In popular imagination the warfare of the Early Middle Ages is
often obscure, unstructured, and unimaginative, lost between two
military machines, the Romans' and the Normans', which saw the
country invaded and partitioned. In point of fact, we have a
considerable amount of information at our fingertips and the
picture that should emerge is one of English ability in the face of
sometimes overwhelming pressures on society, and a resilience that
eventually drew the older kingdoms together in new external
responses which united the English' in a common sense of purpose.
This is the story of how the Saxon kingdoms, which had maintained
their independence for generations, were compelled to unite their
forces to resist the external threat of the Viking incursions. The
kingdoms of East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria, Kent, Essex, Sussex,
and Wessex were gradually welded into one as Wessex grew in
strength to become the dominant Saxon kingdom. From the weak
thelred to the strong Alfred, rightly deserving the epithet Great',
to the strong, but equally unfortunate, Harold, this era witnessed
brutal hand-to-hand battles in congested melees, which are normally
portrayed as unsophisticated but deadly brawls. In reality, the
warriors of the era were experienced fighters often displaying
sophisticated strategies and deploying complex tactics. Our
principal source, replete with reasonably reliable reportage, are
the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, comprehensive in collation though
subject to oral distortion and mythological excursions. The
narrative of these does not appear to flow continuously, leaving
too much to imagination but, by creating a complementary matrix of
landscapes, topography and communications it is possible to provide
convincing scenery into which we can fit other archaeological and
philological evidence to show how the English nation was formed in
the bloody slaughter of battle.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(1)
(1)
