The Anglo-Saxons

A History of the Beginnings of England: 400 - 1066

By: Marc Morris

Narrated by: 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 history told well

The author has mined an incredible amount of detail regarding the Anglo Saxons and offered keen insight whenever a source is hazy or misleading. There's a lot of foreign sounding names and a lot of history to cover but it is all laid out clearly. The reader did a fantastic job as well. If you're interested at all on this period of history I can't recommend this book more.

Great narrative history

Really engaging history, which must have been difficult to write due to the fragmentary source material. The story was well written, and well narrated, highly recommend!

Engaging and Informative

This narrative history traces the Anglo Saxon period of England’s history with enough detail to provide insights but not such depth so as to put off those who are not professional historians. The author presents a balanced perspective that shows the strengths and weaknesses of the key figures and does not completely vilify those who tormented the Anglo Saxon population. There is also a wonderful sprinkling of dry humor throughout the work which brought several smiles to my face.

Many peoples

Seems like a great overview of the political history of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain, especially for someone uneducated about the topic such as myself.

Great Narrative Approach

This is far from a textbook! This book uses individual subjects (specific people) situated within their historical context to examine an important formative period in England’s history. This book kept me engaged the whole way through. Now on the the Norman Invasion!