Anglo-Saxon England

Evergreen Podcasts

Anglo-Saxon England is a podcast looking at the history of Anglo-Saxon England, beginning with the end of Roman Britain and ending with the Norman Conquest. We will not only talk about the history but also the literature, culture, and historiography of the Anglo-Saxon period. This show strives to offer an accessible but scholarly rigorous overview that will appeal both to beginners and to experts. read less

Our Editor's Take

Fans of British history podcasts may enjoy Anglo-Saxon England. The host is Thomas Kearns, an independent scholar passionate about the subject. On the podcast, Thomas tells the story of Anglo-Saxon England. This period of English history began in the 5th century and ended with the Norman Conquest of 1066. It's sometimes called "Early Medieval England." In the podcast, Thomas describes the events and characters that defined the Anglo-Saxon period.

In Anglo-Saxon England, the story begins with the end of Roman society in Britain. This event marked the beginning of the Anglo-Saxon period. Thomas examines the collapse of Roman Britain and what it meant for the Saxons of the mid-5th century. Several Anglo-Saxon kingdoms established themselves in the 5th and 6th centuries. Seven kingdoms were the most influential. The most significant were East Anglia, Northumbria, Mercia, and Wessex. The kingdoms of Essex, Kent, and Sussex were also important.

Thomas describes Anglo-Saxon society and culture in many podcast episodes. He explores topics like religion, poetry, and trade. The Anglo-Saxons spoke Old English. This is why the names of some of the characters in Anglo-Saxon history seem unusual today. Old English is a Germanic language. It's sometimes called "Anglo-Saxon" and is the earliest recorded form of the English language.

Many episodes of Anglo-Saxon England focus on the actions of the seven kingdoms. Thomas describes their various bids for power. He explores the rise of the Mercian Supremacy and its subsequent fall. The Mercian Supremacy ended after the death of Coenwulf, the last Mercian overlord. Thomas also shares the turbulent histories of the Northumbrian and East Anglian kingdoms.

Other episodes focus on significant characters from the Anglo-Saxon period. These characters included King Ecgberht, the Venerable Bede, and King Alfred "the Great."

Thoma's strong knowledge of Anglo-Saxon history is evident in every episode. Anglo-Saxon England may interest British history enthusiasts. New podcast episodes are usually available every other week.

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Jul 19 2023
Resources
With Kent wrapped up, and while I’m working on the next part of the podcast, I wanted to do another patron request episode. I have been asked to talk a bit about good books and resources for studying Anglo-Saxon history. This episode will be more free form than others, I just going to go through what for me are some of my go to resources. Some of these are academic books, so when they are likely to be expensive I will say so and I will try to suggest good alternatives where possible.  Resources recommended in this episode: -       A Guide to Old English by B. Mitchell and F. C. Robinson -       http://www.oldenglishaerobics.net/ -       https://www.memrise.com/ -       English Historical Documents: Volume 1: c.500–1042, edited by D. Whitelock -       Councils and Synods: with other documents relating to the English Church, vol. I, part I: A.D. 871–1066, edited by D. Whitelock, M. Brett and C. N. L. Brooke. -       The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles by M. Swanton -       Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People (Oxford Medieval Texts), transl. and ed. B. Colgrave and R. A. B. Mynors -       The Complete Old English Poems (The Middle Ages Series), transl. C. Williamson -       https://oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/ -       The Anglo Saxon Literature Handbook by M. C Amodio -       Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary by J. R. R. Tolkien -       https://esawyer.lib.cam.ac.uk/about/index.html -       The Anglo-Saxons, ed. J. Campbell -       The Anglo-Saxon World by N. J. Higham and M. Ryan -       The Anglo-Saxons: A History of the Beginnings of England by M. Morris -       The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England, ed. M. Lapidge, J. Blair, S. Keynes, and D. Scragg -       The Church in Anglo-Saxon Society by J. Blair -       The Coming of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England by H. Mayr-Harting -       Signals of Belief in Early England: Anglo-Saxon Paganism Revisited, ed. M. Carver, A. Sanmark, and S. Semple -       Alfred the Great: War, Kingship and Culture in Anglo-Saxon England by R. Ables -       Alfred the Great: Asser's Life of King Alfred and Other Contemporary Sources, transl. S. Keynes and M. Lapidge -       Aethelstan: The First King of England by S. Foot -       Aethelred the Unready by L. Roach -       Edward the Confessor: Last of the Royal Blood by T. Licence Credits - Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%C5%8D%C3%B0mundW%C5%8Ddening Social Media -  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/anglosaxonengland Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anglo-Saxon-England-Podcast-110529958048053 Twitter: https://twitter.com/EnglandAnglo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anglosaxonenglandpodcast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzyGUvYZCstptNQeWTwfQuA  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices