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CERDIC: Mysterious Dark Age King who Founded England
The potential burial site of the mysterious Dark Age king Cerdic who founded Wessex which grew into England is revealed in a new book.
Fascinating research based on an ancient land charter from the son of Alfred the Great leads to a former Bronze Age mound on the edge of a Hampshire town. This huge barrow was located near a historic trackway, a Wansdyke-style earthwork and an old Roman Road as a very public statement of power and warning to enemies.
Author Paul Harper “The exciting discovery has brought the story of Cerdic from a lost period of British history to life. This could be overwhelming proof that Cerdic was not just a product of fantasy in the chaotic aftermath of post-Roman Britain but a real warlord who forged a powerful realm which evolved into the nation of England.”
The book reveals how Cerdic emerged from the ashes of Rome in the 6th century, with a warband known as the Gewisse which offered protection to civilians from barbarians roaming the land and then fought for territory with rival kingdoms before evolving into the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex.
During an unprecedented climate disaster, which blocked out normal sunlight and led to a plague pandemic which killed millions, Cerdic carved out a new domain that shapes Britain up to the present day.
One-by-one mysteries are solved including the identity of his shadowy son, the location of every bloody battle against enemy warlords, the links to an iconic medieval poem and the King Arthur legend.
Fascinating research based on an ancient land charter from the son of Alfred the Great leads to a former Bronze Age mound on the edge of a Hampshire town. This huge barrow was located near a historic trackway, a Wansdyke-style earthwork and an old Roman Road as a very public statement of power and warning to enemies.
Author Paul Harper “The exciting discovery has brought the story of Cerdic from a lost period of British history to life. This could be overwhelming proof that Cerdic was not just a product of fantasy in the chaotic aftermath of post-Roman Britain but a real warlord who forged a powerful realm which evolved into the nation of England.”
The book reveals how Cerdic emerged from the ashes of Rome in the 6th century, with a warband known as the Gewisse which offered protection to civilians from barbarians roaming the land and then fought for territory with rival kingdoms before evolving into the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex.
During an unprecedented climate disaster, which blocked out normal sunlight and led to a plague pandemic which killed millions, Cerdic carved out a new domain that shapes Britain up to the present day.
One-by-one mysteries are solved including the identity of his shadowy son, the location of every bloody battle against enemy warlords, the links to an iconic medieval poem and the King Arthur legend.
- GenresHistory
275 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 30, 2024
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32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 29, 2024
Great book.
This book covers what is, of course, a very dark age of the Dark Ages. Much of what is written here is supposition based on the meagre written sources that we have, bolstered by what archaeology can teach us. On the whole I found myself agreeing with what the author had written. Not everything, I will admit, but pretty much.
The book is well written and explains the reasoning behind the author's conclusions well. This is also a good book to start on the cultural, political and socio-economic face of what must have been one of the most terrible centuries in British history with a collapsing population, shattered economy and unprecedented violence.
Well worth a read.
This book covers what is, of course, a very dark age of the Dark Ages. Much of what is written here is supposition based on the meagre written sources that we have, bolstered by what archaeology can teach us. On the whole I found myself agreeing with what the author had written. Not everything, I will admit, but pretty much.
The book is well written and explains the reasoning behind the author's conclusions well. This is also a good book to start on the cultural, political and socio-economic face of what must have been one of the most terrible centuries in British history with a collapsing population, shattered economy and unprecedented violence.
Well worth a read.
September 26, 2024
A good, if sometimes meandering, overview of everything that is known or theorized about the subject, drawing on archaeology, primary written sources, etc.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews