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Oxford History of England #2
Anglo-Saxon England
Discussing the development of English society, from the growth of royal power to the establishment of feudalism after the Norman Conquest, this book focuses on the emergence of the earliest English kingdoms and the Anglo-Norman monarchy in 1087. It also describes the chief phases in the history of the Anglo-Saxon church, drawing on many diverse examples; the result is a fascinating insight into this period of English history.
816 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1943
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October 13, 2023I could describe this as an adequate and thorough political history from the fifth century AD to 1087 AD, or equally as a history of the Anglo-Saxons with most of the interesting elements left out.
It is thorough, which is a plus possibly depending on your point of view, however it is largely a recounting with a gloss of the source material, which means that of the 687 pages of text, the last one hundred deals with the period from 1066 onwards while more than half the book covers the last hundred years of the period dealt with in the book, so circa 980 to 1087. This is reflection of the written source material available. I found Stenton's attitude towards the source material strange. He treats the early parts of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as reliable even while telling us that the chronicle entries in the early part occur at set intervals of four, eight, or twelve years possibly reflecting that the chronicle's origin was related to tables created for calculating the date of Easter, and in addition that earlier parts seem to have been adapted from heroic verse. Ok, ok, I too have heard of the oral tradition, but I suspect that the objectives of heroic poetry are different to those of chronicle writing - though there may be overlaps in desiring to memorialise certain people or events. However Stenton doesn't assess the source material, except to laud Bede for his lack of miracle stories in Ecclesiastical History of the English People , or to curse the poor Latin of Aethelweard's Latin version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle which was written for his kinswoman, Matilda, Abbess of Essen. Nor does he ever mention that about half of all surviving charters from the Anglo-Saxon period are now considered to be forgeries - but possibly when Stenton wrote this book, those charters were not considered forgeries, which brings me to a serious issue.
This book is old. Old, old, not yet fossilised, but old all the same, the first edition was published in 1943, the second in 1947, the third in 1971, which sounds hopeful - but it was produced posthumously, and with fairly limited changes. To give an indication of what this means the ship burials at Sutton Hoo are mentioned only once and then in a very off-hand way, and it's clear that the discovery made no impact on his thinking about the early Anglo-Saxon period. Though to be fair he is not interested much in archaeology, he was more a coins and place names kind of man.
In short, if you want a thorough book on the Anglo-Saxons as a reference for their political history, then this might still be worthwhile looking at -I would suggest having a copy of volume one of English Historical Documents handy as edited by Dorothy Whitelock .
During the long centuries in which I was reading this , occasionally interrupted by Britons, Danes, and the smell of burning bread I listened to a talk by Charles Insley with the title "Queens and Elite Women in the Atlantic Archipelago, circa 850 -1050: a comparative perspective" . It struck me that it was an entirely different type of history - although drawing from much of the same source material, it was not just a series of facts, but about meaning and relationships in the sense of how people related to each other within societies, curiously I recalled that Stenton's wife's , D.M. Stenton, book on early medieval England was a bit like that too. I suspect that Stention's is less sophisticated because that was the nature of the Oxford History of England project, as such it is an enormously self-confident and assertive book, or as I said above a history of the Anglo-Saxons with the interesting stuff left out.
Stenton doesn't deny a more sophisticated view, but he does not draw attention to it either, it's just not what this book is trying to do.
It is thorough, which is a plus possibly depending on your point of view, however it is largely a recounting with a gloss of the source material, which means that of the 687 pages of text, the last one hundred deals with the period from 1066 onwards while more than half the book covers the last hundred years of the period dealt with in the book, so circa 980 to 1087. This is reflection of the written source material available. I found Stenton's attitude towards the source material strange. He treats the early parts of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as reliable even while telling us that the chronicle entries in the early part occur at set intervals of four, eight, or twelve years possibly reflecting that the chronicle's origin was related to tables created for calculating the date of Easter, and in addition that earlier parts seem to have been adapted from heroic verse. Ok, ok, I too have heard of the oral tradition, but I suspect that the objectives of heroic poetry are different to those of chronicle writing - though there may be overlaps in desiring to memorialise certain people or events. However Stenton doesn't assess the source material, except to laud Bede for his lack of miracle stories in Ecclesiastical History of the English People , or to curse the poor Latin of Aethelweard's Latin version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle which was written for his kinswoman, Matilda, Abbess of Essen. Nor does he ever mention that about half of all surviving charters from the Anglo-Saxon period are now considered to be forgeries - but possibly when Stenton wrote this book, those charters were not considered forgeries, which brings me to a serious issue.
