The Anglo-Saxons

A History of the Beginnings of England: 400 - 1066

De: Marc Morris

Narrado por: Roy McMillan

A sweeping and original history of the Anglo-Saxons by national best-selling author Marc Morris.

Sixteen hundred years ago Britain left the Roman Empire and swiftly fell into ruin. Grand cities and luxurious villas were deserted and left to crumble, and civil society collapsed into chaos. Into this violent and unstable world came foreign invaders from across the sea, and established themselves as its new masters.

The Anglo-Saxons traces the turbulent history of these people across the next six centuries. It explains how their earliest rulers fought relentlessly against each other for glory and supremacy, and then were almost destroyed by the onslaught of the vikings. It explores how they abandoned their old gods for Christianity, established hundreds of churches, and created dazzlingly intricate works of art. It charts the revival of towns and trade, and the origins of a familiar landscape of shires, boroughs, and bishoprics. It is a tale of famous figures like King Offa, Alfred the Great, and Edward the Confessor, but also features a host of lesser known characters - ambitious queens, revolutionary saints, intolerant monks, and grasping nobles. Through their remarkable careers, we see how a new society, a new culture, and a single unified nation came into being.

Drawing on a vast range of original evidence - chronicles, letters, archaeology, and artefacts - renowned historian Marc Morris illuminates a period of history that is only dimly understood, separates the truth from the legend, and tells the extraordinary story of how the foundations of England were laid.

©2021 Marc Morris (P)2021 Penguin Audio, all rights reserved. Published by Brilliance Publishing, Inc.

Terrific and gripping history

This is a wonderful book and is a comprehensive treatment of a period of history that has spotty documentation. Dr. Morris writes with vigor and humor and I actually laughed out loud a few times. Morris tells us what is true, what is conjecture, and what is myth. It really is terrific.

Engrossing

And illuminating, especially on root meanings for words and phrases. It is told and read in an easy to follow manner

Amazing!

Great read, wonderful information about the history of the Anglo-Saxons and their legacy. Definitely recommend.

Exactly What It Says On The Tin

I found the book engrossing, but it is only about the Anglo-Saxons, so not much in the way of Canute or William of Normandy for the fan of the period, even though they were Kings of the English in their own right (seeing as they are of course not Anglo-Saxons). Still, a very good history stretching from late Roman Britain to Harold the Saxon, so often swept over in more general histories.

the detailed stories and chronicles are amazing.

Getting to hear and learn so much history of England is fascinating. i would highly recommend this book to everyone!

Fascinating.

I wish it had expanded a bit more on Alfred the great and a couple other more renown figures, but still very informative and fun to listen to.

Really well done

Both the story and the production were excellent and kept me fully engaged
Ricks’s accent was very familiar and reminded me of Jason Stratham.

Engaging, interesting account of Anglo-Saxon history

The subject matter is a compendium of current research about Anglo-Saxon life, presented in a very engaging, chronological way. There are relatively few written accounts from the time and many of these (such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) are very terse. It’s impressive how much meat scholars have been able to put on the bones by triangulating accounts and making educated guesses. Reading this, I believe I learned a good deal.

Also, I can’t remember the reader’s name, but I have a copy of T. E. Lawrence’s “Seven Pillars of Wisdom” read by him. He has a wonderful speaking voice and a terrifically engaging way of reading. I was interested in the subject matter but when I saw who was reading it, it sealed the deal for me.

Interesting History

Definately worth a listen for those interested in English history up to 1066 AD.

The names are a bit difficult at times because they are very similar. But obviously that can not be helped.

Definately recommend.

Great Insight

To date, this has been the most info that I’ve been able to find on the Anglo-Saxons. Of course, it’s limited to what we know; via royalty. Hopefully we be able to find more pre-Norman info in the future.