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The Formation of the English Kingdom in the Tenth Century
The central argument of The Formation of the English Kingdom in the Tenth Century is that the English kingdom which existed at the time of the Norman Conquest was defined by the geographical parameters of a set of administrative reforms implemented in the mid- to late tenth century, and not by a vision of English unity going back to Alfred the Great (871 - 899).
In the first half of the tenth century, successive members of the Cerdicing dynasty established a loose domination over the other great potentates in Britain. They were celebrated as kings of the whole island, but even in their Wessex heartlands they probably had few means to routinely regulate the conduct of the general populace. Detailed analysis of coins, shires, hundreds, and wapentakes suggests that it was only around the time of Edgar (957/9-975) that the Cerdicing kings developed the relatively standardised administrative apparatus of the so-called 'Anglo-Saxon state'. This substantially increased their ability to impinge upon the lives of ordinary people living between the Channel and the Tees, and served to mark that area off from the rest of the island. The resultant cleft undermined the idea of a pan-British realm, and demarcated the early English kingdom as a distinct and coherent political unit.
In this volume, George Molyneaux places the formation of the English kingdom in a European perspective, and challenges the notion that its development was exceptional: the Cerdicings were only one of several ruling dynasties around the fringes of the former Carolingian Empire for which the late ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries were a time of territorial expansion and consolidation.
In the first half of the tenth century, successive members of the Cerdicing dynasty established a loose domination over the other great potentates in Britain. They were celebrated as kings of the whole island, but even in their Wessex heartlands they probably had few means to routinely regulate the conduct of the general populace. Detailed analysis of coins, shires, hundreds, and wapentakes suggests that it was only around the time of Edgar (957/9-975) that the Cerdicing kings developed the relatively standardised administrative apparatus of the so-called 'Anglo-Saxon state'. This substantially increased their ability to impinge upon the lives of ordinary people living between the Channel and the Tees, and served to mark that area off from the rest of the island. The resultant cleft undermined the idea of a pan-British realm, and demarcated the early English kingdom as a distinct and coherent political unit.
In this volume, George Molyneaux places the formation of the English kingdom in a European perspective, and challenges the notion that its development was exceptional: the Cerdicings were only one of several ruling dynasties around the fringes of the former Carolingian Empire for which the late ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries were a time of territorial expansion and consolidation.
- GenresAnglo Saxon
336 pages, Unknown Binding
First published May 7, 2015
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June 1, 2020
George Molyneaux, The formation of the English Kingdom in the Tenth Century, 2017, 249 pages
This is a most interesting book. I think it may have started life as a PhD thesis, as Molyneaux is certainly arguing a point and in places the prose feels a bit laboured at times. It might have been an easier read if he had included tables showing before and afters at the head of various sections, as it is very detailed in the evidence adduced. It's a bit of a challenging read, with a lot to take in, but ultimately it is a very rewarding read.
Molyneaux doesn't see 871-1066 as a uniform block and posits that the Anglo-Saxon (administrative) State came about in the mid to late 10th century through a number of changes that, in part, grew from earlier developments, rather than being present in full form at a relatively early date (such as during Alfred's, Aethelstan's, Edward's reigns, etc). He allows that elements of the later administrative apparatus may have been present in Alfred's Wessex, but it wasn't transposed on the rest of what became England overnight and that royal administrative powers were not uniform, being patchier the further away from Wessex you were.
To begin with Molyneaux deals with definitions, such as what he means by England (the Channel to the Tees) and his use of Cerdicing to describe the kings, as it was the least problematic term. He is also clear on what he will and won't be talking about, avoiding disputed areas not central to his main thrust, such as bookland/folkland, the existence of a royal chancellery and so on.
Molyneaux is very careful not to assume that the administrative assets of later Anglo-Saxon England predate their appearance in the records and takes almost a minimalist view in downplaying the administrative state, unless it can be proven to have been in existence. Where things do appear to have been present at an early stage, he examines the evidence to see if this was in name or in form, which is very interesting. Molyneaux makes a strong argument that early achievements of the pre-Edgar kings were possible without a neat uniform administrative system. Like Higham, he is very good at joining up the dots.
He suggests that it was during the reign of Edgar that the late Anglo-Saxon State took form. This being more use of hundreds and wapentakes, new shires organised (dating the creation of shires was a particularly excellent section), meetings made routine, magnates incentivised to enforce legislation, a lord and archbishop with ties to the Cerdicings appointed in York and sheriffs appointed to administer shires. Molyneaux discusses the when, how and why. The section on implications was not quite as thought provoking, as it was almost philosophical when discussing the significance of royal terminology, but it was still thoroughly researched. He concludes by noting that England's development was not as exceptional as once thought when compared to other European kingdoms.
This was a book that I made lots of notes from.
This is a most interesting book. I think it may have started life as a PhD thesis, as Molyneaux is certainly arguing a point and in places the prose feels a bit laboured at times. It might have been an easier read if he had included tables showing before and afters at the head of various sections, as it is very detailed in the evidence adduced. It's a bit of a challenging read, with a lot to take in, but ultimately it is a very rewarding read.
Molyneaux doesn't see 871-1066 as a uniform block and posits that the Anglo-Saxon (administrative) State came about in the mid to late 10th century through a number of changes that, in part, grew from earlier developments, rather than being present in full form at a relatively early date (such as during Alfred's, Aethelstan's, Edward's reigns, etc). He allows that elements of the later administrative apparatus may have been present in Alfred's Wessex, but it wasn't transposed on the rest of what became England overnight and that royal administrative powers were not uniform, being patchier the further away from Wessex you were.
To begin with Molyneaux deals with definitions, such as what he means by England (the Channel to the Tees) and his use of Cerdicing to describe the kings, as it was the least problematic term. He is also clear on what he will and won't be talking about, avoiding disputed areas not central to his main thrust, such as bookland/folkland, the existence of a royal chancellery and so on.
Molyneaux is very careful not to assume that the administrative assets of later Anglo-Saxon England predate their appearance in the records and takes almost a minimalist view in downplaying the administrative state, unless it can be proven to have been in existence. Where things do appear to have been present at an early stage, he examines the evidence to see if this was in name or in form, which is very interesting. Molyneaux makes a strong argument that early achievements of the pre-Edgar kings were possible without a neat uniform administrative system. Like Higham, he is very good at joining up the dots.
He suggests that it was during the reign of Edgar that the late Anglo-Saxon State took form. This being more use of hundreds and wapentakes, new shires organised (dating the creation of shires was a particularly excellent section), meetings made routine, magnates incentivised to enforce legislation, a lord and archbishop with ties to the Cerdicings appointed in York and sheriffs appointed to administer shires. Molyneaux discusses the when, how and why. The section on implications was not quite as thought provoking, as it was almost philosophical when discussing the significance of royal terminology, but it was still thoroughly researched. He concludes by noting that England's development was not as exceptional as once thought when compared to other European kingdoms.
This was a book that I made lots of notes from.
Displaying 1 of 1 review