This book is old. Old, old, not yet fossilised, but old all the same, the first edition was published in 1943, the second in 1947, the third in 1971, which sounds hopeful - but it was produced posthumously, and with fairly limited changes. To give an indication of what this means the ship burials at Sutton Hoo are mentioned only once and then in a very off-hand way, and it's clear that the discovery made no impact on his thinking about the early Anglo-Saxon period. Though to be fair he is not interested much in archaeology, he was more a coins and place names kind of man.
In short, if you want a thorough book on the Anglo-Saxons as a reference for their political history, then this might still be worthwhile looking at -I would suggest having a copy of volume one of English Historical Documents handy as edited by Dorothy Whitelock .
During the long centuries in which I was reading this , occasionally interrupted by Britons, Danes, and the smell of burning bread I listened to a talk by Charles Insley with the title "Queens and Elite Women in the Atlantic Archipelago, circa 850 -1050: a comparative perspective" . It struck me that it was an entirely different type of history - although drawing from much of the same source material, it was not just a series of facts, but about meaning and relationships in the sense of how people related to each other within societies, curiously I recalled that Stenton's wife's , D.M. Stenton, book on early medieval England was a bit like that too. I suspect that Stention's is less sophisticated because that was the nature of the Oxford History of England project, as such it is an enormously self-confident and assertive book, or as I said above a history of the Anglo-Saxons with the interesting stuff left out.
Stenton doesn't deny a more sophisticated view, but he does not draw attention to it either, it's just not what this book is trying to do.
December 14, 2017
For decades if you asked a serious historian a question about Anglo-Saxon England the answer would be, "I'll look in my Stenton." Even today, more than half a century after the book was first published, people still look to Frank Stenton's work for an overview of England between the Romans leaving and the Normans arriving (and it's pretty good on the Conquest too). So, the question is, what makes a book definitive? There have been any number of books published on Anglo-Saxon England since this one came out (and it sometimes feels like I've read most of them), so what makes this one stand out?
Well, for one thing, Anglo-Saxon England might have been the book for which that over-used review adjective, 'magisterial', was coined. Every sentence, phrase, thought breathes the considered thought of a lifetime's engagement with the past. Combine that with the fluid, clear prose in which Stenton writes, and you have two of the elements that make a book definitive in its subject area. Professionally, Frank Stenton was also acknowledged by his peers as one of the pre-eminent Anglo-Saxonists of his era, alongside Dorothy Whitelock, and thus his book became required reading on every undergraduate course in Anglo-Saxon. These three legs make up the tripod of the definitive text. Even with all the findings of half a century of archaeology, Stenton's book remains on the reading list of every undergraduate course and deservedly so. Nowadays, I would combine it with reading The Anglo-Saxon World by Nicholas Higham and Martin Ryan, but Stenton remains the gold standard of Anglo-Saxon scholarship.
Well, for one thing, Anglo-Saxon England might have been the book for which that over-used review adjective, 'magisterial', was coined. Every sentence, phrase, thought breathes the considered thought of a lifetime's engagement with the past. Combine that with the fluid, clear prose in which Stenton writes, and you have two of the elements that make a book definitive in its subject area. Professionally, Frank Stenton was also acknowledged by his peers as one of the pre-eminent Anglo-Saxonists of his era, alongside Dorothy Whitelock, and thus his book became required reading on every undergraduate course in Anglo-Saxon. These three legs make up the tripod of the definitive text. Even with all the findings of half a century of archaeology, Stenton's book remains on the reading list of every undergraduate course and deservedly so. Nowadays, I would combine it with reading The Anglo-Saxon World by Nicholas Higham and Martin Ryan, but Stenton remains the gold standard of Anglo-Saxon scholarship.
February 11, 2010
Although fifty years old now, this book hasn't dated at all. It's a general reader intended to cover the Anglo-Saxon period from the first invasions of Germanic tribes in England to the fall of the country during the Norman Conquest.
