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Ecgfrith: King of the Northumbrians, High-King of Britain
Ecgfrith was a king of the Northumbrians, the last in a line of expansionist, seventh-century, northern English kings, and a major figure in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People. From 670 to 685 he ruled a kingdom which stretched at its greatest extent from the Tay to the Trent, and from the Rhins of Galloway to the Wash. He took tribute in addition from all of northern Britain, the English Midlands and probably much of Ireland as well (though not all at the same time). In addition, Mercia, Kent, East Anglia and Wessex were ruled by his blood relatives and / or kin by marriage.
For much of his reign, Ecgfrith was the most powerful figure in the British Isles, the kind of figure that later generations tend to remember. Nevertheless, this is the first-ever book-length account of the king, written by one of the leading historians of the period. The reign which promised to take Northumbria to a permanent dominance of the whole of the British Isles, suddenly ended in disaster in 685 when he was defeated by the Picts at the battle of Nechtanesmere, after which the northern power base waned.
The contents include 12 maps and 11 genealogical tables. The contents are: maps, tables and preface (xxxiv pages); Introduction (1-29); The creation of Northumbria, 30-75; The reign of King Oswiu (642-70), 76-121; The early years of King Ecgfrith to 678, 122-69; The later years of Ecgfrith (678-85), 170- 229; Afterword, 230-7; Abbreviations, bibliography and index, 238-69
For much of his reign, Ecgfrith was the most powerful figure in the British Isles, the kind of figure that later generations tend to remember. Nevertheless, this is the first-ever book-length account of the king, written by one of the leading historians of the period. The reign which promised to take Northumbria to a permanent dominance of the whole of the British Isles, suddenly ended in disaster in 685 when he was defeated by the Picts at the battle of Nechtanesmere, after which the northern power base waned.
The contents include 12 maps and 11 genealogical tables. The contents are: maps, tables and preface (xxxiv pages); Introduction (1-29); The creation of Northumbria, 30-75; The reign of King Oswiu (642-70), 76-121; The early years of King Ecgfrith to 678, 122-69; The later years of Ecgfrith (678-85), 170- 229; Afterword, 230-7; Abbreviations, bibliography and index, 238-69
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
27 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas J. Higham
33 books25 followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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October 24, 2016
Professor NJ Higham is probably (no, definitely) the foremost academic expert of the history of the kingdom of Northumbria. (In one of those peculiar coincidences, he is Emeritus professor of History at the University of Manchester but, just to cause confusion, the University of Manchester has another eminent professor who is also called NJ Higham - and Nicholas is the Christian name for both of them. The other NJ Higham is the Richardson Professor of Applied Mathematics.)
So imagine my delight when, reading Professor Higham's latest book, I found...me! Yes, I was referenced and footnoted, and not just once but multiple times. It turns out that the great man has read the book on the history and archaeology of Northumbria that I co-wrote with Paul Gething, the director of the Bamburgh Research Project, the ongoing archaeological investigation of the castle and its surroundings. Turning to the back of the book, not only is Northumbria: The Lost Kingdom in the bibliography, but so are Edwin: High King of Britain and Oswald: Return of the King!
All I can say is that I wish this book had come out before I began writing the Northumbrian Thrones. It is quite the most rigorous and thorough treatment of the kings of Northumbria's ascent to dominance, and the perfect foil to Max Adams' book The King in the North: The Life and Times of Oswald of Northumbria. Where Adams treatment is poetic and anthropological, pursuing the limited evidence by recourse to cultural parallels even if they are far removed (an approach that suggests much that is intriguing but one that establishes very little), Professor Higham's book is much more restrained, not seeking to push the evidence beyond what we know but, by bringing a lifetime of scholarship to bear, Professor Higham extracts every last bit of inference from what we do know, creating the fullest possible picture of the kingdom of Northumbria in its heyday. Indeed, for the period of Northumbrian dominance, this book is now the definnitive work, overtaking Professor Higham's own magisterial The Kingdom of Northumbria, A.D. 350-1100.
So imagine my delight when, reading Professor Higham's latest book, I found...me! Yes, I was referenced and footnoted, and not just once but multiple times. It turns out that the great man has read the book on the history and archaeology of Northumbria that I co-wrote with Paul Gething, the director of the Bamburgh Research Project, the ongoing archaeological investigation of the castle and its surroundings. Turning to the back of the book, not only is Northumbria: The Lost Kingdom in the bibliography, but so are Edwin: High King of Britain and Oswald: Return of the King!
