Normans and Plantagenets

The writers of history are usually on the winning side.  Following the year 1066, there does not seem to be many books titled "The Saxons and the Anglo-Saxon Defeat"!  The following book presents many of the writers of contemporary Latin Christendom following this year of 1066.

"...biased interpretations based upon unhistorical prejudices." is present as a reason for this text in the very first paragraph.  The text is organized into chapters:

                                                                                           I   The Emergent West
                                                                                           II   Normandy
                                                                                           III  England
                                                                                           IV  England, Normandy and Scandinavia
                                                                                           V   The Norman Conquest of England
                                                                                           VI Norman England.

Each page flows with detailed reference to the opinions express during the historical period discussed.  First published in 1969 by R. Allen Brown, it was reprinted in 1994 in hardback and paperback by The Boydell Press.  It is an interesting read for those of us who like to discover the primary documents and their authors. [You have a large number of references to filter through!]

1066

The folks on that Island first called Albion would never be the same after the year 1066 AD.  It was perhaps the most feared warriors of the day, that came from a fairly small geographic area, and took control of this land.   The Normans they were called.

David Howarth in his book presents this year from January 4th (1066) to New Year's Eve.  He writes in his introduction to the book "...is not meant to be read as a work of scholarship, only as an evocation of the excitement, pleasures and miseries of that year...".  He mostly uses sources that were written within living memory of 1066.  Maps and diagrams include the genealogies of the early Kings of England and Denmark, and the Dukes of Normandy. [For the genealogist in you.]   The earldoms of England in 1066 and the invasion routes are shown.   Stamford Bridge, the Sussex coast, and the battle of Hastings are also given.  Published 1978 by The Viking Press, it is a fun read for those interested in this year...1066.

Prose and Poems

Who were the Anglo-Saxons?  The last post gave a reference that presented these folks from the view of the archaeologist .  This text by Kevin Crossley-Holland gives a view from the literature and art of the Anglo-Saxons.   Poems, manuscripts, prose, sculpture, jewellery and architecture are all included.

First published 1975 by The Seabury Press, NY,  it contains a large number of illustrations, prints, and pictures of the Anglo-Saxon mind.  Its contents are presented in the topics: WAR, DAILY LIFE, and RELIGION.

My favorite expression from an old Norse proverb:

       "One thing I know never dies nor changes, the reputation of a dead man." [p.61]

As Beowulf would say :  "...many a fine sight for those who have eyes to see such things."

The Anglo-Saxons

Who were the Anglo-Saxons?  A questions that is often asked among those who are of Celtic origin.  The book by David Wilson is one general view of Anglo-Saxon culture as seen through the eyes of the archaeologist.

First published as a volume in the 'Ancient Peoples and Places' series in 1960, it was reprinted by Pelican books in 1971.   There are 38 figures [including the plans of Anglo-Saxon houses ] and 79 plates including one of my favorites "The Alfred Jewel" (plate 57).  [For the real jewel of Alfred The Great see my post titled "The Real Jewel of Alfred The Great" at thejonesgenealogist.blogspot.com on Saturday, Nov. 10th, 2012.]

For those who might have a bend to the shovel (archaeology as spelled by those Anglo-Saxons), this book is a good reference.  The contents include: 
                                                                             The Study of Anglo-Saxon Archaeology
                                                                             Historical Background and Pagan Burials
                                                                             Christian Antiquites
                                                                             The Life of the People
                                                                             Weapons and Warfare
                                                                             Anglo-Saxon Art


A good list indeed...but as shown above, first "hear no evil"...:-).

Anglo-Saxon England

An introduction to Anglo-Saxon England can be found in the text by Peter Hunter Blair.

It would seem that this group of Germanic peoples had something to do with the creation of the kingdom  of England as a political entity.  They also had something to do with what was to become  English as a spoken and written language.  Who would have guessed that all this would have come through an invitation of one of those Celtic folks (Vortigern) fighting other Celtic folks? (Picts) 

The chapter titles are:
                                    I.   The Foundation of England
                                    II.  Britain and The Vikings
                                    III. The Church
                                    IV.  Government
                                    V.   Economy
                                    VI. Letters

First published by the Cambridge University Press in 1956, it has been reprinted in 1960, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1976, with a second edition printed 1977.  Over these years, a few folks must have felt it to be helpful in their understanding of the Anglo-Saxons and their beginnings.

Authentic Voices

Conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features is one meaning of the word authentic.  The authentic voices of England from the time of Julius Caesar to the coronation of Henry II are contained in The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles.  Perhaps it should be the authentic voices of the English language, but the following text translated and collated by Anne Savage is shown below.

Alfred The Great (871 - 899 AD) is the fellow most often credited with getting things started.  The royal capital of Saxon Wessex (Winchester) seems the place where the chronicles first started. [Oldest manuscript which has survived = Corpus Christi College Cambridge MS 173, the Parker Chronicle ]  The church folks here for the first time wrote things down in their own language (Anglo-Saxon) instead of the standard church language Latin.  What in the world were they thinking...starting to write in their own language instead of the usual, widely accepted, language of the known world!  An original idea it seemed to be. 

After the Norman invasion, these records ( dates covered from 60 BC - 1070 AD) were taken to Christchruch, Canterbury where copies were made and the story continued until the coronation of Henry II.   The text above describes:

"From the everyday local dramas that made up the lives of the Anglo-Saxons to the intricacies of government and the reigns of kings, every aspect of life in the England of the Middle Ages is examined in glorious detail." [front cover...inside flap ]

What a deal...the authentic voices of the folks writing in a language that was to become English.  Take a look.

The cover shown above is taken from my copy published Crescent Books, 1995.  It contains illustrated material which gives a broad view of this period in time.  It is an excellent reference to those interested in the authentic voices of the English language.

A Book By Bede

Writing a book about the history of the English nation would certainly be a daunting task.  Being the first to do so during a time when learning and civilization were going down the tube, would establish your spot in the annals of history writers.  Such was a fellow named Bede.

Born about the year 673 AD, he was taken as a child of seven to a newly founded monastery called Wearmouth.  He appears to have spent his entire life here and at a sister monastery called Jarrow.  He grew up reading, writing. learning, teaching, and praying. [Must have been an introvert.]  He became an expert in collecting documents of the ancient writers and acts of the church.  He wrote in Latin, and became widely known as the "expert" in Northumbrian and Church history.  He was then ask to write all this stuff into some kind of record, and it has become known as the first history of the English nation.

It was titled "The Ecclesiastical History of The English Nation".  The cover of my translated copy is shown above.  It was first published in 1910, but my copy was reprinted in 1954.  In the introduction of this edition David Knowles writes:

"In the annals of letters and learning there is no more impressive instance of the ultimate fame of work accomplished in silence, for the sake of truth, by a good man."

He died 25th of May 735 AD.  Since his death he has become known as the "Father of English History".  What good genealogist would not like to get to read one of the founding fathers.  Here it is.