I say general but this is far from general: this in-depth guide is around 800 pages in length, with small text and hardly any white space. There aren't many maps to break up the text, either. It's extremely complex and detailed. No aspect of the era is left unmentioned. Thus we learn about geography, church history, Danish influence, the lives and times of rulers, the influence of Europe upon the country, some social history, politics and, of course, battles.
The general thread running through is how the country came to be united, a process starting with Offa of Mercia and completed by the kingly line of Wessex. There's a longish bibliography at the end which is very useful for those wishing to take their studies further.
This book is extremely thorough and takes a really long time to slog through, but by the end of it any reader will have a deep understanding and knowledge of the Anglo Saxons and their lives.
I say general but this is far from general: this in-depth guide is around 800 pages in length, with small text and hardly any white space. There aren't many maps to break up the text, either. It's extremely complex and detailed. No aspect of the era is left unmentioned. Thus we learn about geography, church history, Danish influence, the lives and times of rulers, the influence of Europe upon the country, some social history, politics and, of course, battles.
The general thread running through is how the country came to be united, a process starting with Offa of Mercia and completed by the kingly line of Wessex. There's a longish bibliography at the end which is very useful for those wishing to take their studies further.
This book is extremely thorough and takes a really long time to slog through, but by the end of it any reader will have a deep understanding and knowledge of the Anglo Saxons and their lives.
March 29, 2017
Took a good month to gradually nibble away at but proved to be a slow-burn, boil-in-the-bag, banquet...whatever that might be.
Stenton has performed a major miracle by transmuting some of the dullest sources known to man, (a-hunting and a-fighting and a-naming chronicles so turgid they make a Neanderthal fireside grunt-and-greet sound like gossipy philosophical fun), into a rather thrilling and interesting historical narrative.
Definitely start here before exploring any other books on this period.
Stenton has performed a major miracle by transmuting some of the dullest sources known to man, (a-hunting and a-fighting and a-naming chronicles so turgid they make a Neanderthal fireside grunt-and-greet sound like gossipy philosophical fun), into a rather thrilling and interesting historical narrative.
Definitely start here before exploring any other books on this period.
April 25, 2011
What a wonderful history. Some of the book may be dated (as much has gone on in the study in the last sixty years) but the pure wealth of information in this book is astounding. From picking his way through the years after the Anglo-Saxon conquest of England to his writing on the poetry of the period, Stenton is both interesting and enjoyable to read. I've never been much one for sitting down with a history book like this, but Stenton's prose, attention to (interesting) detail and depth of sight grabbed me so tightly that I found myself simply reading it for pleasure.
It must be noted, though, that certain of Stenton's ideas, particularly concerning Anglo-Saxon literature, are somewhat less than precise.
It must be noted, though, that certain of Stenton's ideas, particularly concerning Anglo-Saxon literature, are somewhat less than precise.
September 14, 2012
Originally published on my blog here in October 2000.
For a long time now, the Oxford History of England has been the standard series of reference works on the subject. I suspect that time is running out for the volumes covering the earliest period, which rely so much on archaeology, and the one covering the twentieth century, which has been superseded by events. Even though, as its introduction states, there was felt to be little need to make changes for this edition (as subsequent discoveries had mainly confirmed Stenton's ideas), that itself was written almost thirty years ago.
Taking into account the limitations inherent in its age, Anglo-Saxon England is a truly classic history. It is intended for the interested general reader (its length would put off the casual browser), and is academic enough to be able to stand as a general reference work for a specialist. Eminently readable, learned and thorough, its main problem is a lack of source material, and that is hardly Stenton's fault. It also has a somewhat old-fashioned outlook, being mainly political and economic; if you want an account of the farming practices of the Anglo-Saxon peasant or of everyday life in a tenth century town you should look elsewhere.
For a long time now, the Oxford History of England has been the standard series of reference works on the subject. I suspect that time is running out for the volumes covering the earliest period, which rely so much on archaeology, and the one covering the twentieth century, which has been superseded by events. Even though, as its introduction states, there was felt to be little need to make changes for this edition (as subsequent discoveries had mainly confirmed Stenton's ideas), that itself was written almost thirty years ago.
