Wendy Davies
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198201533
- eISBN:
- 9780191674921
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198201533.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
This book is an exploration of the nature of power in early medieval Wales. The book examines the distribution of power, territorial and social, and traces the ways in which contemporaries defined ...
More
This book is an exploration of the nature of power in early medieval Wales. The book examines the distribution of power, territorial and social, and traces the ways in which contemporaries defined this fundamental concept. It confronts challenging questions relating to definitions and consequences of military control, alien settlement, landownership, and political domination. It analyses the impact and nature of English, Irish, and Viking contacts with the Welsh, and argues their significance for the long-term development of Wales.Less
This book is an exploration of the nature of power in early medieval Wales. The book examines the distribution of power, territorial and social, and traces the ways in which contemporaries defined this fundamental concept. It confronts challenging questions relating to definitions and consequences of military control, alien settlement, landownership, and political domination. It analyses the impact and nature of English, Irish, and Viking contacts with the Welsh, and argues their significance for the long-term development of Wales.
Ian Armit
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748608584
- eISBN:
- 9780748670710
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748608584.001.0001
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
This book provides the first modern synthesis of the archaeology of Skye and Western Isles: a region with some of the finest and best-preserved archaeological monuments in Europe. Our understanding ...
More
This book provides the first modern synthesis of the archaeology of Skye and Western Isles: a region with some of the finest and best-preserved archaeological monuments in Europe. Our understanding of the region has been transformed in recent years through the results of new archaeological excavations, field surveys, and reassessments of earlier work from the nineteenth century onwards. From the ritual monuments of the Neolithic period, notably the great stone circles at Calanais in Lewis, to the spectacular Iron Age brochs and wheelhouses of the Iron Age, the exceptional preservation of key monuments offers insights into the broader currents of British and European prehistory. In later periods, the arrival of the Vikings in the Outer Hebrides is marked by a series of important archaeological discoveries casting new light on the nature and extent of cultural change. As well as covering the periods before the emergence of detailed written history, the book also addresses the archaeology of later periods, exploring the history of human settlement and society from earliest prehistory to the Clearances.Less
This book provides the first modern synthesis of the archaeology of Skye and Western Isles: a region with some of the finest and best-preserved archaeological monuments in Europe. Our understanding of the region has been transformed in recent years through the results of new archaeological excavations, field surveys, and reassessments of earlier work from the nineteenth century onwards. From the ritual monuments of the Neolithic period, notably the great stone circles at Calanais in Lewis, to the spectacular Iron Age brochs and wheelhouses of the Iron Age, the exceptional preservation of key monuments offers insights into the broader currents of British and European prehistory. In later periods, the arrival of the Vikings in the Outer Hebrides is marked by a series of important archaeological discoveries casting new light on the nature and extent of cultural change. As well as covering the periods before the emergence of detailed written history, the book also addresses the archaeology of later periods, exploring the history of human settlement and society from earliest prehistory to the Clearances.
Wendy Davies
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198201533
- eISBN:
- 9780191674921
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198201533.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
The ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries were a period of notable English and Scandinavian interest in Wales. This brought Vikings and Englishmen to Wales and Welshmen to England and Ireland. This ...
More
The ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries were a period of notable English and Scandinavian interest in Wales. This brought Vikings and Englishmen to Wales and Welshmen to England and Ireland. This chapter focuses on the Viking raids in Wales which began in the middle of the ninth century, and the issue of Scandinavian political presence in Wales. Journeys to eastern Ireland in this period took them to a Scandinavian sphere: Viking Dublin was founded in 841 and until the eleventh century was an essentially Scandinavian enclave.Less
The ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries were a period of notable English and Scandinavian interest in Wales. This brought Vikings and Englishmen to Wales and Welshmen to England and Ireland. This chapter focuses on the Viking raids in Wales which began in the middle of the ninth century, and the issue of Scandinavian political presence in Wales. Journeys to eastern Ireland in this period took them to a Scandinavian sphere: Viking Dublin was founded in 841 and until the eleventh century was an essentially Scandinavian enclave.
Anna Wallette
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264522
- eISBN:
- 9780191734724
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264522.003.0007
- Subject:
- Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology
During the Viking Age, the use of private violence was a precondition for social power. Iceland, for instance, was a law-making community but had no executive power to put the laws into effect. ...
