Northumbria: The Lost Kingdom

by Paul Gething, Edoardo Albert

Northumbria was one of the great kingdoms of Britain in the Dark Ages, enduring longer than the Roman Empire. Yet is has been all but fogotten. This book puts Northumbria back in its rightful place, at the heart of British history. From the impregnable fastness of Bamburgh Castle, the kings of Northumbria rules a vast area, and held sway as High Kings of Britain. From the tidal island of Lindisfarne, extraordinary saints and learned scholars brough Christianity and civilisation to the rest of the country. Now, thanks to the ongoing work of a dedicated team of archaeologists this story is slowly being brought to light. The excavations at Bamburgh Castle have revealed a society of unsuspected sophistication and elegance, capable of creating swords and jewellery unparalleled before or since, and the works of art and devotion that still fill the beholder with wonder.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, British Literature, Archaeology

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2012

Reviews

[Lexxi Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quite readable book about one of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms that rose up after the fall of the Roman Empire in the British Isles. One that I had noticed and had been interested in learning more about, but one that always seemed to be on the edge, somewhat overlooked. The works I read seemed focused more on the lower Saxon kingdoms, and King Alfred and the like; and, or focused more on the native Britons who were pushed over (presumably) into the area that became Wales (and Cornwell, but that area also tended to get overlooked in histories I read).

Right, so, apparently Northumbria, despite being kind of overlooked by the other history books I've read of the British Isles, was the most important kingdom back in the 7th & 8th centuries. Two hundred years of importance, then it declined, then was taken over by Vikings (actually, the center was taken over, north and south held out, but a split kingdom is not a whole kingdom). A center of Christianity, and one of the few places that kept up an active coin currency. Way off on the edge, though, the edge of England and the edge of Europe. So it's time of importance was short.

Why'd I read this specific book? Random chance spotting it and having a vague interest in learning more about one of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms that tended to get overlooked in the English/UK/British history books. Other than that monk, Venerable Bede, being a heavy source of early historical knowledge of the British Isles. And he lived and breathed and didn't leave a small area in Northumbria back when Northumbria was important. Several of the early "big names" in English Christianity were from Northumbria.

Rating: 4.26
March 3 2023

[Matthew Coombes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably a good book but 5th century religion in the north east of England wasn’t quite what I was going for eeeek

[Harriet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great non fiction read about the almost forgotten glories of Northumbria in the Anglo Saxon age. Very interesting to read how archeologists work and how conclusions are reached. Included are some informative interviews from major archeologists in the field including Alex Woolf and Clive Waddington. I'm not usually that keen on academic works but this was a pleasure to read.

[Edoardo Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote it, so obviously I rate the book highly. Just a note to add that it's also available in a paper version, which is the edition I prefer.

[William Bradshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid and entertaining history of the old Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, and made for fun reading while hiking the Northumbrian coast.

The book is co-written between an academic and a popular writer, and is certainly far less dry than most other history books I have read. If anything, I found it a little overwritten – slightly too many silly jokes and the like. But I can't deny that this way is far better than the opposite problem.

The first chapter covers (briefly) the history of the kingdom, with the rest devoted to various specific aspects (religion, warfare, crafts, etc.). By my lights it did a good job of balancing narrative vs social history. As with a lot of early medieval cultures we're pretty dependent on archaeological inferences to paper over gaps in the written record – which generally makes me nervous, but is quite well handled here (with mercifully few potsherds!).

Overall, if you're interested in Anglo-Saxon life in general, or Northumbria in particular, I'd recommend this book.

[Pam Shelton-Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great introduction to the kingdom of Northumbria. I knew some of this history having read the Venerable Bede and other books on Anglo-Saxon history, but this also kept a focus on Northumbria in particular. It also focused on the facets of what it meant to live in that time frame. I was a bit uncertain of the interviews at the end of some of the chapters, but most were quite good. This book definitely made me want to go more in depth in this part of history and this part of England.

[AA_Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written with a conversational tone, and read around a trip to Bamburgh Castle this is a perfect whistle-stop tour of the area’s history.

While I might have enjoyed a more specific blow-by-blow account of lines of succession this is probably a much more enjoyable account of life and there’s plenty of fiction (including by one of this book’s authors) that I can turn to to scratch that particular itch.

[David Campton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief but informative guide to the history of Northumbria through the lens of archaeology. It primarily focuses on the high period of Northumbria's Anglo-Saxon history between the 7th and 9th century and the excavations around Bamburgh. The tone is light (with some slightly misjudged humour) but the the scholarship is evident. An easy read.

[Karen Plummer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overall introduction to the history of Northumbria. The conversational writing style threw me off though...probably just a personal thing for me. I really enjoyed the interviews with the archaeologists that were included at the end of many of the chapters as they gave more insight into the work they are doing, particularly at Bamburgh Castle.

[Hazel Waite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

If you love history like I do then this book is a must read. Filled with factual nuggets from the past. It is unputdownable. Fascinating insights of our long lost past. Brilliantly written.

[MARIA ELENA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Overview

I thought the book would have more on the history of the kings and saints of Northumbria. I didn’t find the archeological exposition as interesting but archeology is not “my thing”.

[Robert P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I was hoping for

[Miguel Corzo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decidí leer esta novela al calor de la serie Vikingos. Ciertamente, el libro es más interesante si tienes ese referente visual en la cabeza.

Sin embargo, la novela me ha parecido simplona. En mi opinión los personajes están poco trabajados y la historia me parece excesivamente plana.
¿La parte más interesante? La ambientación histórica. Si continuo la serie de libros espero que se haga más hincapié en el transfondo de la formación de Inglaterra y menos en la descripción de las batallas.

En resumen, una novela simple (y corta) para períodos de lectura en donde no quieras pensar demasiado.

[Edoardo Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievably brilliant and insightful, with a dash of humour, and that's just the acknowledgements! You may notice a slight similarity between my name and that of one of the authors: this is, of course, entirely coincidental.