All I can say is that I wish this book had come out before I began writing the Northumbrian Thrones. It is quite the most rigorous and thorough treatment of the kings of Northumbria's ascent to dominance, and the perfect foil to Max Adams' book The King in the North: The Life and Times of Oswald of Northumbria. Where Adams treatment is poetic and anthropological, pursuing the limited evidence by recourse to cultural parallels even if they are far removed (an approach that suggests much that is intriguing but one that establishes very little), Professor Higham's book is much more restrained, not seeking to push the evidence beyond what we know but, by bringing a lifetime of scholarship to bear, Professor Higham extracts every last bit of inference from what we do know, creating the fullest possible picture of the kingdom of Northumbria in its heyday. Indeed, for the period of Northumbrian dominance, this book is now the definnitive work, overtaking Professor Higham's own magisterial The Kingdom of Northumbria, A.D. 350-1100.
July 8, 2024
Ecgfrith – King of the Northumbrians, high king of Britain, 2016 (237 pages)
This book is indeed dynamite. Even in the sentences giving minor background information, Higham manages to impart a deep knowledge in a succinct manner. In fact, it's hard to make notes from this without plagiarising him, as his writing is both elegant and has no flab to cut. I make notes from the Anglo-Saxon history books that I read so that it simply doesn't go in one side and come out the other. Even with 304,000 words of notes prior to reading this, I still managed to make nearly 4,000 words of additional notes.
This book is a deep history of Northumbria that gives a context creating build up from Post-Rome to Ecgfrith and the chapters run:
Introducing Ecgfrith
The creation of Northumbria
King Oswiu
Ecgfrith to 678
Ecgfrith 678-685
Afterword
and what a superb history it is, too. Every single sentence is chockful of information, ideas and plausible interpretations. Even if you don't find everything persuasive, just pondering Higham's thoughts gives a deeper understanding of the topic. It is extremely thorough, with even a minor mystery, such as the omission of Benedict Biscop's name from the two founding stones of Jarrow receives a full going over through four very well considered pages.
Higham makes an excellent case for Northumbria being different to the rest of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms as well as to its 'Celtic' neighbours due to its unique position at the centre of the British Isles, rather than being at the centre of England. His account of Æthelfrith's career is magnificent reading and really gets to the nub of his achievement in building the most powerful kingship of his time.
One thing that will strike you is Oswiu's manner of death. He famously and almost uniquely died of natural causes, which is remarkable when taking into account close relatives, in-laws and half relations, nine of these died violent deaths along with two more who vanished and aren't unlikely to have been bumped off.
To some degree this book further develops Higham's ideas articulated in The Convert Kings concerning the use of competing Ionan and Roman Christian authority as tools of imperialism. Whilst it's quite possible that Higham may have over egged the pudding with just how much significance he attaches to it, this was an age where faith and politics were extremely close. The rite followed by a kingdom mattered. It obviously wasn't an insurmountable obstacle to deals being done, but it was a factor and I daresay he is correct in kings using religion as a tool of their trade, different to marriage alliances, but perhaps just as important. The only question is to what degree.
It's hard to tell just how far the different rites caused hostility or a diplomatic coldness between different kingdoms and tension within Northumbria itself. I doubt that having different rites helped matters, but was probably not a deal breaker outside of hardliners such as Wilfrid and Colman. However, this did have the power to cause trouble within Northumbria itself, perhaps more so than with external polities. Higham sees Northumbria as splitting into three parties – those against Roman rites, middle ground former Ionan devotees who acquiesced and the Roman party determined to enforce orthodoxy. It's likely that this would have settled down of its own accord sooner or later. However, the presence of Wilfrid ensured that it remained a live issue and was problematic.
No book about Ecgfrith would be complete without Wilfrid and the account of his interactions is deep and thought provoking. I'm forever amazed that Ecgfrith didn't just do the sensible thing and have someone push him down a well one dark night – in reality, given how Chad and Winfrith had quietly taken their depositions, retiring to their monasteries, Ecgfrith and Theodore possibly expected Wilfrid to retire to Ripon instead of appealing to Rome and then being so persistent in his resistance. To a large degree it was Wilfrid who ensured that the differing rites maintained their potential to cause trouble whenever he was able to impose himself north of the Humber.
When it comes to the location of the battle of Nechtanesmere, Higham explores two possibilities, Dunnichen and Dunachton, which Alex Woolf has argued for. Whilst believing that the exact location is still undecided, Higham does tend towards supporting Woolf and with good reason, as the geography of that area does fit with Bede's description, whereas it doesn't for Dunnichen.