More
During the Viking Age, the use of private violence was a precondition for social power. Iceland, for instance, was a law-making community but had no executive power to put the laws into effect. Politics throughout the whole of Scandinavia was based on strong personal relations. This was not a society of uncontrolled violence, but, alongside the development of church and kingdom, the attitude towards a legal type of violence changed. The Icelandic sagas are preoccupied with networks; the alliance patterns described can shed light on the relations between both biological and social kin. This chapter describes competing loyalties through marriage, fostering, friendship, and pledges of support. Kin and marriage systems are the main organization form for people. The discussion also considers alliances and the need for strong bonds with both family and friends at a time when the political and social order was changing.Less
During the Viking Age, the use of private violence was a precondition for social power. Iceland, for instance, was a law-making community but had no executive power to put the laws into effect. Politics throughout the whole of Scandinavia was based on strong personal relations. This was not a society of uncontrolled violence, but, alongside the development of church and kingdom, the attitude towards a legal type of violence changed. The Icelandic sagas are preoccupied with networks; the alliance patterns described can shed light on the relations between both biological and social kin. This chapter describes competing loyalties through marriage, fostering, friendship, and pledges of support. Kin and marriage systems are the main organization form for people. The discussion also considers alliances and the need for strong bonds with both family and friends at a time when the political and social order was changing.
Halldis Hobæk
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780197266588
- eISBN:
- 9780191896040
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197266588.003.0006
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Historical Archaeology
While the socio-political and judicial role and importance of assemblies in Viking Age and medieval Norway has been discussed by generations of historians, the physical aspects of assembly sites and ...
More
While the socio-political and judicial role and importance of assemblies in Viking Age and medieval Norway has been discussed by generations of historians, the physical aspects of assembly sites and their precise locations has, until recently, been an under-researched topic. Very few assembly sites have been identified. Focusing on Western Norway, this chapter discusses approaches to identifying such sites. It is argued that while archaeology offers great potential for future studies in this field, a multi-disciplinary approach to the locating of sites from Viking and medieval times is preferable. By combining information from historical records and onomastic material, eighty-three documented probable or possible sites have been identified, thus significantly augmenting the number of known thing sites within the research area.Less
While the socio-political and judicial role and importance of assemblies in Viking Age and medieval Norway has been discussed by generations of historians, the physical aspects of assembly sites and their precise locations has, until recently, been an under-researched topic. Very few assembly sites have been identified. Focusing on Western Norway, this chapter discusses approaches to identifying such sites. It is argued that while archaeology offers great potential for future studies in this field, a multi-disciplinary approach to the locating of sites from Viking and medieval times is preferable. By combining information from historical records and onomastic material, eighty-three documented probable or possible sites have been identified, thus significantly augmenting the number of known thing sites within the research area.
David Griffiths
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264508
- eISBN:
- 9780191734120
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264508.003.0012
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This chapter examines discoveries of pre-Viking material that have occurred in sand-dune-dominated coastal margins and evaluates whether they are indicative of pre-Viking trade in the British and ...
More
This chapter examines discoveries of pre-Viking material that have occurred in sand-dune-dominated coastal margins and evaluates whether they are indicative of pre-Viking trade in the British and Irish Islands. It explains that sporadic occurrence of early medieval metalwork, glass, and pottery in these locations largely lacks contextual support and that this raises a number of interpretive problems. The chapter also provides some thoughts about Anglo-Irish economic contact during the mid-first millennium.Less
This chapter examines discoveries of pre-Viking material that have occurred in sand-dune-dominated coastal margins and evaluates whether they are indicative of pre-Viking trade in the British and Irish Islands. It explains that sporadic occurrence of early medieval metalwork, glass, and pottery in these locations largely lacks contextual support and that this raises a number of interpretive problems. The chapter also provides some thoughts about Anglo-Irish economic contact during the mid-first millennium.
David M. Krueger
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816696918
- eISBN:
- 9781452952444
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816696918.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Chapter One outlines the immediate aftermath of Ohman’s discovery of the Kensington Rune Stone in 1898 and also situates the rune stone in the history of Scandinavian immigrant fascination with ...
