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Life in the Viking Great Army: Raiders, Traders, and Settlers
The Viking Great Army that landed in East Anglia in late 865 had a lasting impact on English society, culture, politics, and economy.
The Viking Great Army landed in East Anglia in late 865 and over the following fifteen years it fought numerous battles in all four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, made and broke peace treaties, and deposed or killed at least three Anglo-Saxon kings, replacing them with its own appointees. It had a major impact on English society, initiating extensive transformations in Anglo-Saxon society, culture, economy, and political organisation. Previous Viking armies had raided only in the summer months, but the Great Army was a constant presence over this period, overwintering at various locations in northern and eastern England.
This presence changed the political, economic, and social landscape of England forever, but historical sources say very little about it. Now, new archaeological evidence has revealed the location of two of its camps, and at least fifty other places it visited. This book describes life in the tents and towns that the Viking Great Army the treasure, tools, and weapons found in the camps and what they reveal about how the groups that made up the Army lived and the activities that took place, including the processing and trading of loot, the minting of coins, and the manufacture of jewellery. What emerges is evidence of a rich and diverse community whose impact on England can be traced to the present day.
The Viking Great Army landed in East Anglia in late 865 and over the following fifteen years it fought numerous battles in all four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, made and broke peace treaties, and deposed or killed at least three Anglo-Saxon kings, replacing them with its own appointees. It had a major impact on English society, initiating extensive transformations in Anglo-Saxon society, culture, economy, and political organisation. Previous Viking armies had raided only in the summer months, but the Great Army was a constant presence over this period, overwintering at various locations in northern and eastern England.
This presence changed the political, economic, and social landscape of England forever, but historical sources say very little about it. Now, new archaeological evidence has revealed the location of two of its camps, and at least fifty other places it visited. This book describes life in the tents and towns that the Viking Great Army the treasure, tools, and weapons found in the camps and what they reveal about how the groups that made up the Army lived and the activities that took place, including the processing and trading of loot, the minting of coins, and the manufacture of jewellery. What emerges is evidence of a rich and diverse community whose impact on England can be traced to the present day.
- GenresHistory
416 pages, Hardcover
First published April 9, 2025
About the author
Dawn M. Hadley
20 books7 followersWrites as D.M. Hadley and Dawn M. Hadley.
Dawn Marie Hadley (born 1967) is a British historian and archaeologist, who is best known for her research on the Anglo-Saxon and Viking Age periods, the study of childhood, and gender in medieval England. She is a member of the Centre for Medieval Studies and the department of archaeology at the University of York and co-director of the Tents to Towns project.
Dawn Marie Hadley (born 1967) is a British historian and archaeologist, who is best known for her research on the Anglo-Saxon and Viking Age periods, the study of childhood, and gender in medieval England. She is a member of the Centre for Medieval Studies and the department of archaeology at the University of York and co-director of the Tents to Towns project.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 10, 2025
While the information in the book is really interesting and deeply researched, I don't reccomend this on audio, if you do, please listen to the sample as the narrators cadence is just off. The inflections are just weird. It doesn't feel quite human. It is really distracting. You might be fine with it, but it really threw me off. The voice, human or not, is not suitable for this kind of book, it's more suitable for a fairytale book or a book of parables. The narrator made this interesting subject really dull and I struggled with getting through it/not letting my mind wonder as I was very distracted by the narrator speech patterns.
September 2, 2026
No soy arqueólogo, pero no creo que sea un libro para el público general. Con la excepción de los dos primeros capítulos que dan un panorama general de la región y los movimientos del "gran ejército pagano", el resto de los capítulos trata en detalle sobre los diferentes hallazgos arqueológicos asociados a este. Estos muestran que el gran ejército pagano no era solamente una banda de saqueadores, sino una comunidad en movimiento, que desempeño varias actividades económicas e introdujo nuevas tecnologías (traías del continente).
November 3, 2026
The title of this book implies much more than it actually is: a detailed archaeological survey with some information on the economy of the place and time (early medieval "Viking" settlements in Ireland and what is now England).
Discussed little or not at all: mentalities, beliefs, the experiences of different groups of people such as warriors, women, thralls, skilled artisans, etc., surviving texts, military tactics, environmental history, political and social organization, events.
If you're going to call something "Life In", I think it needs to involve analysis of something more than archaeological finds. The book was too narrow in its focus to be really useful to me.
Discussed little or not at all: mentalities, beliefs, the experiences of different groups of people such as warriors, women, thralls, skilled artisans, etc., surviving texts, military tactics, environmental history, political and social organization, events.
If you're going to call something "Life In", I think it needs to involve analysis of something more than archaeological finds. The book was too narrow in its focus to be really useful to me.
March 19, 2025
I listened to the audiobook. I had difficulty with the audio version because I did not feel the narrator’s voice matched the subject matter. The narrator’s voice was lovely but very calming. It seemed like the narrator would have matched better with a relaxation, meditation, or lullaby.
That being said, the content of the text is very informative and interesting for those who have a keen interest in learning about the Vikings. I learned much about the Viking Great Army and how its presence impacted the political, economic, and social landscape of England.
That being said, the content of the text is very informative and interesting for those who have a keen interest in learning about the Vikings. I learned much about the Viking Great Army and how its presence impacted the political, economic, and social landscape of England.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews