British Political History, 380-1100

Course Material 2021/22
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This paper covers the political history of the British Isles from the late Roman period to the end of the 11th century, a period important for the emergence and development of kingdoms, royal and aristocratic power, ecclesiastical and administrative structures and law, and during which different groups of migrants and invaders from the European continent, Angles, Saxons and Jutes, Vikings and Normans, made their mark to varying degrees upon the political life of these islands.

Although the main focus of the paper is upon developments within England, these are examined with particular reference to the interaction between the English and their Celtic neighbours to the North and West, and are compared and contrasted with developments in the exercise of power and patterns of government and law in what are now known as Wales, Scotland and Ireland (each of which may be studied in their own right as well), taking the wider continental context into consideration where appropriate.

The earlier part of the paper considers the end of Roman rule in Britain, the problems of evidence in establishing the political history of the fifth and sixth centuries and, in particular, how Germanic invaders and migrants became politically and cultural dominant in lowland Britain. It examines the emergence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and the shifting power relations between them, and compares structures and practices of kingship in England with those elsewhere in the British Isles, as well as the political impact of conversion to Christianity.

The Viking invasions of the ninth century and their political consequences throughout the British Isles form a major theme, as does the expansion of the power of the kings of Wessex, their changing conception of their power, and the eventual conquest of all of England during the tenth century to create the first kingdom of the English, processes which may be compared and contrasted with contemporary developments elsewhere in the British Isles.

The final part of the paper examines the consequences of two successive continental conquests of England during the eleventh century-by the Danes in 1016 and by the Normans in 1066, and also considers the impact of the latter in Wales and Scotland.

The paper as a whole is marked by an emphasis upon the primary sources, both written (such as narrative histories, charters, laws) and material (such as coins), an understanding of which greatly enriches the experience of appreciating what was different as well as what we recognize as familiar in the early history of these islands.

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Section notice

This material is intended for current students but will be interesting to prospective students. It is indicative only.