More
Chapter One outlines the immediate aftermath of Ohman’s discovery of the Kensington Rune Stone in 1898 and also situates the rune stone in the history of Scandinavian immigrant fascination with Pre-Columbian Vikings in North America. The runic myth anchored the immigrants in the American landscape while it maintained an emotional link the homeland.Less
Chapter One outlines the immediate aftermath of Ohman’s discovery of the Kensington Rune Stone in 1898 and also situates the rune stone in the history of Scandinavian immigrant fascination with Pre-Columbian Vikings in North America. The runic myth anchored the immigrants in the American landscape while it maintained an emotional link the homeland.
George Basalla
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195171815
- eISBN:
- 9780199786862
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195171815.003.0007
- Subject:
- Physics, History of Physics
Carl Sagan advised NASA on the Viking mission that landed two spacecraft on Mars (1976). In 1970, he helped prepare interstellar messenger plaques attached to NASA’s Pioneer 10 and 11, the first ...
More
Carl Sagan advised NASA on the Viking mission that landed two spacecraft on Mars (1976). In 1970, he helped prepare interstellar messenger plaques attached to NASA’s Pioneer 10 and 11, the first spacecraft to travel to outer space. The small, metal plaques contained coded, visual information about the earth intended for intelligent extraterrestrial beings. By 1977, NASA was ready to send the Voyager spacecraft with more elaborate messages for intelligent aliens: numerous recordings of terrestrial sounds and images. Sagan was deeply involved in the Pioneer and Voyager missions, both signs that America’s space agency had a growing interest in the sometimes controversial search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).Less
Carl Sagan advised NASA on the Viking mission that landed two spacecraft on Mars (1976). In 1970, he helped prepare interstellar messenger plaques attached to NASA’s Pioneer 10 and 11, the first spacecraft to travel to outer space. The small, metal plaques contained coded, visual information about the earth intended for intelligent extraterrestrial beings. By 1977, NASA was ready to send the Voyager spacecraft with more elaborate messages for intelligent aliens: numerous recordings of terrestrial sounds and images. Sagan was deeply involved in the Pioneer and Voyager missions, both signs that America’s space agency had a growing interest in the sometimes controversial search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).
Christopher R. Fee and David A. Leeming
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195174038
- eISBN:
- 9780199849864
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195174038.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
Each of the groups who came to Britain, from the ancient Celts, Romans, to Germanic invaders such as Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, and Normans, brought legends of heroes, myths of gods, rites of sacrifices, ...
More
Each of the groups who came to Britain, from the ancient Celts, Romans, to Germanic invaders such as Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, and Normans, brought legends of heroes, myths of gods, rites of sacrifices, and other religious practices, belief systems particular to each culture, place, and era of origin. With each succeeding wave of invasion, new mythic systems came into contact and conflict with the older systems already established in Britain. This book is a comparative study of the mythic systems of the British Celts, Romano-Celts, Anglo-Saxons, and Vikings. It analyses the conflict and confluence of the mythologies of ancient Britain, and examines how Christianity helped to transform the mythological systems that predated it, and how it in its turn was transformed through contact with the earlier systems.Less
Each of the groups who came to Britain, from the ancient Celts, Romans, to Germanic invaders such as Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, and Normans, brought legends of heroes, myths of gods, rites of sacrifices, and other religious practices, belief systems particular to each culture, place, and era of origin. With each succeeding wave of invasion, new mythic systems came into contact and conflict with the older systems already established in Britain. This book is a comparative study of the mythic systems of the British Celts, Romano-Celts, Anglo-Saxons, and Vikings. It analyses the conflict and confluence of the mythologies of ancient Britain, and examines how Christianity helped to transform the mythological systems that predated it, and how it in its turn was transformed through contact with the earlier systems.
Alfred P. Smyth
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198229896
- eISBN:
- 9780191678936
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198229896.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
Warrior, law-giver, and scholar, Alfred the Great was an extraordinarily gifted and highly successful king, pushing back the Vikings to preserve what is now thought of as the heart of England. This ...