Taking into account the limitations inherent in its age, Anglo-Saxon England is a truly classic history. It is intended for the interested general reader (its length would put off the casual browser), and is academic enough to be able to stand as a general reference work for a specialist. Eminently readable, learned and thorough, its main problem is a lack of source material, and that is hardly Stenton's fault. It also has a somewhat old-fashioned outlook, being mainly political and economic; if you want an account of the farming practices of the Anglo-Saxon peasant or of everyday life in a tenth century town you should look elsewhere.
May 16, 2012
Frank Stenton's Anglo-Saxon England book charts the Anglo Saxon's progress through Britain over 500 years. The edition I have was published in 1971 after his death in 1967 when his wife undertook to finish the work he had been doing on the new book, updating old evidence and adding new evidence.
About this book: there is no doubt that Mr Stenton's book is a scholarly masterpiece, notably due to the amount of impeccable sifting through the available sources and analysing original sources such as the various Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica and the chronicle of the monk Florence who died in 1118 AD.
Although the text is quite dry, it is easy to follow and the book is broken down into 18 parts with an epilogue. When looking for specific subjects, one can easily find what one is looking for in the sub- headings.I found this very useful when using it to research for my own novel Sons of the Wolf. Mr Stenton shares a wealth of knowledge gleamed from various sources and sets it out in chronological order from the coming of the first Saxons and Germanic tribes through to the reign of the Conqueror, Duke William of Normandy who effectively ended Anglo Saxon England.
Unfortunately for me the book does not contain interesting images or photos but there is a useful map of England folded at the end of the book. The chapters on the English church and ecclesiastical topics are the least interesting but that is not the author's fault but these are rather the least interesting topics for me, whatever the book.
Some have dismissed this book for being outdated, and to be fair there was little in the way of archaeological evidence open to the author that there is today. Aside from this, it is extremely revered as a great work of academia and as such I hold great respect for it. As far as I am concerned, it set out to achieve what I hoped it would and that was to fill me with more knowledge about the subject than I already knew.
About this book: there is no doubt that Mr Stenton's book is a scholarly masterpiece, notably due to the amount of impeccable sifting through the available sources and analysing original sources such as the various Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica and the chronicle of the monk Florence who died in 1118 AD.
Although the text is quite dry, it is easy to follow and the book is broken down into 18 parts with an epilogue. When looking for specific subjects, one can easily find what one is looking for in the sub- headings.I found this very useful when using it to research for my own novel Sons of the Wolf. Mr Stenton shares a wealth of knowledge gleamed from various sources and sets it out in chronological order from the coming of the first Saxons and Germanic tribes through to the reign of the Conqueror, Duke William of Normandy who effectively ended Anglo Saxon England.
Unfortunately for me the book does not contain interesting images or photos but there is a useful map of England folded at the end of the book. The chapters on the English church and ecclesiastical topics are the least interesting but that is not the author's fault but these are rather the least interesting topics for me, whatever the book.
Some have dismissed this book for being outdated, and to be fair there was little in the way of archaeological evidence open to the author that there is today. Aside from this, it is extremely revered as a great work of academia and as such I hold great respect for it. As far as I am concerned, it set out to achieve what I hoped it would and that was to fill me with more knowledge about the subject than I already knew.
August 7, 2011
As a classic for the history of Anglo-Saxon England, Stenton's work remains a standard monument. Beginning with the migrations of the earliest inhabitants of Britain, he moves through the history of the period both chronologically and thematically, weaving various threads throughout the whole narrative. This last word, indeed, should be emphasized, as the whole book unfolds as a story--albeit told through different lenses, from different thematic perspectives, and moving episodically through the phases. Although some of the details may need clarification in light of more recent study, after almost seventy years this aspect still rests as the quality of the book: Stenton remains a master story-teller for the Anglo-Saxons.
August 6, 2012
Frank Stenton comes across as an old historian teacher who wishes to share his passion for history with his students. At times his care for details can become a wee bit tedious but the reader cannot help enjoying the anedoctes he mixes with the mere statistics like the one that one English king was seen as humane when he exempts all persons under fifteen from the death penalty only to be deeply involved with the death of his own brother on the next page. The books gives the reader a very good idea of the small amount of historical evidence found and England before William the conqueror with the many kingdoms, social devisions, heathen practices and appearance of Christianity and not to forget the many invasions of the Vikings.