This book comes with footnotes, not endnotes and by heck, what a godsend they are. You can check them without having to totally stop what you are doing. I wish more authors did this.
The notion of Æthelfrith's success being a possible influence upon Æthelberht seeking a counterweight in closer links to Frankia through Christianity are interesting, but as the mission was pre-Degsastan, I don't think it is that persuasive.
There is a typo on pg 194, where 684 should be read for 484.
This book is indeed dynamite. Even in the sentences giving minor background information, Higham manages to impart a deep knowledge in a succinct manner. In fact, it's hard to make notes from this without plagiarising him, as his writing is both elegant and has no flab to cut. I make notes from the Anglo-Saxon history books that I read so that it simply doesn't go in one side and come out the other. Even with 304,000 words of notes prior to reading this, I still managed to make nearly 4,000 words of additional notes.
This book is a deep history of Northumbria that gives a context creating build up from Post-Rome to Ecgfrith and the chapters run:
Introducing Ecgfrith
The creation of Northumbria
King Oswiu
Ecgfrith to 678
Ecgfrith 678-685
Afterword
and what a superb history it is, too. Every single sentence is chockful of information, ideas and plausible interpretations. Even if you don't find everything persuasive, just pondering Higham's thoughts gives a deeper understanding of the topic. It is extremely thorough, with even a minor mystery, such as the omission of Benedict Biscop's name from the two founding stones of Jarrow receives a full going over through four very well considered pages.
Higham makes an excellent case for Northumbria being different to the rest of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms as well as to its 'Celtic' neighbours due to its unique position at the centre of the British Isles, rather than being at the centre of England. His account of Æthelfrith's career is magnificent reading and really gets to the nub of his achievement in building the most powerful kingship of his time.
One thing that will strike you is Oswiu's manner of death. He famously and almost uniquely died of natural causes, which is remarkable when taking into account close relatives, in-laws and half relations, nine of these died violent deaths along with two more who vanished and aren't unlikely to have been bumped off.
To some degree this book further develops Higham's ideas articulated in The Convert Kings concerning the use of competing Ionan and Roman Christian authority as tools of imperialism. Whilst it's quite possible that Higham may have over egged the pudding with just how much significance he attaches to it, this was an age where faith and politics were extremely close. The rite followed by a kingdom mattered. It obviously wasn't an insurmountable obstacle to deals being done, but it was a factor and I daresay he is correct in kings using religion as a tool of their trade, different to marriage alliances, but perhaps just as important. The only question is to what degree.
It's hard to tell just how far the different rites caused hostility or a diplomatic coldness between different kingdoms and tension within Northumbria itself. I doubt that having different rites helped matters, but was probably not a deal breaker outside of hardliners such as Wilfrid and Colman. However, this did have the power to cause trouble within Northumbria itself, perhaps more so than with external polities. Higham sees Northumbria as splitting into three parties – those against Roman rites, middle ground former Ionan devotees who acquiesced and the Roman party determined to enforce orthodoxy. It's likely that this would have settled down of its own accord sooner or later. However, the presence of Wilfrid ensured that it remained a live issue and was problematic.
No book about Ecgfrith would be complete without Wilfrid and the account of his interactions is deep and thought provoking. I'm forever amazed that Ecgfrith didn't just do the sensible thing and have someone push him down a well one dark night – in reality, given how Chad and Winfrith had quietly taken their depositions, retiring to their monasteries, Ecgfrith and Theodore possibly expected Wilfrid to retire to Ripon instead of appealing to Rome and then being so persistent in his resistance. To a large degree it was Wilfrid who ensured that the differing rites maintained their potential to cause trouble whenever he was able to impose himself north of the Humber.
When it comes to the location of the battle of Nechtanesmere, Higham explores two possibilities, Dunnichen and Dunachton, which Alex Woolf has argued for. Whilst believing that the exact location is still undecided, Higham does tend towards supporting Woolf and with good reason, as the geography of that area does fit with Bede's description, whereas it doesn't for Dunnichen.
This book comes with footnotes, not endnotes and by heck, what a godsend they are. You can check them without having to totally stop what you are doing. I wish more authors did this.
The notion of Æthelfrith's success being a possible influence upon Æthelberht seeking a counterweight in closer links to Frankia through Christianity are interesting, but as the mission was pre-Degsastan, I don't think it is that persuasive.
There is a typo on pg 194, where 684 should be read for 484.
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