More
Warrior, law-giver, and scholar, Alfred the Great was an extraordinarily gifted and highly successful king, pushing back the Vikings to preserve what is now thought of as the heart of England. This book provides a chronological examination of the much-disputed medieval biography of King Alfred, attributed to the king's tutor, Asser. The book argues that Asser's life is a medieval forgery; a revelation with profound implications for our understanding of the whole of Anglo-Saxon history. The book contains major studies on the writings of this gifted king, on the controversial charters of his reign, and on the origins of the Anglo-Saxon chronicle. The book shows the Chronicle to have been much more closely connected with the court of King Alfred than has hitherto been allowed, and suggests a new date for the completion of the earliest Alfredian section of the Chronicle. It also provides a fundamental reassessment of Alfred's military and political achievement in his wars against the Vikings, and compares the experiences of the English king with those of his Frankish contemporaries in their struggle with the same enemy on the other side of the English Channel. His portrait of Alfred rejects the image of a neurotic and invalid king who supposedly remained a pious illiterate till he was almost forty. Instead, the book describes a man of remarkable energy and intelligence who took necessary steps to defend his people from the Norsemen, who had been a scholar all his life, and who used his great knowledge to bolster the powers of his own kingship, and to overcome his enemies.Less
Warrior, law-giver, and scholar, Alfred the Great was an extraordinarily gifted and highly successful king, pushing back the Vikings to preserve what is now thought of as the heart of England. This book provides a chronological examination of the much-disputed medieval biography of King Alfred, attributed to the king's tutor, Asser. The book argues that Asser's life is a medieval forgery; a revelation with profound implications for our understanding of the whole of Anglo-Saxon history. The book contains major studies on the writings of this gifted king, on the controversial charters of his reign, and on the origins of the Anglo-Saxon chronicle. The book shows the Chronicle to have been much more closely connected with the court of King Alfred than has hitherto been allowed, and suggests a new date for the completion of the earliest Alfredian section of the Chronicle. It also provides a fundamental reassessment of Alfred's military and political achievement in his wars against the Vikings, and compares the experiences of the English king with those of his Frankish contemporaries in their struggle with the same enemy on the other side of the English Channel. His portrait of Alfred rejects the image of a neurotic and invalid king who supposedly remained a pious illiterate till he was almost forty. Instead, the book describes a man of remarkable energy and intelligence who took necessary steps to defend his people from the Norsemen, who had been a scholar all his life, and who used his great knowledge to bolster the powers of his own kingship, and to overcome his enemies.
Alexandra Sanmark
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781474402293
- eISBN:
- 9781474435260
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474402293.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
Until very recently Viking Age and Old Norse assembly (thing) sites were essentially unknown, apart from a few select sites, such as Thingvellir in Iceland. The Vikings are well-known for their ...
More
Until very recently Viking Age and Old Norse assembly (thing) sites were essentially unknown, apart from a few select sites, such as Thingvellir in Iceland. The Vikings are well-known for their violence and pillage, but they also had a well-organised system for political decision-making, legal cases and conflict resolution. Using archaeological evidence, written sources and place-names, this book provides a comprehensive analysis of their legal system and assembly sites, showing that this formed an integral part of Norse culture and identity, to the extent that the assembly institution was brought to all Norse settlements.
Assembly sites are analysed through surveys and case studies across Scandinavia, Scotland and the North Atlantic region. Alexandra Sanmark moves the view of assembly sites away from a functional one to an understanding of the symbolic meaning of these highly ritualised sites, and shows how they were constructed to signify power through monuments and natural features. This original and stimulating study is set not only in the context of the Viking and Norse periods, but also in the wider continental histories of place, assembly and the rhetoric of power.Less
Until very recently Viking Age and Old Norse assembly (thing) sites were essentially unknown, apart from a few select sites, such as Thingvellir in Iceland. The Vikings are well-known for their violence and pillage, but they also had a well-organised system for political decision-making, legal cases and conflict resolution. Using archaeological evidence, written sources and place-names, this book provides a comprehensive analysis of their legal system and assembly sites, showing that this formed an integral part of Norse culture and identity, to the extent that the assembly institution was brought to all Norse settlements.
Assembly sites are analysed through surveys and case studies across Scandinavia, Scotland and the North Atlantic region. Alexandra Sanmark moves the view of assembly sites away from a functional one to an understanding of the symbolic meaning of these highly ritualised sites, and shows how they were constructed to signify power through monuments and natural features. This original and stimulating study is set not only in the context of the Viking and Norse periods, but also in the wider continental histories of place, assembly and the rhetoric of power.
James Graham-Campbell and Michael Ryan (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264508
- eISBN:
- 9780191734120
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264508.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
Although there has been much recent interest in the interaction of England and Ireland in the Viking Age, the links between the Anglo-Saxons and the Irish in the period before 800 have been much less ...
