This is a rare book that is extensively researched and documented but which gives a sweeping sense of time and history as Michael Wood takes us from the Roman occupation of Britain, followed by the Anglo-Saxon invasions and colonization, through the rise of the great kings that began to unify the island, the establishment of Christian infrastructure, then to the Viking invasions, and finally the invasion of William the Conqueror and the Normans in 1066.
Julius Caesar arrived in Britain around 34 BC but a firmer foothold in southern Britain was not established under Roman Control until after the arrival of Claudius in around 43 AD. The Romans met resistance and Wood tells the story of Boudica, the warrior queen of the Iceni tribe, who fights the Romans after the death of her husband. It is the defeat of these Celtic tribes, one by one, that establishes Roman Britannia, the outskirts of the Roman Empire. However by 410 the empire was under considerable stress from invasions from the Franks and Goths and other central European tribes and thus the Romans pulled back from defense of Britain in 410. Roman soldiers who served in the legions for 20 years could retire and were given farm land in defeated nations. Thus there was considerable Roman influence, art, architecture, legal infrastructure, and community organization and infrastructure when the main Roman forces leave.
Wood also explores the legend and historical evidence of King Arthur. After the Romans left Britain the remaining Roman influenced kings and leaders had to defend themselves against the invading Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Wood convincingly demonstrates that Britain was constantly invaded and raided by Vikings for a period of almost 700 years, until the Norman invasion, and King Arthur is believed to have been a British king, influenced in Roman thought and culture, who fights against the Anglo Saxons and Vikings. This would have been around the year 500 when documentation and written accounts were at a minimum and the Celtic missionaries were gaining a Christian foothold in Britain.
A chapter is devoted to King Offa who united southern Britain into Mercia, which was quite a task since there were over 40 small kingdoms and Kings spread across southern Britain. Offa's Dyke, a gigantic earth structure, based upon Roman engineering, is also discussed. It is around this time that Beowulf is written for Offa's court and St. Bede writes the Ecclesiastical History of England.
Alfred the Great, who ruled a unified Anglo-Saxon England, battles the Danish, Norwegians, and Northumbrians in the 800s, a period of national unification but of constant threats. War was the primary method of acquiring wealth and power during this period, so it was indeed a dark age for all involved, especially the lower classes. Alfred was allied with the Christian church which was in conflict with the pagan Scandinavian religion that was brought to England by the invading and then colonizing Vikings. The Anglo Saxon Chronicles are begun during the reign of Alfred and various versions were maintained for several centuries.
It is under Athelstan that the Northumbrians are unified with the southern Anglo Saxons and the kingdom of Mercia. But Wood makes it clear that the Vikings are never at rest and the rise of Eric Bloodaxe as Norwegian king of Northumbria brings about another round of conflict. The English nation is further undermined during the reign of Ethelred the Unready and it is due to Ethelred's marriage to a Norman princess and the exile of his sons as refugees to Normandy that in many ways sets the stage for the Norman invasion of William the Conqueror in 1066. When pious king Edward the Confessor dies without children, Harold Goodwin takes over the throne and would have succeeded had it not been for almost simultaneous invasions of Vikings in Northumbria and Normans in Southern England. Harold defeated the Vikings, killing the Viking king and Harold's treasonous brother, but then immediately riding south to fight the invading Normans was a recipe for disaster.
Wood's approach of combining anthropology, archeology, ecclesiastical history, and the vast melting pot of cultures that dominate Britain and England from 400 to 1000 makes for very interesting reading and a fascinating interpretation of what life may have been like for those living during this 600 year period.
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Reviews with images
History Comes Alive
Michael Wood presents this history of the Dark Ages in such a way that it really comes alive. Not a dull moment in the whole ten centuries it spans. It is more than just history, it is adventure, romance, intrigue and drama at its best. This book has been around for a while, you but if are looking for a good read.... Go for it.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2013
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Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2019
Michael Wood presents this history of the Dark Ages in such a way that it really comes alive. Not a dull moment in the whole ten centuries it spans. It is more than just history, it is adventure, romance, intrigue and drama at its best. This book has been around for a while, you but if are looking for a good read.... Go for it.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2022
Top reviews from other countries
GB
you get what you pay, maybe a little more
Reviewed in Germany on January 8, 2021Stamatios Nicolis
The title of the book is perfect
Reviewed in France on September 3, 2020Amazon Customer
Excelent information, and FUN. 4,5 stars.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 11, 2013
Maree Pennells
... school but very interesting none the less - still useful as a
Reviewed in Australia on August 18, 2015