The birth of the Anglo-Saxons : three kings and a history of Britain at the dawn of the Viking age / Max Adams.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Adams, Max, 1961- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Æthelbald, King of Mercia, -757.

Æthelbald.

Offa, King of the Mercians, -796.

Offa.

Alfred, King of England, 849-899.

Alfred.

Anglo-Saxons--England--Mercia (Kingdom).

Anglo-Saxons.

Mercia (Kingdom).

England--Civilization--To 1066.

England.

Great Britain--History--Anglo-Saxon period, 449-1066.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

xiii, 448 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Edition:

First Pegasus Books cloth edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : London : Pegasus Books, 2025.

Summary:

"For too long, the eighth century has been a neglected era in British history: a shadow land between the death of Saint Bede and the triumphs of King Ælfred and the eventual unification of England. Butbefore the victories of King Ælfred against the Viking invaders, the kingdom of Mercia--spread across a broad swathe of central England--was the reigning power that exercised central political authority for the first time since the Roman Empire. This authority was used to construct trading networks and markets; to develop strong economic, cultural, and political links with the Continent; and to lay the foundations for a system of defense that would be invigorated and reinvented by Ælfred at the end of the ninth century. ... In this ... history of early medieval Britain, Max Adams reconnects the worlds ofthe three kings--Æthelbald, Offa, and Ælfred--in [a] ... study of the landscape, society, and politics of a fascinating century of change"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

List of maps

Forespæc: The birth of the Anglo-Saxons

A note on maps

Introduction: The Kalends of January

Chronography I: 628-716. Penda : war 630-658 ; Wulfhere : conversion 658-675 ; Æðelred : foundations 675-704 ; Cœnred; Coelred : no country for old men 704-716

Chronography II: 718-796. Æðelred : Rex Britanniae 716-735 ; Æðelred : England's anvil 736-757 ; Offa : overlord 757-779 ; Offa : the face of power 780-787 ; Offa : war by other means 788-796

Chronology III: 798-918. Cœnwulf : high tide 796-821 ; Ceolwulf to Æðelflæd : all the king's horses 821-918

Acknowledgments

Bibliography

Endnotes

Image credits

Index.

Notes:

Maps on endpapers.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 400-425) and index.

ISBN:

9781639368310

1639368310

OCLC:

1493067968