The English Conquest: Gildas and Britain in the Fifth Century

Origins of England #1

by Nicholas J. Higham

This is a re-interpretation of the events from 400 to 500 AD when the Saxons took over a large part of Britain, and came to dominate both the language and material culture of its lowland heartland. The writings of Gildas, who wrote the near contemporary and extended description of the "English Settlement", are central to the story. Higham offers his own insights into Gildas' purposes and the social, political and chronological context in which he worked. He shows how Gildas wrote around the years 479 to 485 in the context of Saxon domination south of the Mersey, and how he wrote in order to find a way to reverse the conquest, using metaphor and imagery as his literary weapon. This first volume of a three-part analysis of the origins of England shows how history can still contribute to our understanding of the "dark ages", and challenges the interpretations now being offered by many archaeolologists researching pagan England.

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Librarian note: There are other authors with the same name.

Dr. Nicholas John Higham, aka N.J. Higham, is Professor in Early Medieval and Landscape History in the History Subject Area in the School of Arts, Histories and Cultures at the University of Manchester. His research interests focus on two interrelated areas: the History and Archaeology of the Early Middle Ages in Britain, and the Landscape and Settlement History of North West and North England in the Middle Ages. He has supervised many successful research students in both areas and is always interested in enquiries concerning future research.

Reviews

[Flint Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what history should be like; a scholar forming a well-digested theory based on honest research for the purpose of discussion. I didn't agree with most of his conclusions. I could reason through my own reasons why they had to be wrong. On the other hand, forcing me to reason through the problems took me a step closer to understanding the period. I appreciated the risks he took in writing this book, and admired him for it. In my own work I often saw angles of approach that had not been visible to me before reading this book. This is a must-read for anyone curious about the period who has some historical background.

[Peter Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it comes to the 5th and 6th centuries there isn't a lot of written source material. Hence Gildas's work has assumed an importance out of all proportion to its clarity as a historical work. It's not a straightforward book to deal with and most people who use it tend to just mention the battle of Mount Badon and then search for references that can be made to fit their personal Arthurian hypothesis.

Nick Higham has examined the work in its entirety. He goes into Gildas's purpose and the construction of De Excidio Britanniae, commenting at length upon it. He shows that it is not a work of history as we'd know it. Instead it is providential history using biblical allegories to demonstrate that God has turned away from His chosen people (the Britons) due to their sins and has made the Saxons His instrument in their scourging. It is only when this purpose is taken into account that its value as a commentary upon the period can be understood.

This book is ingenious in how Higham shows the meaning behind the more obscure biblical references, but there are a few sections that edge into being a bit too clever by half. However, I do feel that his basic points are well made and substantiated. Context is everything and if the context of Gildas's writing can be construed, then snippets of history can be gleaned.

Higham destroys Thompson's idea of Gildas being based in the north and makes a compelling argument for him being in the lowland south, probably in Wiltshire or Dorset (the territory of the Durotriges). He also provides a possible date of composition in the early 480s, which is not so secure, but his reasoning is respectable all the same. His reconstruction of the events of the early to mid 5th century is broad, rather than detailed (out of necessity), but it is certainly plausible.

This isn't an easy read, but it is very rewarding. In some places the deconstruction of the Latin and the biblical passages used by Gildas are a bit dense. However, the writing is very engaging and this sees you through the tricky bits. Whether or not you are convinced by his arguments in their entirety or in certain parts, this book will give you a heck of a lot to think about and your knowledge of this most obscure of periods will be strengthened.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a highly accessible and closely reasoned attempt to extract the maximum historical information from Gildas' "On the Ruin of Britain" (De Excidio Britanniae), his jeremiad against the kings of fifth century sub-Roman western Britain. By taking into account the full text of what was intended to be a religious sermon rather than an historical account, Nicholas Higham is able to construct a highly plausible interpretation of Gildas' world: that he was writing c. 480 somewhere in central southern England south of the Thames, at a time when most of Roman Britain, though still retaining its Roman cultural identity, was already subject to Saxon overlordship; that the kings, who might have led a just war against the Saxons but whose immorality Gildas is at pains to vilify, were located in Cornwall and Wales, lands which were destined to remain outside Saxon control; that his call for moral reform to regain God's support was to fight this final war, in breach of the peace treaty that had stood for forty years or so, to drive the Saxons from Britain.

Higham ends his book with a short chapter dismissing the historicity of a King Arthur, whose necessity for existence is nullified by the author's thesis. Yet to my mind this begs the question (which he does not address) whether Arthur could have been the very righteous leader Gildas was hoping for, to fight the Saxons successfully with God's favour in the final conflict that Gildas sees as imminent. The legends record the tragedy of Arthur's ultimate failure and the final collapse of sub-Roman Britain. Yet these events would have taken place after the writing of "On the Ruin of Britain" and may even have been inspired by its call to arms. Nevertheless, this apart, I found the author's reasoned thesis very believable. For me it shed an inspiring light on what is traditionally a dark period in British history.

[Andrew McAuley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hard review. I find that usually I score in the basis of my enjoyment, whereas with The English Conquest I found it often quite dull and worthy of perhaps only 3 stars, Higham's critical analysis makes it worth the extra star.

I had considered Gildas as a primary, if prejudiced, source but Higham's thorough critique illustrates how the text is little more than a religious sermon against the Saxons and preaching about the evils of the Briton flock in a way reminiscent of those extreme preachers from the Deep South USA.

I was also convinced by Higham's placing of Gildas's text in the late 5th century rather than the more generally accepted early-mid 6th century. I found the book entirely useful as a source for research, but it's educational and not entertaining reading.