Reassessing Anglo-Saxon England

by Eric John

Eric John is one of the most distinguished and provocative of Anglo-Saxonists. This new and original analysis is the fruit of thirty years of scholarship and therefore has something of the nature of a testament. Mr John seeks to make use of social anthropological insight to understand the type of people the Anglo-Saxons were and sets them, unusually, in their European context. He starts at the beginnings of English society, looks then at Anglo-Saxon pagans, Mercian hegemony, English politics in the ninth century, the West Saxon conquest of England, holiness and hubris, the restoration of learning, the ruin of the House of Cerdic, the northern Empire and the avoidance of chaos. Brilliantly and entertainingly written, this is an interesting and remarkable book.

Genres: History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published February 15, 1997

Reviews

[Peter Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a most interesting book. Although the chapters are arranged chronologically this isn't a totally linear history. Instead it is mostly a series of essays, almost snapshots of Anglo-Saxon England. Or it is until we get to Aethelraed II, after which the narrative fills out a bit. John writes about what interests him and this book has a definite preference for the intellectual, especially the intellectual milieu created by the monasteries. Continental connections also feature prominently. Both are areas that are nicely different to the usual insular political histories.

Eric John's writing style is very engaging and has a chatty irreverence to it that reminded me of the emails sent by a demob happy chap I used to know, who had handed in his notice and was happily working out his last week. He's a great name dropper and pretty much all of the great and good of twentieth century Anglo-Saxon studies come in for a mention (and their dud ideas critiqued), especially in the chatty endnotes of chapters. Content wise, it is rather similar to the work of Nick Higham, with some fascinating ideas being suggested (these had me reaching for my notebook) that are just over the horizon of what the available evidence will prove. Even if John isn't correct in these notions, he is asking the right sort of questions and the thought processes in trying to answer them are very useful.

There were quite a few things that I disagreed with, such as I think that he makes too much of the notion of Bretwalda and when it comes to the lengths of walls and their manning requirements matching up with the hides for each burh as recorded in the Burghal Hidage the situation isn't as clear cut as he would suggest. I'm also not convinced that Edward the Confessor made Harold go to Normandy to do homage to him. There are also signs that this book wasn't fully edited before publication, as it contains two howlers (as Frank Richards would call them): Raedwald being described as King of Essex (corrected to East Anglia in his second mention) and Oswald being killed at Heavenfield instead of Maserfeld. All in all, though, this is an entertaining and thought provoking book.

Three things you will take from this:

1, the importance of continental influences on Wessex and vice-versa

2, that skulduggery involving appropriating land was almost a nation pastime with nearly anyone who could do getting in on playing this game

3, the vibrancy of later Anglo-Saxon intellectual life

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes well-written, sometimes utter garbage. While I am still learning about England in the time of the first Anglo-Saxon kings, I consider myself fairly well-read in regards to the reign of Aethelred II and on, and especially in regards to Edward the Confessor's pesky problem of dying with no heirs. Seeing as how that is naturally where the text ends, being about Anglo-Saxon England and all, it is freshest in my mind. Lots of supposition presented as facts, things I noted throughout my progress. Also spends a good deal of time being utterly unprofessional and calling out historians for why they are wrong. It was dreadfully annoying and the arrogance is off-putting enough that I don't think I could read any other books this author might have written - not to mention he inserts himself into the text repeatedly; "I believe..." "I am sure..." Stop it.

As a positive, I will say the journey moved quickly and I enjoyed much of it early on. But I have to wonder how much of the early info was given the same treatment as the 1066 situation.

[Riversue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Succinct coverage of a long time period. Mr. John has some interesting theories about what happened and why.