Northumbria, 500 - 1100: Creation and Destruction of a Kingdom

by David W. Rollason

This book traces the rise and fall of the kingdom of Northumbria, in a broader European context. It examines the ethnic, political, social and religious changes that (after the end of the Roman Empire) transformed the large and disparate area between the Humber and the Firth of Forth into one of the most powerful kingdoms of early medieval England. It also examines the subsequent changes which led to the kingdom's disintegration and its replacement by political structures of northern England and southern Scotland.

Genres: History, Medieval, British Literature

368 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2003

About the author

David W. Rollason is an English historian and medievalist. He is a Professor in history at Durham University. He specialises in the cult of saints in Anglo-Saxon England, the history of Northumbria and in the historical writings of Durham, most notably producing a modern edition and translation of the Libellus de exordio and co-operating on an edition of the Durham Liber Vitae.

[Wikipedia]

Reviews

[Peter Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Northumbria, 500-1100, creation and destruction of a kingdom, by D Rollason, 2003, 339 pages all in


There's a lot to like in this work. It's accessible and scholarly in equal measure, providing a welcome update to Higham's earlier work on this kingdom. It's also a nice companion to Viking Age Yorkshire by Matthew Townend.


The chapters are:

1 The Kingdom of Northumbria
Kingdoms, peoples and nations,
Frontiers and heartlands

2, The Creation of Northumbria
Origins of a people,
Culture and Identity,
The framework of power,

3, The Destruction of Northumbria
The Northumbrian 'Successor States'
The fragmentation of Northumbria,
The English and Scottish Impact – partition and absorption,

As you'd expect, there is a good discussion on the sources. Rollason is not given to flights of fantasy with the evidence. He sets out how insubstantial and open to conflicting interpretations much of the early sources are and so old British poetry isn't given a lot of weight.

It was particularly interesting when he looked at the idea of heartlands and peripheries and this added to the work of Edwards concerning core, outlying and subject areas of kingdoms. Rollason demonstrates just how open to outside influences, especially religious, Northumbria was. This added depth to his section on the Synod of Whitby, where he pointed out that the ostensible leader of the Roman party, Agilbert, had studied in Ireland and was from a Frankish monastic milieu deeply influenced by the Irishman, Columbanus.

Whilst this book is broadly speaking, linear, some areas receive more attention than others, but there is plenty to get your teeth into. Rollason lays out the theories of early Northumbrian history and then kicks the legs from under them. So whilst you won't get a lot in the way of definitive answers (and to be fair any book that does say a lot that's definite about this period is one to avoid), you do get to understand the arguments and the thoughts behind the big questions of that era.

He later argues for the Archbishops of York being not too dissimilar to the Prince-Archbishops of the later middle ages and able to assert their authority against the various kings. His main thread, though, is that the essential characteristics of the kingdom largely managed to survive for quite a long period, even though its political unity was shattered by sundry depositions and then the Vikings.

This is a well written book that is easy to read.

[The Master · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real pulse-pounding, heart-racing journey through this ancient kingdom. All the thrills, illuminated manuscripts and stone carvings you could ask for. If you only read one book about medieval Northumbria this year, make sure it's this one.

[Gordon Goodwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good solid exploration of Northumbria (even for us Mercia fans). Rollason is very methodological and procedural with his arguments, and does a good job building up his arguments--he shows the machinery of his conclusions more so than other historians I've read (This is a compliment!).