The fyrd consisted of a nucleus of experienced soldiers that would be supplemented by ordinary villagers and farmers from the shires. A fyrd was a type of early Anglo-Saxon army that was mobilized from freemen to defend their shire, or from selected representatives to join a royal expedition. Service in the fyrd was usually of[…]
How a widow battled back against the Vikings and became one of the most powerful figures in Britain. By (left-to-right) Dr. Philip Morgan, Dr. Andrew Sargent, Dr. Charles Insley, and Dr. Morn Capper / 06.21.2017 Morgan: Senior Lecturer, Keele University Sargent: Lecturer in Medieval History, Keele University Insley: Senior Lecturer, University of Manchester Capper: Lecturer in Archaeological Heritage,[…]
Lindisfarne Gospels, St. Matthew (detail), Second Initial Page, f.29, early 8th century (British Library) By Louisa Woodville / 08.08.2015 Adjunct Professor of Medieval History George Mason University A medieval monk takes up a quill pen, fashioned from a goose feather, and dips it into a rich, black ink made from soot. Seated on a wooden[…]
By Lynda Telford / 05.20.2018 Events and Projects Officer Richard III Society, Yorkshire Branch What was the way of life for most ordinary women during the early Middle Ages in England? The answer is surprising. In Anglo-Saxon England – before the Norman Conquest in 1066 – men and women enjoyed relatively equal rights and social,[…]
The Franks Casket / Photo by Simon Ager, British Museum By Dr. Martin Findell and Dr. Lilla Kopár Findell: Associate Professor in Historical Linguistics, University of Nottingham Kopár: Associate Professor of English, The Catholic University of America Abstract Runic inscriptions are of interest not only as evidence of language and literacy in early medieval England,[…]
By Dr. Austin Mason and Dr. Tom Williamson Mason: Assistant Professor of History, Carleton College Williamson: Professor of Landscape History, University of East Anglia Abstract This article explores some of the complex relationships which existed between topographic patterns and social organization in early medieval England. It argues that group identities were not entirely elective[…]
Sutton Hoo and Europe 300–1100 C.E., The Sir Paul and Lady Ruddock Gallery © The Trustees of the British Museum By the British Museum / 03.03.2017 The Ship Burial The most famous Anglo-Saxon treasures in the Museum come from the Sutton Hoo burial site in Suffolk. Here mysterious grassy mounds covered a number of ancient[…]
Ship’s figure-head, late 4th – 5th century, oak, 149 cm, (Germanic?/Roman? found Belgium) © The Trustees of the British Museum By the British Museum / 02.28.2017 In the fifth century C.E., people from tribes called Angles, Saxons, and Jutes left their homelands in northern Europe to look for a new home. They knew that the Romans[…]
What was life in the fens like in the period known as the dark ages? Archaeologist Susan Oosthuizen revisits the history of an iconic wetland in the light of fresh evidence and paints a compelling portrait of communities in tune with their changeable environment. In doing so, she makes an important contribution to a wider[…]