More
Although there has been much recent interest in the interaction of England and Ireland in the Viking Age, the links between the Anglo-Saxons and the Irish in the period before 800 have been much less studied. This book provides an interdisciplinary assessment of these connections. The chapters range widely in their scope. Seven chapters look at issues of language and literature, legal traditions, and ecclesiastical history; a further ten consider the evidence of material culture, through art history and archaeology. This overview of the field of Anglo-Saxon/Irish relations will be of use to people interested in early medieval studies.Less
Although there has been much recent interest in the interaction of England and Ireland in the Viking Age, the links between the Anglo-Saxons and the Irish in the period before 800 have been much less studied. This book provides an interdisciplinary assessment of these connections. The chapters range widely in their scope. Seven chapters look at issues of language and literature, legal traditions, and ecclesiastical history; a further ten consider the evidence of material culture, through art history and archaeology. This overview of the field of Anglo-Saxon/Irish relations will be of use to people interested in early medieval studies.
David M. Krueger
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816696918
- eISBN:
- 9781452952444
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816696918.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Myths of the Rune Stone tells the story of how white Midwesterners created, adapted, and propagated a myth that Viking missionaries had visited their region and were “massacred” by local Indians ...
More
Myths of the Rune Stone tells the story of how white Midwesterners created, adapted, and propagated a myth that Viking missionaries had visited their region and were “massacred” by local Indians prior to the explorations of Christopher Columbus. Popular enthusiasm for this story developed as a local expression of American exceptionalism that both affirmed and challenged status quo assumptions about the formation of the United States as a nation and what it means to be a “real American.” The narrative of a primordial, white, Christian sacrifice staked an exclusive claim to the landscape, shaped collective identities, and generated social power for groups that viewed themselves as “under attack.” In the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, locals persisted in their belief in this Viking origin myth, using it advance their ethnic, racial, civic and religious goals. Although such myths are often thought to be the exclusive provenance of Scandinavian immigrants, Myths of the Rune Stone demonstrates their appeal to a diverse cross-section of residents, including Catholics and the descendants of Yankee pioneer settlers.Less
Myths of the Rune Stone tells the story of how white Midwesterners created, adapted, and propagated a myth that Viking missionaries had visited their region and were “massacred” by local Indians prior to the explorations of Christopher Columbus. Popular enthusiasm for this story developed as a local expression of American exceptionalism that both affirmed and challenged status quo assumptions about the formation of the United States as a nation and what it means to be a “real American.” The narrative of a primordial, white, Christian sacrifice staked an exclusive claim to the landscape, shaped collective identities, and generated social power for groups that viewed themselves as “under attack.” In the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, locals persisted in their belief in this Viking origin myth, using it advance their ethnic, racial, civic and religious goals. Although such myths are often thought to be the exclusive provenance of Scandinavian immigrants, Myths of the Rune Stone demonstrates their appeal to a diverse cross-section of residents, including Catholics and the descendants of Yankee pioneer settlers.
Ronald Hutton
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205708
- eISBN:
- 9780191676758
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205708.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History, British and Irish Early Modern History
In seeking for pagan feasts that underlie the Christmas in Britain, the issues are complex and the evidence difficult to assess. Nevertheless, there is sufficient to argue strongly for the existence ...
More
In seeking for pagan feasts that underlie the Christmas in Britain, the issues are complex and the evidence difficult to assess. Nevertheless, there is sufficient to argue strongly for the existence of a major pre-Christian festival marking the opening of the new year, at the moment at which the sun had reached the winter solstice and its strength was being renewed. There is testimony to this in the Anglo-Saxon, Viking, and Welsh components of the medieval British heritage. If so, this tradition would explain the pattern that set in after 1155, when the English Crown determined to revert to the presumed early system of Rome commencing the official year in March. The precise date selected was the twenty-fifth, the feast of Christianity, the Annunciation, and first English, and then British, years were reckoned from that until the calendar reform of 1752, when it was returned to January 1.Less
In seeking for pagan feasts that underlie the Christmas in Britain, the issues are complex and the evidence difficult to assess. Nevertheless, there is sufficient to argue strongly for the existence of a major pre-Christian festival marking the opening of the new year, at the moment at which the sun had reached the winter solstice and its strength was being renewed. There is testimony to this in the Anglo-Saxon, Viking, and Welsh components of the medieval British heritage. If so, this tradition would explain the pattern that set in after 1155, when the English Crown determined to revert to the presumed early system of Rome commencing the official year in March. The precise date selected was the twenty-fifth, the feast of Christianity, the Annunciation, and first English, and then British, years were reckoned from that until the calendar reform of 1752, when it was returned to January 1.
