Writing, Kingship and Power in Anglo-Saxon England

by Rory Naismith (editor), David A. Woodman (Editor)

The workings of royal and ecclesiastical authority in Anglo-Saxon England can only be understood on the basis of direct engagement with original texts and material artefacts. This book, written by leading experts, brings together new research that represents the best of the current scholarship on the nexus between authority and written sources from Anglo-Saxon England. Ranging from the seventh to the eleventh century, the chapters in this volume offer fresh approaches to a wide range of linguistic, historical, legal, diplomatic and palaeographical evidence. Central themes include the formation of power in early Anglo-Saxon kingdoms during the age of Bede (d. 735) and Offa of Mercia (757–96), authority and its articulation in the century from Edgar (959–75) to 1066, and the significance of books and texts in expressing power across the period. Writing, Kingship and Power in Anglo-Saxon England represents a critical resource for students and scholars alike with an interest in early medieval history from political, institutional and cultural perspectives.

364 pages, Hardcover

Published December 28, 2017

Reviews

[Peter Fox]

Writing, Kingship and Power in Anglo-Saxon England – edited by R Naismith and D Woodman, 2020, 327 pages

Another book of papers written by various experts and when you see some of the names involved, you instantly know that there are going to be some great reads here.


Introduction and an account of Keynes, man and scholar (R Naismith and D Woodman 25 pages)

This very ably sets up the rest of the book by demonstrating the various ways in which the written word in its various forms buttressed kingly power in Anglo-Saxon England: letters, charter, laws, coin inscriptions and so on.

Bede's Kings (S Foot 27 pages)

This was a very thought provoking work, where Foot delved into how Bede used kings within the EH. As well as providing exemplars of behaviour to emulate there were those who should be condemned. However, through his views on royal legitimacy, their conduct and their deaths, you can see which kings Bede approved of as fitting his view of the king as the father of his people.


Hagiography and Charters in early Northumbria (D Woodman 19 pages)

This was a lot more interesting than you'd expect from the title. This recounts a hagiographic feud between the devotees of St Cuthbert and St Wilfrid that was played out partly in writing through the respective hagiographies. In addition to this the importance that the written word had assumed by the end of the 8th century is stressed through accounts of disputes being sent to Rome and written judgments being received in return.


Origins of the Kingdom of the English (D Dumville 51 pages)

There is a lot of clearly articulated research in here and it is worth reading for that. I especially enjoyed the points made about the number of small kingships and their stability. On the other hand, the tone is quite dismissive of scholarship from within the last generation or so that Dumville disagrees with and I found this jarring. In addition to this, there was a certain feeling of Dumville revisiting past academic disputes and throwing a few darts in their direction and that left a somewhat unpleasant taste.


Losing the Plot? 'filthy assertions' and 'unheard of deceit' in codex Carolinus 92 (J Nelson 17 pages)

This paper looks into the papal background concerning the letter that Pope Hadrian wrote in response to rumours that Charlemagne and Offa were plotting to depose him. Plots and assassinations were an ever present and unwelcome part of being pope and the only really novel part of this worry now was that it involved Anglo-Saxons.


Fathers and Daughters: the case of Aethelraed II (P Stafford 23 pages)

Royal daughters are often not considered and this paper redresses it in both the general discussion of post Alfredian royal women and the specifics relating to Ethelred's daughters. There are lots of maybes and possibly's in this paper, which given the lack of evidence is no surprise. However, this is insightful with lots to get your teeth into and very interesting to read.


The historian and the Anglo-Saxon coinage: The case of Late Anglo-Saxon England (R Naismith 19 pages)

This paper discusses the Late Anglo-Saxon state as seen through the coinage, with special attention given to the work of Dolley and Campbell. The prose isn't that user friendly, but the knowledge is great. It mostly concentrates on the coins of Aethelraed II, but with Edgar and Cnut featuring strongly, too. Naismith shows that there were some oddities within Late Anglo-Saxon coinage, such as the weight of good coins varying and old coins being saved by a few people, possibly for use in private transactions.


Charters and exemptions from geld in Anglo-Saxon England (D Pratt 21 pages)

This was a paper that I think I'll have to re-read to get the most from it, as I found it hard to get into. However, Pratt looks into the written evidence of exemption from geld in Late Anglo-Saxon England. He shows that firstly, exemptions depended on the will of the king, rather than any kind of institutional mechanism. Secondly, he demonstrates that a lot of the putative written evidence for exemptions are problematic and aren't always borne out by other evidence, such as Domesday returns.


On living in the Time of Tribulation: Archbishop Wulfstan's Sermon of the Wolf to the English and its eschatological context (C Cubitt 32 pages)

I didn't fancy this one.


A tale of two charters: diploma production and political performance in Aethelraedian England (Levi Roach 25 pages)

This was clear, informative and enjoyable to read. Roach examines two key charters of Aethelraed, S876 (where he makes amends for his youthful indiscretions) and S911 (the foundation of Eynsham). Both were granted at key moments when policy changed, but with escalating repercussions for those on their way out. There is a lot to be gained from mining the context of these charters. Beyond that a couple of charming oddities are to be found in S876 where both Wulfsige and Aelfwig appear to sign twice, but this was due to them being promoted between it being confirmed by those present and then witnessed at a later date and them witnessing again with their new rank.


Making manifest God's judgment: interpreting ordeals in late Anglo-Saxon England (H Foxhall Forbes 22 pages)

Another cracking paper that was written in an engaging style and also one where you look to see what else the author has written (Heaven and Earth, out in paperback on Tuesday). This shows just how ambiguous the ordeal was in Anglo-Saxon England. It wasn't applied uniformly chronologically or geographically and the few mentions that it does receive in the sources give the impression that there was considerable debate about what was expected when the bandages were removed.


An eleventh century prayer book for women? The origins and the history of the Galba Prayer Book (J Crick 22 pages)

I didn't fancy this one, either.


Writing Latin and Old English in 10th century England: Patterns, forumlae and language choice in the leases of Oswald of Worcester (F Tinti 25 pages)

The language employed in charters isn't an area that I'm that au fait with, but I learnt some surprising stuff from this paper. It deals with 76 charters from the Worcester archive and whilst I was aware that the boundary clause of charters was in OE with Latin being predominant in the remainder, I wasn't expecting to learn that in these there was so much variety in the language used. Whilst it could perhaps be expected that various sections would be in either OE or Latin, switching mid sentence was not expected. It seems that the scribes were flexible in approach and where the same recipient can be identified it appears that this made no difference to the language used, as the charters show just as much variety.

[Riversue]

Solid scholarship.