July 25, 2007
Don't settle for imitations; this is da bomb for general histories of Saxon England. Great maps.
April 10, 2010
If you have an interest in this era or need to know more about Anglo Saxon England for research purposes, then this is the book for you. Such an amazing and eternally relevant piece of work.
May 29, 2020
An excellent and complex look at an incredibly complicated period of history which involves multiple tribal groups and regions (Angles, Saxons, British, Danish, Norman, etc).
January 21, 2018
During visits to secondhand bookstores I have been collecting the various volumes in the Oxford History of England series. Although some are rather historical themselves (this volume is the third edition of 1971, but it was first published in 1943) one does get the sense that one is reading proper, you know, actual history, like, done by real historians, titans from a bygone age.
If I had to describe this book in a single word, it would be 'magisterial'. You can tell this because Stenton includes long quotes in Latin, which, although presented without translation, are analyzed for their literary quality nonetheless. Clearly, Stenton's readers were expected to be fairly fluent in Latin. From which my only conclusion is that the quality of education in the UK over the past half century has not just fallen, but plummeted. Now, some will no doubt bleat about elitism, but the fact remains that with the near-extinction of Latin as a course of study in state schools, students today are effectively denied access to the richest source of Medieval literature. And that can in no way be described as progressive.
If I had to describe this book in a single word, it would be 'magisterial'. You can tell this because Stenton includes long quotes in Latin, which, although presented without translation, are analyzed for their literary quality nonetheless. Clearly, Stenton's readers were expected to be fairly fluent in Latin. From which my only conclusion is that the quality of education in the UK over the past half century has not just fallen, but plummeted. Now, some will no doubt bleat about elitism, but the fact remains that with the near-extinction of Latin as a course of study in state schools, students today are effectively denied access to the richest source of Medieval literature. And that can in no way be described as progressive.
December 15, 2018
An old book now but still the best overview of this important period by a mile. Dry but still fascinating. This is period that really must be more prominent . Here we become a nation and a Christian nation too, and a literate nation. This is why Alfred is one of our greatest Britons. This is why we have Saxon and Viking place names. This is why we are who we are.
And the Angles? Yep, the word English is Germanic. Meanwhile, Brexit.....
And the Angles? Yep, the word English is Germanic. Meanwhile, Brexit.....
February 24, 2008
Probably still the most thurough study on Anglo-Saxon England.
May 25, 2020
THE book of scholarship on England from the emergence of the earliest kingdoms until 1087.
A classic now, and comprehensive.
A classic now, and comprehensive.
June 23, 2022
Not a bad book
October 5, 2021
1.5 stars
There are two types of modern non-fiction (I am using modern to cover ~100 years.) The "layman's non-fiction", written to be accessible to anyone with a smidgeon of interest but no formal background. They're easy to read and centre around a good narrative to keep you reading. Examples include CASTLE (Marc Morris) and PRISONERS OF GEOGRAPHY (Tim Marshall).
Then there's the "academic's non-fiction" that is very much designed only for the MOST interested, who usually have a formal background in the subject. They're much denser and quite a slog to go through as they are not designed for everyone. There are references every few sentences and themes often supersede narrative (aka, here's 100 pages on the economic structure before we return to the more narrative flow.) The Yale English Monarchies (like HENRY IV, by Chris Given-Wilson) are an example.
ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND is an old book (first published 1943 with minor revisions in the following decades until his death in the late 60s and very much an "academics non-fiction." It is SO hard to get through. It took 4 months, and several weeks of very deliberate reading, to get to the end.
It is a very comprehensive look at Anglo-Saxon England (considered one of the best, hence this is still in publication almost 80 years later), but the tone and structure did not help. The chapters themselves did follow a narrative flow, but then the next chapter might jump back 100 or so years to follow a different idea. It was generally all grouped in vague time frames, so there were two chapters on religious history in the book. It meant that trying to keep the overall timeline in mind was pretty tricky, trying to work out what events in this chapter were concurrent with the previous.