J. R. S. Phillips
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198207405
- eISBN:
- 9780191677656
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198207405.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
Of all the activities of western European travellers during the so-called Dark Ages, the Scandinavian expansion which began at the end of the 8th century was to be the most extensive. This chapter ...
More
Of all the activities of western European travellers during the so-called Dark Ages, the Scandinavian expansion which began at the end of the 8th century was to be the most extensive. This chapter explores many fundamental developments within western Europe. The Roman empire had acquired a lot of land and also built many contacts beyond its administrative and military boundaries. Several observations regarding the earth's surface and its different zones were made during that time. But later the Roman empire suffered a political and military crisis which almost brought it down. There was also a decline in the understanding of the Greek language, which had been the vehicle of earlier scholarship, throughout the western empire. Geography, lacking an independent status, was treated only under the heading of geometry, and suffered accordingly. However, after the continuous efforts made by many scholars, geography was once again studied and the earth's shape was better understood.Less
Of all the activities of western European travellers during the so-called Dark Ages, the Scandinavian expansion which began at the end of the 8th century was to be the most extensive. This chapter explores many fundamental developments within western Europe. The Roman empire had acquired a lot of land and also built many contacts beyond its administrative and military boundaries. Several observations regarding the earth's surface and its different zones were made during that time. But later the Roman empire suffered a political and military crisis which almost brought it down. There was also a decline in the understanding of the Greek language, which had been the vehicle of earlier scholarship, throughout the western empire. Geography, lacking an independent status, was treated only under the heading of geometry, and suffered accordingly. However, after the continuous efforts made by many scholars, geography was once again studied and the earth's shape was better understood.
J. R. S. Phillips
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198207405
- eISBN:
- 9780191677656
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198207405.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This chapter discusses one of the major consequences of medieval European attempts to learn more about Africa. This being the discovery of one or more groups of islands, which were to be of great ...
More
This chapter discusses one of the major consequences of medieval European attempts to learn more about Africa. This being the discovery of one or more groups of islands, which were to be of great importance to future exploration. The islands around the coasts of Britain and Ireland were the key to discoveries made in the North Atlantic of both the Irish and the Vikings. This chapter gives details of European voyaging in waters. However sceptical one may be about some of the details in the sagas, there is no serious doubt that they do represent accounts of genuine voyages to parts of the North American continent, and of a series of short-lived attempts at settlement there. For new generations of European navigators, from Portugal, Castile, England, and perhaps elsewhere, the prospect of the Atlantic islands, those already known and those that might be awaiting discovery, was a very real one indeed.Less
This chapter discusses one of the major consequences of medieval European attempts to learn more about Africa. This being the discovery of one or more groups of islands, which were to be of great importance to future exploration. The islands around the coasts of Britain and Ireland were the key to discoveries made in the North Atlantic of both the Irish and the Vikings. This chapter gives details of European voyaging in waters. However sceptical one may be about some of the details in the sagas, there is no serious doubt that they do represent accounts of genuine voyages to parts of the North American continent, and of a series of short-lived attempts at settlement there. For new generations of European navigators, from Portugal, Castile, England, and perhaps elsewhere, the prospect of the Atlantic islands, those already known and those that might be awaiting discovery, was a very real one indeed.
Jean Dunbabin
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198208464
- eISBN:
- 9780191678028
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198208464.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
In the first half of the eleventh century, the impotence of the Capetians was openly acknowledged by their subjects. The strength that kingship had derived from its new royal family—the more ...
