site for the Battle of Brunanburh and four sites closely to the field that are likely to be burial sites for the lost ones in the battle. There is possibly an ancient burial site close to the proposed field and there are three different sites that might relate to three different segments of the invading force. There was a local chapel one mile from the proposed field, there is possibly a Scottish site half a mile from there and another site only half a mile therefrom that could relate to the Danish Vikings from Dublin. In this paper we look at these sites as well as other possible sites further afield.

Andrew Rabin, "Capital Punishment and the Anglo-Saxon Judicial Apparatus: A Maximum View?" in Jay Paul Gates and Nicole Marafioti, eds. Capital and Corporal Punishment in Anglo-Saxon England (Woodbridge: Boydell, 2014), pp. 181-200. FULL... more

- by Andrew Rabin
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- Medieval History, Anglo-Saxon Studies, Medieval Studies, Legal History

Andrew Rabin, “Witnessing Kingship: Royal Power and the Legal Subject in the Old English Laws,” in Gale Owen-Crocker and Brian W. Schneider, ed. Kingship, Legislation, and Power in Anglo-Saxon England (Woodbridge: Boydell, 2013), pp.... more

- by Andrew Rabin
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- Medieval History, Anglo-Saxon Studies, Medieval Studies, Legal History
- by Arnaud Lestremau
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- Anthropology, Historical Anthropology, High Middle Ages, Anglo-Saxon Studies

The great misconception of women within the Anglo-Saxon world begins with the failure of contemporary critics to perceive the world from the dark view of violence, alliances, politics, and the code by which the Anglo-Saxons lived by. The female roles within Beowulf are no exception to this misinterpretation. In modern view, women are often seen as voiceless, forced into peace-making marriages that were doomed from the beginning, and left to face the bloody consequences when the peace-pacts failed; this ideal has been grossly exaggerated, romanticized, and stretched to fit the modern critics own outlook. Therefore, the role of women must be looked at through the demanding Anglo-Saxon code of conduct, not a modern one. Females made integral contributions to the Anglo-Saxons and while their role differed from the ideal male's role, both the roles of men and women served to complement one another. Their role was not restricted to arranged marriages but was a vital political and social role that welded communities together. Most importantly, in their duty under the Anglo-Saxon code, its requirements for revenge for blood ties, both males and females were equal.

- by Nicole Solis
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- Women's Studies, Women's History, Anglo-Saxon Studies, Anglo-Saxon Studies (History)

Draft version from July 2008.

- by Julia Crick
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- Anglo-Saxon Studies (History), Medieval Palaeography

This article examines the activities of English missionary nuns in eighth century Germany, with a particular focus on St. Leoba, the cousin of St. Boniface. It examines how their important role there grew out of the way they understood... more

This paper will argue that, at least within the territory of the early medieval kingdom of Mercia, worth place names signify specific functions and exhibit particular common characteristics within their landscape. The key argument presented here is that these settlement sites may have been of military or civil defence importance, protecting the boundaries of an expanding Mercia and aiding in its early governance. Alternatively, they may be indicative of the consolidation of authority in later years under established and more powerful monarchies. Either way, these places exhibit sufficient common characteristics to justify detailed, specific scrutiny. My objective is to establish what the term worth actually meant, rather than simply defining and debating its translation; ultimately the aim is to understand these worth sites properly in their landscape context.

Surveys and problematizes references to the end of the world in proems of Anglo-Saxon charters.

- by Rolf H . Bremmer Jr
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- Medieval Literature, Medieval History, Anglo-Saxon Studies, Medieval Studies

This paper, delivered at the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings Battle Conference, at Battle in 2016, argues that Edward the Confessor made a consistent policy of attempting to procure an heir of the blood. When he failed to produce a son by Edith, he turned to the next in line, Edward the Exile; and when the Exile died, he adopted the Exile's son, Edgar Aetheling, and named him as his heir. This paper overturns the traditional argument that Edward nominated William or Harold or both.

- by Tom Licence
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- Anglo-Saxon Studies (History), Anglo-Norman history, Anglo-Saxons, Norman Conquest

This paper announces the Battle of White Hill. It took place in 926 and was a crushing victory for King Athelstan of Wessex. As the immediate result of the battle, Athelstan reasserted control over Northumbria which he had annexed by fiat and then lost over the course of the previous twelve months. In the treaty of Eamont Bridge, which followed hard upon this victory, the kings of Scotland and Strathclyde formally recognised Athelstan as king of all England and overlord of all Britain. As such I propose that this was the "First Battle of Britain". Without victory for Athelstan at this battle, there would have been no Battle of Brunanburh (937), so vaunted by the annalists. This paper sets this battle in its context, identifying the battlefield. The author hopes that the local authority will now take steps to preserve and memorialise such of the battlefield as remains otherwise undisturbed and takes appropriate steps to recognise the forthcoming 1100th anniversary.

- by Adrian C Grant
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- Irish Studies, British History, Anglo-Saxon Studies, Anglo-Saxon Studies (History)

The theme of posture is an important feature of Anglo-Saxon hagiography that frames decapitation scenes. Ælfric’s account of the martyrdom of Edmund, king of East Anglia, uses many postural descriptions to depict the king’s saintly qualities. From Christian defiance to self-sacrifice, Edmund is portrayed as a Christian king who heroically defies his heathen enemies. After his death, Edmund assumes great control over his enemies and administers divine justice. These key stages of Edmund’s death and burial focus heavily on his posture and that of his adversaries. This saint’s life provides one example of how the Anglo-Saxons used postural gesture, upright positioning, and elevation and descent to describe the virtues of saints and the vices of enemies.

