A Short History of the Anglo-Saxons

by Giles Morgan

From popular fiction such as The Hobbit and Game of Thrones to the universality of the English language, the continuing influence of the Anglo-Saxons can be found throughout the world.

But who were the Anglo-Saxons and where did they come from?

A Short History of the Anglo-Saxons traces the fascinating history of this era and its people, from the early migration of European tribal groups such as the Angles, Saxons and Jutes who mainly travelled to Britain after the end of Roman rule in 410, to the dramatic end of the Anglo-Saxon period following the victory of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. This short history explores the kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia, Afred the Great's defence of his realm from the Vikings and the final Norman Conquest. Also included are the compelling discoveries of Anglo-Saxon relics in modern times and many other gems.

A Short History of the Anglo-Saxons provides an indispensable introduction to everything you need to know about the Anglo-Saxon period.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

Paperback

Published January 24, 2019

Reviews

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful introduction to the Dark Ages in England. Though the more I read in this area the more I realise that Dark Ages is not really appropriate as we have a fair amount of information. Twilight Ages probably doesn't have the same ring to it.

I enjoyed this book very much and learnt a lot from it. Be aware that it is a real rattle through so you need to stop every now and then to catch your breath. It would have helped if the important Anglo Saxons didn't all use variations on the same name - Aethel... This prefix means noble so that sort of explains it.

I liked the way that the author sets out how the Anglo Saxons are still with us, in place names, language, counties and the like. My own home town of Bury St Edmunds was named after Edmund the martyr, a king of the East Angles murdered in 869 by the vikings. Edmund was the most popular saint in England until crusaders brought back St George from the Holy Land.

Worth a read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a litany. If you want answers to questions like, "How do significant populations of fourth century Germans get across the English Channel to defeat and intermarry with the native Britons and in which kind of boats?" or, "Did the Anglo-Saxons raise sheep?," this is not your book. If, however, you wanted to know about kings named Aethelfrith, Aethelred, and Aelfhere and how they defeated each other in battles and occasionally crossed rivers, this is your book. (No explanation of how you get a few thousand farmers with pointy sticks together and have them form into a Vikining-killing phalanx kill either.) I couldn't tell if Giles Morgan is the preeminent professor in the field of Anglo-Saxon studies and he wrote this in his sleep, or if he's a beleaguered hack writer who made good use of a Victorian encyclopedia. Still, interesting book, good overview of Anglo-Saxon nobility, and a quick read, probably because of the huge font. St. Boniface, St. Cuthbert, the Venerable Bede, Offa, King Canute, Alfred the Great: they're all in here briefly and with not much detail, but that's why they call it the Dark Ages.

[Graham Tapper · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting exposition on the history of the Angles and the Saxons from what little history is recorded about their presence in Britain during Roman times, through their eventual mass invasion, following the Romans' departure, and onwards up until the Normans usurped their power and authority.

Some Saxons, such as Alfred, are better known than others. The popularity of Bernard Cornwell's Last Kingdom books, and the TV series made from them, though wound around Alfred's reign and featuring a different lead character, nevertheless stays fairly true to history, such that they have formed a picture of the times in readers' minds.

The book also covers most of the major discoveries of modern times, such as Sutton Hoo and the Staffordshire Hoard. These have given insight into Saxon society but even so, much about these finds still remains conjecture.

However, I found it very interesting, even if I didn't try to commit the myriad of tongue-twisting names to memory!

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although you can't expect much from what is intended as a short history, I found some elements lacking as a person who takes an interest in the Old English language. I think it could have benefitted from a deeper discussion of Anglo-Saxon culture as we know more about their literature than simply the age-old retelling of the famous Beowulf poem. I liked that it discussed the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, the writing of Bede and even mentioned the poem The Battle of Maldon. I think that it was sad the monk Ælfric whose translations of catholic texts are rather well studied was never really mentioned. Though these sorts of gripes with the book are more a result of my biases as a linguist. I also deducted a star because it is difficult to visualise a lot of what is being discussed. A map somewhere in the book with some marking out of the heptarchy might have been useful for people who are more visually minded as there is a lot of information to take in; I'd find myself googling the cities or regions mentioned constantly to understand it more easily. Overall I enjoyed reading it and it is a decent introduction to the period.

[Diana Jaques · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book talks about Anglo-Saxon rulers and some of the big events that happened during their reigns.

Starting as far back as there is information for, Giles Morgan brings you right into the present with facts that we are still continuing to discover.

I think it would have been handy to have some of the names written phonetically at least once to ensure that it is being read correctly. Other than that, I enjoyed the layout of this book.

It is also mentioned how the Anglo-Saxons inspired famous series such as; Lord of the rings by JRR Tolkien and Game of Thrones by George RR Martin.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting read and would recommend it to people who want to learn about the Anglo-Saxon rulers.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't mean this as an offence, but Giles Morgan is certainly no poet and some sections read like a Wikipedia page written by someone in a hurry. However, this little book does what it promises to do: it provides the bare facts (and some, very scant, cultural anecdotes) regarding the Anglo-Saxons from the withdrawal of the Romans to the Norman Conquest.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a brief overview of the time period with some focus on the key players from the Anglo Saxons, Vikings and Normans. I found this quite interesting and it's a good introduction for anybody not overly familiar with this time of British history.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. For anyone interested in the Anglo-Saxons: start here!

The mother of all crash courses. Read this as a primer then go into depth with other books.

[Anthony Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the anglo saxon period, and this book gave a useful overview of a long period. However, it felt a bit lightweight, there isn't a lot of insight provided and its a bit sloppily edited.

[Cheryl Neer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admire the Anglo -Saxon period for its history of course, and for the contributions to our English Language. I read part of this book with Kings and Queens the Millennium Series Discover the 1,000 years of British History by John Guy open for it's illustrated timeline and pictures of early Kings. I learned of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People ( a copy of which my history-loving husband had on the shelf), and the Great Domesday. The text itself is easy to read although the Anglo Saxon names of people and places are difficult.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

While not a difficult read, the book gave very limited insight to me of the history of the Anglo Saxons. It rather spent more of the time listing the kings and lineage of each of the kingdoms than a better insight than I can get from Wikipedia. I learned a little, but was disappointed in how little it was.

[Natalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, and informative, though a little mundane and the jumping around in chapters took a little getting used to. But I enjoyed it.

[Adelbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good chronological history. Key word is short, but the author provided numerous sources for further research.

[Mike Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who indulge in history this will wet your appetite to potentially dig further into some of the less then detailed accounts of rulers and power changes.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Derivative and presented in an amateurish manner, but it may work well as a starting point prior to further study.

[Rosie Vince · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure I really agree with how this book is described, it mainly talks through the different kings and rulers of the times the Anglo Saxons lived in England with a few facts about them scattered through the book, I was interested to find out how they lived there lives and about there pagan religion but unfortunately this book provided none of this, instead this book lists the names and dates of the kings and briefly describes there battles, how the gained and lost there power.
It did have some interesting information on the different kingdoms and some famous rulers, some of the struggles between the Britons, Anglo Saxons and vikings but there is a lack of detail and was not what i hoped it would be.
not a regrettable read just a little lack luster.