More
In the first half of the eleventh century, the impotence of the Capetians was openly acknowledged by their subjects. The strength that kingship had derived from its new royal family—the more extensive demesne, the rather different image—was not sufficient to halt its slide. However, what was important from the point of view of political history was less the further decline — in any case not extensive — than the prolongation of weakness, the continuation of a situation in which royal intervention outside the demesne was a rarity. The weakness of the king, as well as the changing attitude towards private warfare that was not purely confined to churchmen, gave rise to a peace movement. The medieval church's powerful impetus towards change evoked a strong and widespread response throughout the church and its lay adherents in the eleventh century. And nowhere was that response richer, more varied, more creative than in West Francia. The period 980–1020 was the culmination of the monastic reform movement which had begun in the aftermath of the Viking raids.Less
In the first half of the eleventh century, the impotence of the Capetians was openly acknowledged by their subjects. The strength that kingship had derived from its new royal family—the more extensive demesne, the rather different image—was not sufficient to halt its slide. However, what was important from the point of view of political history was less the further decline — in any case not extensive — than the prolongation of weakness, the continuation of a situation in which royal intervention outside the demesne was a rarity. The weakness of the king, as well as the changing attitude towards private warfare that was not purely confined to churchmen, gave rise to a peace movement. The medieval church's powerful impetus towards change evoked a strong and widespread response throughout the church and its lay adherents in the eleventh century. And nowhere was that response richer, more varied, more creative than in West Francia. The period 980–1020 was the culmination of the monastic reform movement which had begun in the aftermath of the Viking raids.
Paul Russell
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264508
- eISBN:
- 9780191734120
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264508.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This chapter aims to address several questions concerning the identification of Irishmen in England in the period before the arrival of the Vikings. It focuses on the onosmatic aspects of the ...
More
This chapter aims to address several questions concerning the identification of Irishmen in England in the period before the arrival of the Vikings. It focuses on the onosmatic aspects of the questions and investigates the inter-related questions about the distinctiveness of Old Irish personal names. The chapter attempts to develop a method for tracking down Irishmen who do not have obviously Irish names.Less
This chapter aims to address several questions concerning the identification of Irishmen in England in the period before the arrival of the Vikings. It focuses on the onosmatic aspects of the questions and investigates the inter-related questions about the distinctiveness of Old Irish personal names. The chapter attempts to develop a method for tracking down Irishmen who do not have obviously Irish names.
Juliet Mullins
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264508
- eISBN:
- 9780191734120
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264508.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This chapter examines the doubtful issues in Bede's account of the pre-Viking history of Britain and Ireland in his Historia Ecclesiastica (HE). It focuses on the section of the HE where Bede ...
More
This chapter examines the doubtful issues in Bede's account of the pre-Viking history of Britain and Ireland in his Historia Ecclesiastica (HE). It focuses on the section of the HE where Bede attributed the conversion of the Picts to the work of Columba and the Christianisation of the southern Picts to one Nynia episcopo reuerentissimo et sanctissimo uiro de natione Brettonum. The chapter explores the origins of the cult of Saint Martin of Tours and considers what evidence it might offer about the nexus of influences operating upon Bede's account of the conversion.Less
This chapter examines the doubtful issues in Bede's account of the pre-Viking history of Britain and Ireland in his Historia Ecclesiastica (HE). It focuses on the section of the HE where Bede attributed the conversion of the Picts to the work of Columba and the Christianisation of the southern Picts to one Nynia episcopo reuerentissimo et sanctissimo uiro de natione Brettonum. The chapter explores the origins of the cult of Saint Martin of Tours and considers what evidence it might offer about the nexus of influences operating upon Bede's account of the conversion.
Susan Youngs
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264508
- eISBN:
- 9780191734120
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264508.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This chapter examines the origin of the enamelled hanging-bowls discovered in Sutton Hoo and their implications for understanding Anglo-Saxon, Irish, and British relations. It suggests that such ...
More
This chapter examines the origin of the enamelled hanging-bowls discovered in Sutton Hoo and their implications for understanding Anglo-Saxon, Irish, and British relations. It suggests that such bowls were originally made in some of the most prosperous centres of British Britain from the mid-sixth century, and that the fashion for them was exported to Ireland much later than the first wave of brooches and pins of around the year 400. The chapter contends that the problem concerning the origin of the bowls can be resolved by the suggestion that it was on both sides of the northern Irish Sea littoral that Viking raiders found hanging-bowls and enamelled buckets.Less
This chapter examines the origin of the enamelled hanging-bowls discovered in Sutton Hoo and their implications for understanding Anglo-Saxon, Irish, and British relations. It suggests that such bowls were originally made in some of the most prosperous centres of British Britain from the mid-sixth century, and that the fashion for them was exported to Ireland much later than the first wave of brooches and pins of around the year 400. The chapter contends that the problem concerning the origin of the bowls can be resolved by the suggestion that it was on both sides of the northern Irish Sea littoral that Viking raiders found hanging-bowls and enamelled buckets.