To complicate matters, the narrative style and sheer volume of names and titles meant I could lose track of the details at the start of the page by the end. At one point, when the book was listing the progression and establishment of bishoprics, I got so lost that I pulled up the wikipedia list of Anglo-Saxon bishoprics to work out what was going on!
The problem is this is such an interesting area of history, it's just this book couldn't keep my attention. I picked it up because I wanted to know more, but the tone and sheer information density wandering away from or obscuring the narrative thread made my thoughts wander. I procrastinated the last 100 pages so badly it took 4 times longer than the other sections to read!
However, I have actually been sent a review copy of another book on the same topic (THE ANGLO-SAXONS, Marc Morris) which I'm excited to read because I do want to understand this period of history better!
There are two types of modern non-fiction (I am using modern to cover ~100 years.) The "layman's non-fiction", written to be accessible to anyone with a smidgeon of interest but no formal background. They're easy to read and centre around a good narrative to keep you reading. Examples include CASTLE (Marc Morris) and PRISONERS OF GEOGRAPHY (Tim Marshall).
Then there's the "academic's non-fiction" that is very much designed only for the MOST interested, who usually have a formal background in the subject. They're much denser and quite a slog to go through as they are not designed for everyone. There are references every few sentences and themes often supersede narrative (aka, here's 100 pages on the economic structure before we return to the more narrative flow.) The Yale English Monarchies (like HENRY IV, by Chris Given-Wilson) are an example.
ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND is an old book (first published 1943 with minor revisions in the following decades until his death in the late 60s and very much an "academics non-fiction." It is SO hard to get through. It took 4 months, and several weeks of very deliberate reading, to get to the end.
It is a very comprehensive look at Anglo-Saxon England (considered one of the best, hence this is still in publication almost 80 years later), but the tone and structure did not help. The chapters themselves did follow a narrative flow, but then the next chapter might jump back 100 or so years to follow a different idea. It was generally all grouped in vague time frames, so there were two chapters on religious history in the book. It meant that trying to keep the overall timeline in mind was pretty tricky, trying to work out what events in this chapter were concurrent with the previous.
To complicate matters, the narrative style and sheer volume of names and titles meant I could lose track of the details at the start of the page by the end. At one point, when the book was listing the progression and establishment of bishoprics, I got so lost that I pulled up the wikipedia list of Anglo-Saxon bishoprics to work out what was going on!
The problem is this is such an interesting area of history, it's just this book couldn't keep my attention. I picked it up because I wanted to know more, but the tone and sheer information density wandering away from or obscuring the narrative thread made my thoughts wander. I procrastinated the last 100 pages so badly it took 4 times longer than the other sections to read!
However, I have actually been sent a review copy of another book on the same topic (THE ANGLO-SAXONS, Marc Morris) which I'm excited to read because I do want to understand this period of history better!
December 28, 2020
This volume thoroughly covers the least familiar period of English history. Beyond the historical narrative, this volume also covers the social, cultural and economic data from this period. Beyond the general unfamiliarity of the period between the Roman retreat and the Norman invasion, the large and shifting number of dynasties and kingdoms makes following this period all the more difficult. The eventual invasion by the Vikings simplifies matters by focusing the players to a more manageable number.
While this era is far less known, its establishes the foundation upon with the better remembered English culture is built. The importance and the distinctive place of the English church begins to emerge in this period. The long fight to unite what would come to be England is waged during this period. Mythic figures arise in this shadowy liminal period. The exploits of Alfred the Great straddle the divide between history and legend. While it is easy to dismiss this period as the dark ages, Alcuin stand forth as a high-water mark of of both English and European culture. The ramifications of the Viking invasions were deeper than an invading army raiding a pillaging. Their presence permanently altered the island's genetic makeup, language and legal traditions.
Stenton's work is not the most accessible. The author assumes a basic understanding of the major events and players that defined this period. Deeper discussion of economic or cultural topics break up the historical narrative, but give a window into how a period's history is reconstructed when the written record is fragmentary and unreliable. Showing how historical research is conducted using the difficult period is as valuable as narrating this period of English history.