- by Ciaran Arthur
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- Medieval Literature, Medieval History, Hagiography, Anglo-Saxon Studies

This article addresses the status of (different kinds of) meat(s) in Early Medieval Britain and (to a lesser extent) Ireland. The flesh of both game and domestic animals could convey ideas of power and aristocratic way of life. The social function of any foodstuff can only be understood properly if it is studied alongside the way it was procured, served and consumed. Eating meat, from both wild and domestic sources, was a way for the elite to express their domination over the territory that bore it.

An imaginative reassessment of Aethelred "the Unready," one of medieval England's most maligned kings and a major Anglo-Saxon figure The Anglo-Saxon king Aethelred "the Unready" (978-1016) has long been considered to be inscrutable, irrational, and poorly advised. Infamous for his domestic and international failures, Aethelred was unable to fend off successive Viking raids, leading to the notorious St. Brice's Day Massacre in 1002, during which Danes in England were slaughtered on his orders. Though Aethelred's posthumous standing is dominated by his unsuccessful military leadership, his seemingly blind trust in disloyal associates, and his harsh treatment of political opponents, Roach suggests that Aethelred has been wrongly maligned. Drawing on extensive research, Roach argues that Aethelred was driven by pious concerns about sin, society, and the anticipated apocalypse. His strategies, in this light, were to honor God and find redemption. Chronologically charting Aethelred's life, Roach presents a more accessible character than previously available, illuminating his place in England and Europe at the turn of the first millennium.

Many of the Anglo-Saxon charms identify locations for their performance and function. Previous scholarship has used locations as evidence of continuous pre-Christian practices and this argument has impacted on how the charms are perceived. As a result, the role of the church building as one of the charms’ identified locations has not yet been properly highlighted. Rather than focusing on the potential pre-Christian associations with certain sites in the charms, it is more enlightening to look at how other locations orientate around the church building. In this article I will explore how charms use liturgical and public spaces to signify their function during the late Anglo-Saxon period. After outlining the main scholarly views of Anglo-Saxon locations that have had an impact on charm studies, my analysis will make a comparative case study of two charms against elf-sickness to open readings of the corpus of Anglo-Saxon charms. This approach reveals interesting information about the Anglo-Saxons’ interaction with their landscape in the tenth and eleventh centuries and helps us to redefine the religious nature of these rituals.

Viking Language 1: Learn Old Norse, Runes, and Icelandic Sagas is an introduction to the language of the Vikings offering in one book graded lessons, vocabulary, grammar exercises, pronunciation, student guides, and maps. It explains Old Icelandic literature, Viking history, and mythology. Readings include runestones, legends, and sagas. Viking Language 1 focuses on the most frequently occurring words in the sagas, an innovative method which speeds learning. Because the grammar has changed little from Old Norse, the learner is well on the way to mastering Modern Icelandic. It provides a wealth of information about Iceland, where the sagas were written and Old Scandinavian history and mythology were preserved. Viking Language 1 is accompanied by Viking Language 2: The Old Norse Reader.

- by Jesse Byock
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- Languages, Archaeology, English Literature, Historical Archaeology
- by Alex Woolf
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- Historical Linguistics, Phonology, Anglo-Saxon Studies, Anglo-Saxon Studies (History)

see http://www.heroicage.org/issues/5/Shippey1.html Note that "Modthrytho" has since been edited out of the poem. RD Fulk has suggested that the lady in question was called "Fremu". The word fremu in the poem is now taken to be a name, not an adjective, while the word modþryðo is now seen not as a name, but as a noun meaning perhaps "haughtiness". So "Fremu, the queen of the people, showed haughtiness…" The change does not affect the discussion here of queenly duties.] ABSTRACT This essay sets the "Modthrytho Episode" of 'Beowulf' in the context of historical and legendary "wicked queens" in Anglo-Saxon England, and suggests that a consistent factor in such stories may be the alternative "cousin strategies" available to far-sighted rulers.

La differenza tra pseudoepigrafo e apocrifo tende ad oscurarsi, specialmente nella letteratura critica in lingua inglese, dove si assiste ad un uso sinonimico dei due termini; anche l’aggettivo pseudonimo e i suoi derivati si sovrappongono a pseudoepigrafo in varie occasioni. In realtà la distinzione tra i tre aggettivi è chiara e affonda le radici in contesti storici ben precisi e imprescindibili. Di contro, l’intera problematica della ‘non autenticità’ di un testo si gioca su molti piani ed è una di quelle categorizzazioni che assumono valori differenti nel tempo e nello spazio, con connotazioni che vanno, ad ampio raggio, da negative a positive, da ironiche a celebrative.

The Notitia Dignitatum, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, archaeology, and fifth-century Roman sources all support Gildas’ story of a Roman return to Britain a decade after 410. A subsequent Roman withdrawal in about 421 left significant British governmental structures in place. But this also left the diocese with a greatly weakened economy.
Gildas’ erroneous story of a fifth-century origin for Hadrian’s Wall derives from his providential view of history. Within this paradigm, the Wall was created exclusively for the defence of sinful, cowardly Britons, and not the God-favoured Romans.

- by Edwin Pace
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- Anglo-Saxon Studies (History), Post-Roman Britain, Late Antiquity, Gildas

'Rolf H. Bremmer Jr. is then set the task of introducing "Old English heroic literature," which he achieves through some helpful musing upon the nature of heroes in their Germanic context, moving via an examination of poetry with a Migration-age backdrop to a subtle discussion of the "heroic ethic" in Old English verse with a more contemporary setting.'
Richard W. Dance, Medieval Review, 06.09.23

- by Brandon M Bender
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- Medieval History, Anglo-Saxon Studies (History)