While this era is far less known, its establishes the foundation upon with the better remembered English culture is built. The importance and the distinctive place of the English church begins to emerge in this period. The long fight to unite what would come to be England is waged during this period. Mythic figures arise in this shadowy liminal period. The exploits of Alfred the Great straddle the divide between history and legend. While it is easy to dismiss this period as the dark ages, Alcuin stand forth as a high-water mark of of both English and European culture. The ramifications of the Viking invasions were deeper than an invading army raiding a pillaging. Their presence permanently altered the island's genetic makeup, language and legal traditions.
Stenton's work is not the most accessible. The author assumes a basic understanding of the major events and players that defined this period. Deeper discussion of economic or cultural topics break up the historical narrative, but give a window into how a period's history is reconstructed when the written record is fragmentary and unreliable. Showing how historical research is conducted using the difficult period is as valuable as narrating this period of English history.
August 5, 2019
This is not a book to be read for pleasure, or even to learn about history. It is a reference work that gives an exhaustive list of every ruler in each part of Anglo-Saxon England and over which area they ruled. It includes ecclesiastic leaders as well as lay leaders. It also attempts to define antiquated terms such as the "hide" with which land was measured, and with which rulers would calculate taxation. The only stories in this history are frequent references to disputes between rulers--lay-to-lay or lay-to-ecclesiastic. Unfortunately, even these are given a dry treatment as if the author were describing a museum artifact rather than human beings.
The only reason that I finished the book was that I kept hoping that as time progressed, the presence of more information might allow Stenton to make a more lively narrative. Unfortunately, this was never the case. I don't understand where all of the five star ratings are coming from. It is not as if there were no earlier examples from which a historian could learn to write an engaging history. Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plutarch are among the earliest historians, and are infinitely more entertaining and informative than this book, while still breathing life into long dead peoples. I generally love books from the Oxford press, but this is an unfortunate exception.
The only reason that I finished the book was that I kept hoping that as time progressed, the presence of more information might allow Stenton to make a more lively narrative. Unfortunately, this was never the case. I don't understand where all of the five star ratings are coming from. It is not as if there were no earlier examples from which a historian could learn to write an engaging history. Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plutarch are among the earliest historians, and are infinitely more entertaining and informative than this book, while still breathing life into long dead peoples. I generally love books from the Oxford press, but this is an unfortunate exception.
April 7, 2019
It has a lot of great information on the Anglo-Saxon years rise and fall in the creation of England. What I did not care for as much is that it is told somewhat, like the meandering stories of southerns from the US. They start with a point, then side track, with lots of extra information that distract you, and the author it seems like at times, to what they were talking about. This book would not be recommended for someone just starting to study details on Anglo-Saxon England.
September 18, 2018
Belatedly I realise I don't really enjoy this type of history. It's too early in history to be able to create a sense of narrative, to help you absorb yourself in the time. It's fragmentary, hedging itself multiple times per sentence, and obsessed with assessing the validity of Bede and Gildas. Not fun.
May 18, 2022
4 stars - Well written. Good content.
2 stars - Very inconvenient division into chapters and no division into sections within chapters, just plain text for 30-40 pages with no breaks or intermediate headings (except for on the top of each odd page that doesn't help much).
If there's a newer revised edition that has a better structure to it, I would advise to read that one.
2 stars - Very inconvenient division into chapters and no division into sections within chapters, just plain text for 30-40 pages with no breaks or intermediate headings (except for on the top of each odd page that doesn't help much).
If there's a newer revised edition that has a better structure to it, I would advise to read that one.
April 8, 2021
A very long, dense, detailed analysis of the 500 years where England was created. I got a lot out of it. Some sections are difficult to follow simply because of the number of similar sounding names and places. But overall it is worth it for any scholar of the period.
May 17, 2025
Some good old fashioned dry English history from an academic teaching at Reading. Written in the 40's when history writing was a very serious and tedious task! Still a good read if you like the dry. I do and it made me nostalgic.
October 9, 2017
yeah that's a lot of Anglo Saxon. Right down to ploughlands and gelds and hides.
August 23, 2020
Dated but excellent narrative and thematic overview.
November 10, 2020
Insanely thorough. Very helpful and interesting, occasionally boring.
February 20, 2021
An Excellent reference for my historical research.
October 9, 2021
Excellent overview of the period from the settlements to the death of William. Gives a different view to the Norman settlement than other works I've read.
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